PO-2 Fence Gallery

Materials

Concrete, Steel frame, Paint

Dimensions

120×66×8 cm

A synthesis of fence and traditional Russian window frame (nalichnik), cast in concrete.

While dreaming up large installations, the contradictory image of a concrete fence in the form of a traditional window came to mind. It’s pointless, but it evokes emotions like nothing else when describing Russia. You’ve probably heard that ours is a country of fences, and about how Peter the Great opened a window to Europe, and about closed curtains, restrictions, and the openness of people. Here, the Soviet mixed with the ancient, traditional, and contemporary (a little piece of me.) Everyone will find their own metaphors — for instance, art’s attempt to break beyond the bounds of fundamental ideological constraints of generations. And the current isolation from the outside world.

But this form becomes a carrier for content — as they say, things are also written on the fence, and I added some drawings too. An infinite multitude of images and ideas come to mind that I can’t keep up with drawing (for now). So I decided to turn this into a separate collection in addition to the installation.

— Rustam Usmanov