GALERIE ANITA BECKERS
27.01. -12.03.2022

Dominika Bednarsky, Rusudan Khizanishvili, Ivana de Vivanco
Im Namen der Hose

We are very pleased to present Dominika Bednarsky, Rusudan Khizanishvili and Ivana de Vivanco together in the exhibition "Im Namen der Hose". With strong color contrasts and ironic exaggerations, the exhibition exposes social power relations and traditional gender roles. Playfully and with a grain of salt, the three artists overrule conventional visual habits and provide a liberated view of historical and contemporary contexts beyond the boundaries of stereotypical viewing patterns.
Dominika Bednarsky presents new works from her series of glazed ceramics entitled XOXOXO, which uses the grotesque to expose the abyss of everyday phenomena in popular culture. Each artwork consists of multiple animals, such as snakes or cats. Piled up and intertwined with one another, they entangle in love games. Almost innocent in contrast, a flower pot joins in, adding a homey touch to these whimsical scenes bedded on cheesy bath mats. What looks funny, cute and colorful, seems alienating, even outrageous at second glance, and does not miss the artistic intention. What interests Dominika Bednarsky much more than the obvious subject of the depictions hides as an implicit message: our voyeuristic pleasure-seeking and greed for consumption. Binge-watching, streaming cat videos and pornography are mass phenomena of our digital reality. In addition to the risk of social neglect, these habits also pose a growing ecological problem due to their high power consumption. In the face of climate change and the accompanying destruction of habitat for flora and fauna, the absurdity of this frivolous satisfaction of needs can hardly be surpassed.
In contrast, Rusudan Khizanishvili strives for harmonious conditions in her paintings. She creates surreal dream worlds where women take the lead. At the center of color-intensive spatial constructions full of floral patterns and forms are female figures that are reminiscent of goddesses of an ancient mythology. In the work "Circus Paradise" two shadowy creatures serve as pedestals for a female figure. From her lower body grows an additional, mysterious upper body. Mutations, transformations of and connections between bodies form a thematic thread throughout the work of the Georgian artist, who translates the rich cultural tradition of her homeland into an expressive and contemporary visual language. Hopeful and self-confident, the dreamlike images defy all patriarchal resistance and herald the self-empowerment of women, without excluding or suppressing other forms of existence.
With complex narratives and references to (art-) history and literature Ivana de Vivanco rewrites the history of marginalized groups such as women and children, but also of cultures oppressed by colonial authorities. Her theatrical stagings unfold an emotional intensity through a bright color palette, shrill contrasts, and sophisticated compositions that lend emphasis to her artistic concerns. Works from different work phases diyplay the artist’s playful and mischievous delight to subvert our visual habits by turning things upside down. Thus "Martha" and "Charles" seem to be the modern interpretation of Adam and Eve. Unlike "Martha" in her green panties, bottomless "Charles" in his white tennis socks and slippers is exposed to ridicule. The cut-outs consist of interchangeable body fragments and with a humorous wink question the concept of binary gender. The injustices that women still have to fight against today are the subject of the large-format painting "Captain Ann Carter," which tells the story of a housewife condemned to death at the center of a British workers' revolt. Supplemented by an installation of object and video, de Vivanco expands the gender-specific theme to include a general critique of the capitalist system, in which production and the creation of value continue to stand in an asymmetrical relationship.

In cooperation with Galerie Kornfeld, Berlin.