LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESS Newswire / September 16, 2026 / Metaphorical Realist Vladimir Kush is the founder of a new branch of contemporary art known as “Metaphorical Realism”, metaphorical by its concept and realistic in its execution, grasping the hidden likeness of things by building a bridge between different notions, often essential to our understanding of the world.
During a recent personal sit down with the artist, Kush explained the importance of preserving art galleries and how this is vital for safeguarding our collective cultural heritage, maintaining educational resources for future generations and supporting the ongoing creative legacy of our society. It protects both historical narratives and contemporary voices from the ravages of time and environmental deterioration. Art galleries attract cultural tourism and expand cultural diversity by promoting education and reinforcing values within current and new generations.
Kush went deeper into how his “Metaphorical Art” is a blueprint for human spirit and the importance of this art genre now more than ever because compassion itself is an abstract concept that our brains cannot process without visual analogies. We do not experience kindness as cold logic; we experience it as a physical sensation. Because our brains rely on embodied cognition, we use visual metaphors to understand, feel, and replicate altruistic behavior.
As recent data shows, one of the most profound discoveries in cognitive neuroscience is that visual metaphors are “embodied” in our physical brains. When your brain encounters a visual metaphor, it does not just think about it; it simulates its sensor motorically.
Metaphors and, more importantly, visual metaphors shape how we understand, communicate, and solve global crises. Literal information tells you exactly what to think, leaving little room for neurological discovery. Kush’s “Metaphorical Art” demands that the viewer actively solves a cognitive puzzle. To understand a visual metaphor, the brain uses conceptual blending. It maps a “source” domain (what you see) onto a “target” domain (the abstract issue). The moment the brain successfully synthesizes these two, distinct data sets and “clicks” the meaning into place. It releases a micro-dose of dopamine. This rewarding neurochemical spark makes the realization more memorable, satisfying, and influential behavior than passively reading statistics. The artist’s mission is to find a metaphorical “parallel” for every side of real life, thus “To See the World in the Mirror of Metaphor”.
“Metaphorical Art” changes the world by bypassing literal defense mechanisms to reshape our cognitive and emotional wiring. While statistics appeal to the analytical mind, art translates systemic, abstract crises into visceral, human-scale experience, that compel collective action.
Kush’s style implies the truthful depiction of the material world and combines it with his own vision of cultural world traditions and mythology. Metaphor can “see” through the centuries unveiling the images of the world’s past and connecting notions created by civilization.
Humankind spent hundreds of thousands of years evolving to navigate a 3D world before ever trying to learn algebra, coding, or philosophy. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge has its limitations, while imagination has no limits.” ~Albert Einstein. Metaphor leaves the mind open to grasp onto the hidden likeness of things and events and the more distant these things are, the greater the effect. The unexpectedness of the connection and sudden insight, which takes your breath away, is the true measure of the painting’s value, according to the artist.
The artist explains that according to cognitive linguistics, humans do not think in isolation; we think in culturally shared frameworks. “Metaphorical Art” materializes these frameworks, making them visible so society can view and analyze them.
The human brain builds a “Metaphorical Bridge” by coding as “writing a recipe” the brain instantly unlocks a massive reservoir of existing knowledge and imagination. Kush’s artworks drive us to confront systemic issues that our brains are naturally wired to ignore. “Metaphorical Art” challenges our subconscious with the symbolism of artifacts. His art uses spatial metaphors to “build a bridge” or “bridge the gap” between two distant notions creating “closeness” and “connection”.
Human brains are evolutionarily terrible at processing distant threats. “Metaphorical Art” acts as a psychological time machine, pulling future consequences into the present moment. When abstract global concepts are translated into physical or monumental art installations, (such as Kush’s paintings, sculptures, and jewelry), concepts that have initially grown on the flat surface of the canvas and have gradually acquired one more dimension and transitioned into 3D space can directly alter public awareness by embedding large-scale visual metaphors into the real world.
The artist believes that the viewer’s insight comes at once. It is not about discovering something new. His concept is similar to that of Plato who believed there is an ideal world, a “cave” in which human souls once dwelled in. The “cave” retained their core ideas of things after they left. Therefore, the insight that comes when viewing art is a recollection of that. The artist’s role is to stimulate this subconscious process of remembering through his metaphorical art and familiar symbolism.
Vladimir Kush is one of the most original artists of our time. His artworks are showcased throughout the world and in his own chain of galleries across the United States. Visit Kush Fine Art Galleries and explore the “Art of Imagination” and the “Visual Metaphors” created by the artist. When you visit Kush’s galleries you will be served with warmth and an eye for your unique style as you seek the perfect piece to add to your collection. Visit www.kushfineart.com for more information.
Jorge Barrera | Marketing Director | Kush Fine Art Galleries | jorge.barrera@kushfineart.com
SOURCE: Kush Fine Art
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