On 24 April, BIS ART Gallery is opening Yana Riznyk’s solo exhibition «Art&Facts».
Being nostalgic about the times you did not live in is not a new phenomenon in art. The Italian Renaissance largely formed their idea of antiquity based on preserved artifacts. The exhibition of Yana Riznyk is dedicated to the times in which she did not live, and instead of artifacts, she uses Soviet household appliances and cars.
The message conveyed by the artist in two cycles of her works «Retrogadget» and «Born in the USSR» is based on familiar images, seemingly simple and understandable, even closer to the viewer thanks to the direct manner depiction. However, because of the overall simplicity, these objects serve as visual catalysts, awakening a chain of associations and references in us.
The artist does not personify her objects so much as she generalizes some social information with their help, reaching the level of collective memory, she tells stories and shares feelings. The artist is interested in the feelings, impressions, and emotions that the viewer will receive whilst communicating with her paintings.
In Yana Riznyk’s works, the focus of attention on the actual utilitarian objects, outside of their apparent connection with the person and his life, resonates with the ideas of the German philosopher M. Heidegger. He conveyed the idea that by depicting utilitarian objects, the «things» as they are, an artist removes them from official circulation, suspends the mode of direct use and presents them outside the usage context. Through the image of the objects the artist the life experience of the owner of the object.
In the Yana’s works, old gadgets and cars exist outside of any visual context. At the same time, the artist tries to feel, understand and accept the experience of the previous generation, to convey it with warmth, to connect it with today’s reality, while at the same time leaving a space that allows everyone to place their personal experiences, memories and associations.
