Fran Orallo + Alexander Prisyazhnenko + Dasha+Zhanar (Daria Pugachova and Zhanar Bereketova)
May 1–28, 2022
This month we feature four artists whose work is, of, or about the conflict in Ukraine, examined from their unique perspectives.
“Persona non Grata” by Fran Orallo
Tell us about the artwork you are submitting. What makes it unique?
Persona non Grata takes as a reference to a contemporary person who, in one way or another, and always, in my opinion, stands out for their anti-social actions, for attacking people's freedom, people who do not respect human rights, or who attack minorities.
The video consists of forming the name of the chosen ones with flies, from the beginning it has been conceived with the idea of being part of a series. The first chapter is dedicated to the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, for his unjustified and violent invasion of Ukraine.
Tell us about yourself. How did you come to be an artist in video/digital media?
Fran Orallo (Badajoz, Spain 1979). He lives and works in Glasgow, Scotland. His work focuses on experimentation with video and animation. Through the relationship between image and identity, his work explores the different layers that make up the idea of “I”. He understands that identity is nothing more than a role, and his work revolves around this performative identity, using the idea of self-portrait in much of his production. He has exhibited his work both in Spain and abroad, participating in biennials, collective exhibitions, and festivals in more than 40 countries. His work has been screened in public and private institutions such as IVAN (Valencia, Spain), Vostell Malpartida Museum (Cáceres, Spain), MAC- Museum of Contemporary Art of Santiago de Chile (Chile), La Neomudejar (Madrid Spain), Centro del Carmen (Valencia, Spain), Ex Teresa Arte Actual (Mexico City, Mexico), Kyrgyz National Fine Arts Museum (Bishkek. Kirghizistan), biennials such as The Wrong Biennale, (Copenhagen, Denmark), VI SIART International Art Biennial (Bolivia), and in fairs and festivals such as arteBA'10 (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Under The Subway Video Art Night (New York), FILE (Brazil), Madatac (Madrid, Spain) or FIVA (Argentina) among others.
“Close the Sky Over Ukraine” by Alexander Prisyazhnenko
Tell us about the artwork you are submitting. What makes it unique?
Media work with the title "close the sky over Ukraine". Represents the theme of the war in Ukraine. The plot is based on a visual essay reflecting the scorched earth tactics used by Russian troops against civilians. The peculiarity of the video work is revealed in the iconic images of a lonely and anxious flock of birds. Scorched grass and night rocket attacks. Symbols and words are important, but they are not enough. To end the war, you need to close the sky over Ukraine.
Tell us about yourself. How did you come to be an artist in video/digital media?
I was born and live in Ukraine, the city of Kharkov. I work as a teacher at the department of audiovisual art. Specialty, film and television director. I am the founder of the media project Excess group (2012). I work in the genres of contemporary art, video art, photography.
“Log” and “Fence” by Daria Pugachova and Zhanar Bereketova (Dasha + Zhanar)
Tell us about the artwork you are submitting. What makes it unique?
“Log” is a performance documentation, shot in Kyiv in 2021. The log is a functioning border for the beginning of the parking area. Dasha and Zhanar carry it from one side of the brick wall to another, where the parking area ends. The action seems to be linear but it is a loop — the log still serves as a border.
In “Fence”, also shot in Kyiv in 2021, Zhanar is leaning on the fence. Dasha is leaning on her. Being under pressure and standing still, Zhanar becomes a passive object til the moment when she steps aside.
Tell us about yourself. How did you come to be artists in video/digital media?
Dasha+Zhanar is a collaboration of Daria Pugachova and Zhanar Bereketova, two artists from Kyiv and Moscow that started in 2019. For a long time, they did not see each other and did not talk. The main way of communication is collaborative work: video, installations, objects, photographs and performances. Their practice can be naturally divided into “before” (2019–2020) and “after” (2020–now) meeting face to face. The collaboration is based on communication constraints. On the one hand, the given ones — the physical and cultural distance between Ukraine and Russia. On the other hand, the intentional constraints that Dasha and Zhanar establish such as not seeing each other for almost two years.
Daria Pugachova was born in Rivne, Ukraine. She studied architecture at Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture. 2013–2019 she played the drums in Panivalkova band. In 2019 musicians split up and Daria dived into the contemporary art field. She works with performance, video art and artivism. In her projects, Daria uses participatory practices to unite a community and integrate art into daily life.
Zhanar Bereketova is an artist and tutor from Moscow. Zhanar teaches at BA (Hons) Graphic Design Programme at British Higher School of Art & Design in Moscow. She mostly works with installations. Her main medium is elastics that she embeds in the streets. By doing so, she creates “events” and fulfills the emptiness both conceptually and visually.