2024
Zhanna Kadyrova
Devil of Comparisons
curated by Massimiliano Bastardo
On the occasion of the third edition of CORTEMPORANEA, Devil of Comparisons, the solo exhibition of Ukrainian artist Zhanna Kadyrova, in collaboration with Galleria Continua, curated by Massimiliano Bastardo, debuts on June 27th. The project, initiated by Flavio Misciattelli, president of the Fondazione Palazzo Chigi Zondadari, invites Italian and international artists to interpret and realise site-specific works in the courtyard and central hall of Palazzo Chigi Zondadari, in Piazza del Campo in Siena.
When the everyday is altered by external conditions, its narrative becomes detailed: objects, images, places, take on new meanings, become contemporary archaeology of aesthetics and emergencies.
Zhanna Kadyrova's practice is a stark corollary of violence and resistance, of usurped culture, of everyday hopes and memories passed down. Through sculpture, installations, photography and other mixtures of elementssuch as glass, stone, ceramics, the Ukrainian artist speaks of the present, giving meanings and values to each object on display. The fundamental concept is not interpretable, but concrete in its fleshly rhythm.
Space, time, history, are fundamental pillars from which to communicate. Empathy, pain, resilience are emotions that lead to a repeated reflection on the war in his beloved homeland.
When the everyday is altered by external conditions, its narrative becomes detailed: objects, images, places, take on new meanings, become contemporary archaeology of aesthetics and emergencies.
Zhanna Kadyrova's practice is a stark corollary of violence and resistance, of usurped culture, of everyday hopes and memories passed down. Through sculpture, installations, photography and other mixtures of elementssuch as glass, stone, ceramics, the Ukrainian artist speaks of the present, giving meanings and values to each object on display. The fundamental concept is not interpretable, but concrete in its fleshly rhythm.
Space, time, history, are fundamental pillars from which to communicate. Empathy, pain, resilience are emotions that lead to a repeated reflection on the war in his beloved homeland.
Kadyrova is a messenger of a humanitarian and social art that does not mince her words, but rather does not hide reality, declares it openly for what it is through her works. Having been forced to emigrate westwards, with the beginning of the war in 2022, to the village of Berezovo, was a choice as painful as it was necessary, but as the days went by, the determination grew in her to do all she could, to return to Kiev and make her voice heard, faltering at first but continuing to be an artist who through all kinds of gestures spreads and defends. The exhibition created for the rooms of Palazzo Chigi Zondadari brings with it a poignant sensitivity on the daily life that has been affecting Ukraine for over two years due to the occupation by Russia. Each work - site-specific and ready-made - describes the bitter outcome of the conflict: each message inherent in it spreads fear and faith, help and courage, leaving the viewer wondering how art can be a manifestation of justice and enlisted to leave a different meaning.On the occasion of Zhanna Kadyrova's solo exhibition at Palazzo Chigi Zondadari, on 28 June 2024 the Ukrainian artist presents a special project related to the Museum of Sacred Art in Buonconvento, promoted by the Fondazione Musei Senesi. On display are three works, including one from the “Palianytsia” series - which means bread in Ukrainian - in dialogue with the collection of the Museo della Mezzadria located in Buonconvento. The idea is to create a dialogue between works from the collections of the Fondazione Musei Senesi museums and contemporary art, imagining museums not only as places where history is told, but also as spaces that welcome contemporary creativity. In this way, new perspectives and interpretations of cultural heritage are generated, linking the museums of the FMS network with prestigious places of cultural production in the territory, such as the Fondazione Palazzo Chigi Zondadari.
Video intervista
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Browse gallery
Zhanna Kadyrova, Devil of Comparisons, installation view of Palianytsia Ukraine series at Palazzo Chigi Zondadari, Siena. Credits: Ela Bialkowska, OKNO studio.
Zhanna Kadyrova, Devil of Comparisons, installation view of Palianytsia Ukraine series at Palazzo Chigi Zondadari, Siena. Credits: Ela Bialkowska, OKNO studio.
Zhanna Kadyrova, Devil of Comparisons, installation view of Palianytsia Ukraine series at Palazzo Chigi Zondadari, Siena. Credits: Ela Bialkowska, OKNO studio.
Zhanna Kadyrova, Devil of Comparisons, installation view of Palianytsia Ukraine series at Palazzo Chigi Zondadari, Siena. Credits: Ela Bialkowska, OKNO studio.
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The artist
Zhanna Kadyrova
She was born in 1981 in Brovary, in the Kiev region of Ukraine. She currently lives and works in Kiev. Kadyrova has had great success nationally and internationally, participating in biennials and individual and group exhibitions in around 15 countries. In 2019, she participated in the Venice Biennale in the exhibition “May You Live In Interesting Times”. He also represented Ukraine at the Biennale in 2013. Since the invasion by Russia in 2022, Zhanna Kadyrova's work has focused on the effects of the war. During this period, she also started working on the humanitarian project “Palianytsia”. Recent solo exhibitions include “Unexpected” at Galerie Rudolfinum, Prague, Czech Republic, 2024, and “Border Memory” at the Uppsala Art Museum, Uppsala, Sweden, 2024. 'Daily Bread' was the artist's first major retrospective, held in 2023 at the Kunstverein in Hannover. In the same year, the solo exhibition “Flying Trajectories” was presented at the PinchukArtCentre in Kiev. Kadyrova participates in the PinchukArt Centre's curated collateral exhibition “From Ukraine: Dare to Dream” at the 60th Venice Biennale now underway.
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