Lada Nakonechna. Object Lesson of My Participation. 2013. Installation (wall, pencil drawing, wall paper, photo, guard)

Work description

The work was created for the PinchukArtCentre Prize 2013 exhibition. In it, Lada Nakonechna aimed to methodically layer its components in order to show the viewer how manipulation occurs and how their gaze is perceived by both the artist and the institution. Project elements included: a false wall with wallpaper showing the part of the space hidden behind it; a photo of the space with the false wall; wall drawings in the artist’s signature crosshatch style, creating a false light-shadow effect; and a performer-guard hiding behind the wall. Together, these elements place the viewer in a position of mistrust and doubt regarding the art presented to them.

A crucial aspect of the work is Nakonechna’s split position as both author and viewer. This is hinted at through the gesture of delegated performance: the figure of the guard behind the false wall alludes to real PinchukArtCentre staff tasked with “protecting” artworks from viewers. In this way, she seeks to dismantle the vertical “author-viewer” hierarchy and equalize opportunities for institutional critique—of the frameworks and conditions the institution imposes as it asserts its power and control.