Culture
25th International Contemporary Art Fair, Zürich
Igor Oleinikov
Each of us relates to art in a very different manner. For many people art is a means of relaxation or hobby, for others art is a lifestyle, to many more, art is an unsolved mystery, constantly eluding and fascinating us but then again, there are a few lucky ones, to whom art is the quintessence of life. So many different mediums, resources, means of rendering feelings, meaning, life itself.
Whatever role art may play in your life, you need to take a closer look at the works exhibited at https://www.kunstzuerich.ch/. Today is the last day and it is an event you do not want to miss.
De gustibus non est disputandum. As much as I would love to, whenever I embark on a journey related to art, I cannot get entirely rid of my prejudices. I would have never thought that a painting depicting a plane could be of any interest for me, whatever the meanings lying underneath the surface. However, I found myself staring and fully enjoying the process. I was absorbed by the powerful colors and the violent mobility of the loose brushstrokes.
Alessandro Busci (http://www.imago-artgallery.com/), painter and architect, with a series of works specifically created for the Milan Malpensa airport, belongs to those artists who have known how to exploit the powerful meanings of the city and the suburbs, the engaging power of certain industrial landscapes. His works bring powerful evidence for the euphemistic strengths of art. Even those places who seem cold, peripheral, scattered and sometimes long forgotten gain meaning and beauty.
Igor Oleinikov’s (https://www.galartfactory.com/) paintings reflect an undeniable force and charisma. I like the mystical touch, the ambiguity, the dreamlike scenes, the mist and darkness, the interplay between different mediums, chalk, oil, pencil, pastel and crayon. There is very a personal, expressive and powerful style that transcends his large scale works. Oleinikov’s characters are lonesome and meditative, searching for meaning and the mystical, dreamlike world around them is a reflection of their inner life. His works are paradoxical attempts to visualize and demystify something that is almost impossible to be rendered. There is a certain poetic melancholy but also a morbid mysterious aura around his works, that absorb the viewer.
Just before leaving, my eyes caught some smoky shadows, that I simply could not resist. The narrative power of each painting, the contrasting touch of violet and blue but also the recurrent motives drew my attention.
For Azael Langa (https://ethnicity.ch/) art is a lifestyle that embraces each and every aspect of his existence. Using the medium of smoke, he attempts to control and subdue its wild and unpredictable nature, however there are only rare occasions when he does a live demonstration, as the creative process is a very intimate journey that goes far beyond the performance. Azael Langa is an activist, his work is deeply rooted in both social and political issues. He is very sensitive about the rights of the outcast and by means of his work he tries to raise awareness of subjects that are not in the spotlight. Women are looked upon as the creators of home and stability, many of his works portray the woman as the foundation of home, harmony and a better life.
