"Ascent" invisible gallery in the hills of Kiev landscape.
October 18, 2000the city of Kiev, the mountain SchekavitsaArtists: Konovalov I., Zaichenko V.
Circumstances rendered my continued presence in Kyiv physically impossible. Following the "Departure" in 1996, I was compelled to retreat to Dnipro. Those were precarious times; everyone adapted as best they could, with most drifting into commercial design to survive. When I eventually returned to the studio on Olegivska Street in Kyiv, Vova Zaichenko (Zayats) would appear from time to time. In the evenings, we would concoct various concepts, mostly dissipating into thin air, as we lacked the funds to materialize our ideas.
One evening, we recalled that in the previous century—indeed, the previous millennium—we had embarked on an expedition (FGE). We thought: why not construct "The Stop" (Ostanovka)? We envisioned it both symbolically and materially, right there in the courtyard—a genuine brick structure complete with a bench. However, we realized that building "The Stop" solely for ourselves within the courtyard would reduce it to a utilitarian domestic structure. Thus, we decided to transpose the object to the open space of Mount Shchekavytsia, not far from the studios, making it accessible "to all."
The wall itself was constructed from two-toned brick masonry, incorporating the inscription FGE in large red letters. "The Stop" was positioned facing two cemeteries—the Old Believers’ and the Muslim one—offering a vantage point for contemplating the eternal.
However, our contemplation of eternity was cut short. The militia arrived and marched us to the precinct. They drew up a protocol, officially designating our artwork as a "Bench with a retaining wall." To resolve the issue of our unauthorized construction, we scraped together some money and purchased a "buy-off" consisting of vodka, pickles, and green peas. The militia left us in peace.
Yet, complete peace came only four days later, when "The Stop" was left in pieces—smashed to smithereens, brick by brick.
Discarding personal anecdotes, "The Stop" stood on the cusp of the Millennium as a point of "surfacing"—an emergence of action free from liability, perhaps parallel to institutional thinking.
I wish to emphasize once more that this was neither alienation, nor an alternative to the institution, nor abstract thinking. Rather, it was a specific vision of the self in open space—an experiment in self-organization within culture and life.
To be continued ... >>>
Konovalov I