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Octobar 5 - Novembar 24, 2024
Anton Konukhov
Our view is constantly obstructed: by glass, fence grids, metal and concrete partitions, various films. Everywhere, people create barriers to perception, dividing the world into the permissible and the forbidden. It is difficult to grasp the full picture of the human world, and this applies not only to physical space but to informational space as well, not only to external walls but also to internal veils that limit our perception.
In his new exhibition, Anton Konyukhov explores these boundaries of the accessible in his author’s technique. In his latest works, the artist pushes the concept of reflection to the limit, culminating in the indexical signs of objects that become literally imprinted on the canvases. The shiny reflective surfaces of the artist's canvases are overlaid with traces of metal grids, shattered glass, and films. A huge painting of a display window in the center of the exhibition does not have an eye-catching filling; instead, it is covered with film that conceals its internal space. The viewer finds themselves in the position of a passerby from whom something is being hidden; however, the very format of the exhibition encourages voyeuristic peeking. At the same time, the work represents a trace of time itself, "imprinting" a fragment of the reality of the emptying spaces around us.
Konyukhov's works speak not just about the fact of concealment. Continuing to work with reflections, and giving the "plots" of his works to the power of the moment, the artist draws attention to the fact that our present and even we ourselves are what is hidden. Constantly confronted with prohibitions and barriers, we withdraw further into ourselves, but even there, we leave ourselves less and less freedom. Despite living in an era of globalisation and the internet, we continue to build more and more boundaries.
Formally inviting us to look more closely at the works and to peer into the small glimpses of the reflective surface, the artist strongly emphasizes our attention on the space reflected in the painting, underlining the significance of these glimpses and the importance of overcoming boundaries.
Kirill Eltsov
Our view is constantly obstructed: by glass, fence grids, metal and concrete partitions, various films. Everywhere, people create barriers to perception, dividing the world into the permissible and the forbidden. It is difficult to grasp the full picture of the human world, and this applies not only to physical space but to informational space as well, not only to external walls but also to internal veils that limit our perception.
In his new exhibition, Anton Konyukhov explores these boundaries of the accessible in his author’s technique. In his latest works, the artist pushes the concept of reflection to the limit, culminating in the indexical signs of objects that become literally imprinted on the canvases. The shiny reflective surfaces of the artist's canvases are overlaid with traces of metal grids, shattered glass, and films. A huge painting of a display window in the center of the exhibition does not have an eye-catching filling; instead, it is covered with film that conceals its internal space. The viewer finds themselves in the position of a passerby from whom something is being hidden; however, the very format of the exhibition encourages voyeuristic peeking. At the same time, the work represents a trace of time itself, "imprinting" a fragment of the reality of the emptying spaces around us.
Konyukhov's works speak not just about the fact of concealment. Continuing to work with reflections, and giving the "plots" of his works to the power of the moment, the artist draws attention to the fact that our present and even we ourselves are what is hidden. Constantly confronted with prohibitions and barriers, we withdraw further into ourselves, but even there, we leave ourselves less and less freedom. Despite living in an era of globalisation and the internet, we continue to build more and more boundaries.
Formally inviting us to look more closely at the works and to peer into the small glimpses of the reflective surface, the artist strongly emphasizes our attention on the space reflected in the painting, underlining the significance of these glimpses and the importance of overcoming boundaries.
Kirill Eltsov