ART OF THE WEEK
3 - 9 June 2013
Danaë (2013) by Vadim Zakharov (Dushanbe, 1959).
The installation is on view at the Venice Biennale's Russian Pavilion until 24 November.
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| Vadim Zakharov, Danaë, Russian Pavilion, Venice, 2013. Views of the installation. Photograph: Daniel Zakharov |
Vadim Zakharov, artist: ‘The installation has two points for viewing—from above and from below (in the central hall of the Pavilion a large square hole has been made in the ceiling of the lower exhibition space, and an altar rail with cushions for kneeling has been built on the upper floor, around the hole). Kneeling and looking down, we can grasp and feel that we are present at a unique process of materialisation of the myth. Through the huge hole in the floor, we fall into another semantic and poetic space, into which golden coins fly from a pyramid ceiling. Below we see women with umbrellas, which protect them from being struck by the coins. The lower hall can only be visited by women. This is not sexism but merely follows the logic of the anatomical construction of the myth. What is masculine can only fall inside from above, in the form of golden rain. The lower level of the Pavilion is a “cave womb,” keeping tranquility, knowledge, and memory intact.’
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| Vadim Zakharov, One Danaë, coin, 2013 Courtesy of the Russian Pavilion |
Udo Kittelmann, curator: ‘The mythological theme of Danaë, as a constantly recurring theme in art from antiquity to the modern age, is given an updated interpretation by Vadim Zakharov in the Russian Pavilion. The Greek myth of the impregnation of Danaë is subjected to numerous readings: a falling shower of gold makes reference to the seduction of Danaë as an allegory for human desire and greed, but also to the corrupting influence of money. Through his artistic staging, Zakharov allows this ancient myth to find a contemporary temporal dimension. Philosophical, sexual, psychological, and cultural fragments become concentrated into a theater-like overall composition throughout the Pavilion rooms. The project has sculptural and pictorial elements and invites active participation by visitors to guarantee the flow of material goods (coins, peanuts, rose petals, people) as an ongoing process. In this "Performance in Five Acts." Zakharov presents the significance of the embodiment of myths to a society that no longer lends them any credence.’
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| Vadim Zakharov, Danaë, Russian Pavilion, Venice, 2013. Views of the installation. Photograph: Daniel Zakharov |
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| Vadim Zakharov, Danaë, Russian Pavilion, Venice, 2013. Views of the installation. Photograph: Daniel Zakharov |
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| Vadim Zakharov, Danaë, Russian Pavilion, Venice, 2013. Views of the installation. Photograph: Daniel Zakharov |