Contemporary artist Ivan Volkov will present his solo exhibition ‘Jokes Everywhere’ from October 22 to 27 – an artistic dialog about the nature of evil, which is often hidden under the mask of irony and joke. The curators are Dmitry Malyshev and Valeria Nikitina.
About the exhibition
After emigrating to Paris, Volkov himself became part of globalization, which, rather than uniting people, has intensified the divide between “us” and “them.” This tension is reflected in his work, where heightened social and political conflicts create an atmosphere of unsolvable contradictions. His seemingly innocent characters in both paintings and ceramic sculptures subtly approach the viewer, ready to engage in a complex conversation about morality and justice. In these works, humor serves merely as a veil for evil—something that cannot be tamed or negotiated with.
“While creating my ceramic sculptures, I was inspired by my visits to the Branly Museum, where I studied the works of ancient peoples—from African tribes to Oceanic cultures. I wondered what these masks and totems symbolized and tried to convey that same mystery and mysticism in my work. Moreover, my characters, like those from movies and comics, allude to the tradition of Halloween—they are simultaneously funny and scary, but instead of repelling, they attract and invite the viewer to reflect on different facets of their own personality,” Volkov comments on his work.
The photographs by Dmitry Malyshev, one of the exhibition’s co-curators, engage in a dialogue with Volkov’s pieces. Through self-portraits and images of his characters, Malyshev reveals the dramatic consequences of human’s interaction with evil.
The contradictory images embodied in these works help reveal what we often try to hide. Through art, the artist and curators invite viewers to explore the intricate web of the world and gain a deeper understanding of themselves.
About the artist
Ivan Volkov was born in 1992 in Protvino (Moscow region). Graduated from the City Art School in 2010. Graduated from the Stroganov Moscow State Academy of Arts and Industry, Department of Sculpture in 2017. In 2018 studied at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICI).
Ivan Volkov works with such media as sculpture, painting, graphics, and also carries out actions that later exist in the form of photographic documentation. In his artistic practice, the artist reflects on the problems of the precariat: a socially unsettled stratum of society that does not have full guaranteed employment. It is the representatives of this class who are most often the main characters of fictional scenes in which their daily life is recreated. However, Volkov does not simply transfer what he sees to canvas, fabric or drawing paper; his typical technique is to bring a single situation to the point of absurdity by replacing familiar realities with diametrically opposed ones. Moreover, the laconicism of the artistic language helps to fit all the paradoxical components into a single organic canvas.
Location: 7 Kensington Mall, London, W8 4EB
Opening night: October 22, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Dates: October 23 – 27, 2024
Public hours: 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Admission: Free
Contact:
Valeria Nikitina
