The art of shock and sorrow

The show at the PinchukArtCentre is this year’s most noteworthy event thanks to the participation of such renowned Western artists as Jeff Koons (US), Damien Hirst, and Antony Gormley (both from the UK). Their art pieces were actually symbols of the entire show.

Naturally, Gormley’s creations were the first to attract visitors’ attention. His sculpture Reflection is displayed in front of a shop window: two absolutely similar human bodies separated by glass are made out of rusted cast iron. Outwardly, there is a complete illusion of reflection of this strange metal phantom, but a closer look reveals certain distinctions. Needless to say, his Blind Light created a sensation. Visitors were invited to enter a room with transparent glass walls, filled with thick white steam. They become instantly disoriented; viewers themselves turn into otherworldly shadows. They feel dizzy, which is probably the effect the artist expects. Right in front of the entrance stands a transparent human figure made of what seems to be square-headed nails, but when seen from the proper angle, the impression is that the visitors fill the empty space and, after stepping out of the white cloud, they momentarily become the content.

Damien Hirst’s exercises are no less effective. This British artist is known primarily for using animal carcasses in his installations. The most shocking part of Viddzerkalennia is his The Cancer Chronicles: Jesus and His Disciples, an entire exhibition hall packed with heads of bulls and cows preserved in formaldehyde solution, and black canvases made of thousands of dead flies fixed with tar. In contrast, Ariel consists of seven large canvases covered with red paint, and this time embedded not with flies but big blue tropical butterflies. His other works have definite religious connotations: Resurrection is a human skeleton crucified within two perpendicular glass planes, while Homage to the Half-Truth shows a stuffed dove that seems to be suspended in midair inside a large transparent box. Attitudes to this piece can vary, but the impression it leaves is a strong one.

Another impressive work of art is Crossfire, by the American artist Christian Marclay. You step into a dark hall and hear guns being cocked, getting ready to open fire. Then you find yourself being shot at from four screens at the same time. Marclay’s selections of video and audio effects includes scenes from the best action movies, including Matrix, Terminator, Pulp Fiction, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and Bonnie and Clyde. So you are in for an eight-minute video/audio session of nonstop, murderous crossfire. Your emotions may vary from those of the victim to those of the tough man or mol pulling the trigger.

Jeff Koons, who lives in New York City, is regarded as a master of actual painting. His two big canvases, Landscape (Waterfall II) and Girl (Dots) offer a clear concept of his combination of various styles, primarily easily accessible pop art and a rather tough kind of abstractionism. Ready-made, even photographed images are subjected to original attack by bright, aggressive colors.

The postmodern art works of the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami are interesting. He uses stylized images of flowers and computer smilies to produce cheerful, occasionally infantile, images like Flower Matango, a four-dimensional structure that looks more like a psychedelic waterfall.

Getting back to skeletons, it may be said that Hirst does not hold a monopoly here. Another skeleton was displayed by British artist Marc Quinn. This time the human remains were made of patinated bronze. The skeleton is in a praying position, on its knees, and the image is entitled Waiting for Godot. Generally speaking, the penchant of modern British artists for such overt naturalism rates a separate story; here the artist’s frankness simply acquires stable anatomical coloration.

Naturally, there were photographs at the show. The photography section of the exhibit was best represented by the German artist Andreas Gursky. He builds his compositions by using his camera to capture a great many similar moments against general backdrops, like isles scattered throughout the ocean (e.g., James Bond Island III), crowds at a music festival (Loveparade), and packed supermarket shelves (99 Cent II). Viktor Pinchuk is especially proud of his work entitled Klitschko, which was executed before one of Vitaly’s fights in 1999. It was ceremoniously unveiled with the boxing brothers in attendance.

Ukrainian artists also took part in the Viddzerkalennia show. Serhii Bratkov’s new ironical work Religious Procession (photo), Arsen Savadov’s canvas Heart, Oleh Tistol’s The Southern Crimean Coast, and Vasyl Tsaholov’s Swan Lake (an installation with video and ballet dancers wearing shahid belts) looked great hanging next to the foreign artworks.

Contemporary art is controversial, perhaps one of the reasons why it keeps being created. Trailblazing is never easy. One often has to resort to the most unusual gestures. The Viddzerkalennia show makes such extraordinary things understandable, thereby making further movement possible.