Oleg Ikona
My idea is to present KWMC as an iconic object with its tragic story /which will be projected beside the icon/. For that I will use WWII documentary films showing aircraft bombing raids and ruins of Berlin. Projection will also include supporting materials such as industrial bomb production and propaganda films from German, English and American governments. There are many of them from RAF (Royal Aviation Forces) and from Luftwaffe as well. To announce both sides’ positions is quite controversial; however it will give to people wide and objective understanding of happened culture destructions.
There is also a ruined church of St. Luke in Liverpool which was bombed at 1940 and curators from Liverpool Biennale employ it for contemporary art installations. I would like to name my project as “Blitz Culture” to turn public attention to the danger of the cultural nihilism. The ideal way to present KWMC icon is to construct sort of independent niche which will behave as mini chapel. It will bring special sacral atmosphere to installation. As well it will look more aesthetical and solve technical problems; I mean installation of two video projectors, DVD players connected and cables will be invisible for public eyes. The image number 2 shows it.
Born 1959, Lugansk, Ukraine. Lives in UK.
Works as an artist and curator.
Founder of St. Petersburg Institute of Experimental Arts & Performance, 1996.
Curator of Festival of Experimental Arts, St. Petersburg, Russia, 1996-2006.
Member of State Union of Russian artists since 1991
Studied: High School of Art, Lugansk, Ukraine (1974 – 1979)
Academy of Art, St. Petersburg, Russia (1983 – 1989).
Awarded fellowship to Wimbledon High School of Art, U.K. (1990 – 1991).
Since 1986 participated in over 200 exhibitions and performances in Russia,
Germany, Poland, UK, Belgium, Netherlands, Finland and USA.
recent exhibitions
Pushkin House, London, UK 2008
Krista Mikkola gallery, Helsinki, Finland 2008
HMS President (1918), London, UK 2007
SOLANA Gallery, London 2007
MEZZO Gallery, Helsinki, Finland 2006
View Two Gallery, Liverpool, UK 2005
MEZZO Gallery, Helsinki, Finland 2005
Anya Tish Gallery, Houston, USA 2000-2005
Marat Guelman Gallery, Moscow, Russia 2002-2004
Art Moscow, Russia 2001-2004
City Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia 2003
Oriel Myrddin Gallery, Carmarthen, UK 2003
Pussy Galore Gallery, Berlin, Germany 2002
University of Cologne, Germany 2002
Stadtgalerie Bremen, Germany 2002
MEZZO Gallery, Helsinki, Finland 2001
S.P.A.S. Gallery St. Petersburg, Russia 1995-2004
Glass Palace, Helsinki, Finland 2000
Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia 2000
Russian Art Show, De Wijk, Netherlands 2000
Art Forum, Berlin, Germany 1999
Navicula Artis Gallery, St Petersburg, Russia 1999
Art in Suitcase, St. Petersburg, Russia and Lubeck, Germany 1999
III International Performance Festival, Berlin, Germany 1999
Ujazdowski Contemporary Art Center, Warsaw, Poland 1998
1020 gallery, Wien, Austria 1994
Ben Uri Art Society, London, UK 1993
Solstice gallery, Edinburgh, UK 1990
public collections
Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia;
Russian-Finnish Society, Helsinki, Finland;
St. Petersburg Museum of Sculpture, St. Petersburg, Russia.
European Bank for Reconstruction & Development, London
