Без названия 1994

Curator: There’s a captivating starkness to this piece. We're looking at an installation, a black and white photograph of it in fact, created by Vasiliy Ryabchenko in 1994. It’s called "Untitled." Immediately I find a bit of beauty and gloom. Editor: Yes, "Untitled" really does feel like a fitting name. It certainly has a ghostly presence. The stark contrast gives it an almost architectural, structural feel. Very somber though. Curator: Indeed. And it plays tricks on your mind! Notice the juxtaposition of forms. We have what appears to be a crude sculpture, roughhewn even, set against those softly rendered abstract paintings hanging behind it. It makes you wonder about their relationship. There's some connection and opposition at the same time. Editor: The geometry of that window above everything reinforces it too. The vertical lines of the installation play nicely with the geometry of the window which creates something unified to this presentation, something I might have missed if you had not mentioned it. Curator: The glowing tube rising from it feels deliberately strange—almost comically out of place. A fluorescent sun in the age of mechanical reproduction, shining on digital times through analogue media. Editor: Exactly. It’s the one stark, illuminated element drawing your focus. Its almost violent against the rest of the muted work, but strangely so appropriate. The way that its electrical cord hangs next to one of those works in the wall reminds of that, this connection. Are we talking of a commentary here? Curator: I think we must. You know, sometimes I see Ryabchenko searching for this connection, a bit lost, between beauty and function. It’s almost as if it is the lightbulb that brings some light in all this dark game. I believe it captures a transient state and a desire. Editor: Yes, transient and delicate in feeling. In fact, despite its starkness, it creates a silent dialogue among a few objects, a meditation almost on space, form, and light that holds us. Very suggestive. Curator: I fully agree. What started as an enigmatic composition opens a world, I feel richer having spend some time. Editor: And so I, a testament to the artist´s invitation and work. Thank you.