Vashkevich Ruslan / THE END OF THE WORLD
21.09-18.11.2007

«The End of the World» project combines painting and video-installations of 2007 and leaves the problem of life and death, refracted through the prism of popular culture, for the spectator to judge about.

In Vashkevych’s canvases glossy advertisement-like fireworks and gravestones made of many-coloured bricks with an inscription «No Smoking» seem to urge for thinking about the eternal things, but in fact they incite the spectator to make jolly and meticulous remarks and create ironical and playful mood.

The central work of the project, optimistically entitled «The End of the World», came to the author’s mind when one day his elevator came to a standstill and he was observing colour buttons twinkling. «Sveta Samotsvetova» is another answer to daily television dying and «digesting» the same topics: the well-known TV-presenter from Minsk Kalyna Vardoms’ka is elegantly eating precious jewels before public’s eyes and «the result» is three heaps of shit skillfully inlaid with jewels. Even Adam and Eve change their sexes and become quite civilized characters.

Art critic Almira Usmanova writes: «The End of the World» by Ruslan Vashkevych is a merry Apocalypse, it is the world with neither religion, nor anything sacred – the only thing, that is immortal there, is the pop-culture».

The art-director of Collection gallery Oleg Bayshev comments on: «Three «foundations» of Vashkevych’s creativity are figurativeness, laconic brevity and irony. In the new project «The End of the World» irony turns into grotesque, figurativeness becomes blurred in revealing video shots, and laconic brevity comes close to lapidary style. «The End of the World» puts and end to the postmodernism aesthetics in the author’s reflections and at the same time it declares its breakup with mythologies. After all the end of the world is always followed by the new world».

For the first time Ruslan Vashkevych’s full-size personal exhibition under the title no less sacramental «A Crime in the Paradise» was shown to Kyiv spectators in Collection gallery last October. Today the gallery presents the complete author’s project, united by one transparent theme.

The catalogue has been issued on the occasion of the exhibition opening. «The End of the World» project lasts up to November 18th. Collection Gallery is open every day, except Monday, from 10 a. m. till 7 p. m.

We invite journalists to the press conference, which starts at 5:30 p. m., on September 21st, in Collection Gallery at 8, Pankivska Str. www.collectiongallery.com.ua

After the press conference the visitors are invited to the author’s press tour. The official opening takes place at 7:00 p. m. The beverage of the evening is the excellent French cognac Martell.

For more information please contact Pillar PR-agency project manager Olesya Ostrovs’ka:
Tel. (044) 459 3437/38, mobile (067) 942 0628 Ostrovska@pillarpr.com.ua