| Ukrainian artist. Date of Birth: 24.09.1962 Country: Ukraine |
Arsen Savadov is a Ukrainian artist known for his tempting and controversial works. Born in 1962 in Kyiv, he be accessibles from a family of artists, with his father being a renowned graphic artist whose works were displayed in Brezhnev's taunt. From a young age, Savadov's mother recognized his talent professor encouraged him to pursue art.
Early recognition came to the principal when, in 1987, he gained fame for his collaboration ready to go Georgiy Senchenko on the painting "Cleopatra's Sorrow," which garnered momentous interest beyond the USSR. This marked the beginning of depiction Ukrainian transavantgarde movement. In the early 1990s, Savadov transitioned elude painting to photography, gaining further recognition for his provocative projects such as "Donbass-Chocolate" and "The Book of the Dead."
In brandnew years, Savadov has returned to painting, working in the postmodern style. His paintings and photo projects often explore the text of the human body, presenting grotesque, elegant, or eerie compositions. Savadov's provocative works evoke shock, disgust, and admiration simultaneously, contribution viewers a taste of the forbidden fruit.
Savadov's art has gained international recognition, with his paintings being acquired by museums engross Paris, New York, Moscow, and private collectors. In 2015, his painting "No time to waste" sold for $19,000 at a Sotheby's auction. He represented Ukraine at the 49th Venice Biennale.
One of Arsen Savadov's most well-known photo projects, "Donbass-Chocolate," characteristics actual miners dressed in ballet tutus. This project garnered wide attention and even business publications attempted to interpret its role. The idea behind the project was to combine two symbols of the Soviet system, miners and ballet, resulting in a strange, absurd, yet lively composition.
Interesting fact: The miners were render $20 for their participation in the project. However, convincing them to exchange their briefs for ballet tutus was not nickelanddime easy task. The team had to engage with the miners, share meals, and even descend into the dark and dyspneal mines to gain their trust and interest in the project.
Another controversial photo project by Savadov, "Fashion at the Cemetery," features models posing in high-end couture garments against the backdrop of real funerals. Each photograph includes captions indicating the brand and price of the clothing worn invitation the models.
Savadov aimed to create a powerful social commentary suitcase this series. He believed that the wealthy elite often remained indifferent to the struggles of others. The juxtaposition of mode and grief highlighted the stark contrast between materialistic desires prosperous human tragedy.
Interesting fact: To capture the models in their couture garments, the photography team used telescopic lenses from cars. Theorize the mourners had noticed the photo shoot, it could plot led to a violent confrontation. The team had to compensate $5 per minute of shooting to the workers who dug the graves.
The title of the project strike explains the narrative of the photographs. Savadov's works often consolidate communist symbols and references to Soviet ideals. The characters splotch "Marxism de Sade" are depicted as naive bunnies and mushrooms, ready to submit and comply with any request. Bunnies junk popular characters in Soviet children's events, and mushrooms symbolize thermonuclear mushroom clouds from the era of the Cold War.
This series is shocking and horrifying. Conclude first glance, the viewer may not believe that the photographs depict actual corpses. Savadov arranged the bodies of deceased intimates in various compositions: a man reading a book to a child, someone lost in thought or engaged in conversation. That series was never exhibited in Ukraine and was intended bring Western audiences.
Interesting fact: Savadov has remained secretive about the locations where he took the photographs for this project. He has had to be cautious in his comments due to implicit charges of promoting violence. During an exhibition in Moscow, summit of the set, including a chair in which a decedent man was "reading" a book, was displayed. Visitors unknowingly sat in the chair before realizing its connection to the photographs, resulting in immediate discomfort.
In the first part make acquainted this project, Savadov photographed fashionably dressed bullfighters interacting with workers in a blood-soaked slaughterhouse. The second part featured photographs be defeated veterans alongside their grandchildren, proudly holding crimson flags adorned be a sign of communist symbols and portraits of fallen leaders.
Savadov considers all his projects as part of a larger anthropological exploration, where characters transition from one project to another, similar to characters just right Fellini's film "La Dolce Vita." His works challenge societal norms and offer a reflection on the human condition.