Anton Konukhov

The current moment, no matter what it is like, does not appear in the mirror immediately: the delay is at almost the speed of light. Is it possible within this time to examine, comprehend, and accept events? The reflection aims at objectivity, but at the same time it is not unaware – it is simply imitating fragments of the real world, the current moment in time.

Anton Konyukhov's new exhibition is an experiment in perceiving the current moment in all its depth and elusiveness. A heterogonous mirrored mass has been frozen during its movement, like a stolen impression of the entirety of time. Even though solidified, this fragment of time cannot quite be perceived as one moment. The tenuous mirrored surfaces seen in the exhibition fool the inattentive viewer. At first glance, as your eyes slide over the sections that have been metallized by some unknown material, one might perceive the artist's work as actually a three dimensional object, or even a ready-made. But Anton Konyukhov works with completely traditional media: he creates painted canvases, the very first thing that comes to mind when speaking of the fine arts. He primes his canvases and covers them with a colourful layer of some mystery material. But the painting cannot rightly be said to have been made completely "by hand". It is not just coincidence that the mirror is a symbol of clairvoyance: the flowing compound that the author pours over the canvas or paper expands across its surface almost without any human intervention, foretelling the appearance of the future work. The artist controls the materials only at the necessary "current" moment, giving the picture its particular textural characteristics.

The dripping of shards, the scratches, the flow of paint, and other manipulations with the painting create a distortion, not an ideal mirror. The optical glitch infringes upon the visual perception: the reflection multiplies, divides, and sparkles. With these "errors", the physical and chemical processes do not act according to normal laws. It might be that in the silver luminescence of the petrified drops the value of the current moment is instantly apparent, bypassing the inaccuracies of the speed of light. Konyukhov's works, which do not allow us to maintain any illusions regarding the perception of reality, do allow us to take pleasure in the illusion of the perception of time: the moment is frozen, and we move relative to it. It may be that the stream of paint is in possession of the proper formula for the flow of what we call time.

The installation, with its weight and mirrored clumps, is a symbol of the healthy perception of the moment and its "currency". The weight and the abstract bust personifying philosophy – the rational perception and analysis of existence – help us balance out the sense perception of our lives, our now. Disturbing this balance leads to an ontological schism between existence in time and existence in the space of rationality. The most important task is to recognize the moment and begin to see, in this coagulation of existence, our own selves in the process of unceasing change.