In ‘Fate Shifts Shapes,’ (on view until February 27, 2016) four artists dramatize the Russian compulsion to shape psychic and physical identities around inexorable social forces. As the idea excludes rationalism in favor of destiny, poet Anzhelina Polonskaya, artists Sasha Rudensky and Clemens Von Wedemeyer, and artist-curator Nicholas Muellner reject documentary realism to present theatrical depictions of individuals’ responses to the lives laid out for them.
Tracing lines of fate across contemporary Russia, Ukraine and occupied Crimea, these works articulate how vulnerable individuals like women, gay men, and economic migrants are particularly pressured to mold their identities to fit conservative cultural norms. Confronted by provocative images ranging from erotic dancers and cornered military cadets to faceless figures disappearing into landscapes, viewers will question their ideas about identity, choice, and the degree of control we really have over our lives.
PPAC will produce a limited edition publication of poetry and images by the artists.
