Fate Shifts Shapes
Opening Reception / January 14, 2016 / 6-8pm
Poetry Reading by Anzhelina Polonskaya / 5:30pm
The four artists dramatize the Russian compulsion to shape psychic and physical identities around inexorable social forces. As the idea excludes rationalism in favor of destiny, poet Anzhelina Polonskaya, artists Sasha Rudensky and Clemens Von Wedemeyer, and artist-curator Nicholas Muellner reject documentary realism to present theatrical depictions of individuals’ responses to the lives laid out for them.
Tracing lines of fate across contemporary Russia, Ukraine and occupied Crimea, these works articulate how vulnerable individuals like women, gay men, and economic migrants are particularly pressured to mold their identities to fit conservative cultural norms. Confronted by provocative images ranging from erotic dancers and cornered military cadets to faceless figures disappearing into landscapes, viewers will question their ideas about identity, choice, and the degree of control we really have over our lives.
Kicking off with a poetry reading by Anzhelina Polonskaya and opening reception on January 14, 2016 at PPAC, PPAC will also produce a limited edition publication of poetry and images by the artists.
