Provenance
ZenkoGallery, Ukraine
Catalogue Essay
Collective Red, part 1 (1998) is one of the principal photography projects of Arsen Savadov’s portfolio. The series was shot in 1998 at a provincial Ukrainian slaughterhouse. Exemplifying Savadov’s distinctive aesthetic autonomy, the project combines a number of methods typical to his art. Provocative narration, based on the famous myth of the Minotaur, unveils the hidden secrets of collective and individual existence. The second part of the Collective Red dilogy was created by Arsen Savadov in 1999. This part of the project is characterized by stronger performative and political elements. The project sees the provocative invasion of a group of performers into a real communist demonstration in Kiev. The conflict between Soviet and Post-Soviet is presented here as a generation clash between young, impudent performers, and old and tedious participants of the political event. When asked about the postmodernist background of Collective Red, Arsen Savadov depicts his method as the “capturing and re-forming of an object which aims to create the new mythology”.

Arsen Savadov

Collective Red (Part 1)

1998
c-print
145 x 119 cm (57 1/8 x 46 7/8 in.)
This work is number 5 from an edition of 9.

Estimate
£5,000 - 7,000

Sold for £6,875

Contact Specialist
Tamila Kerimova
Head of Sale
+44 207 318 4065

London Auction 13 April 2016