The Ordinariness of the Absurd

Gallery “36” on Andriyivsky Uzviz St. hosts a solo show by Kyiv artist Svitlana Kondratenko.

Her pictures, a magical combination of daily routine and the absurd, ordinariness and ritual, are reminiscent of Ukrainian Realism in the 1970s (although Svitlana Kondratenko is at least a generation younger than her colleagues of the 1970s). True, her works feature less irony and romanticism, at least in the outward, showy sense.

Svitlana Kondratenko’s artwork is a chronicle of life taking a slow course, in keeping with age-old rhythms. Litni vtikhy (Summer Pleasures), which depicts making wine at home, turn into Osinni vtikhy (Fall Pleasures): long walks with dogs, and then into winter pleasures, such as chopping firewood. At the same time, extraordinary events acquire the importance and solemnity of Shakespearean chronicles (e.g., The Tragic Destiny of Nytochka the Cat), while objects acquire monumental significance, or vice versa: they lose their ability to charm (“Is This a Rose?”) Few creatures and characters inhabit this chamber-like, enclosed, and cozy world. They pass from one picture to the next, and are easily identifiable as people, dogs with their litters, who appear with regularity (as in 6 Small Dogs, 6 Small Dogs). The seamless flow of time is interrupted only by the appearance of guests, when large festive tables are laid (e.g., January 7). However, in the absence of guests they can be invented (“We Wanted to Come Over, But It Didn’t Work Out”).