Melancholy Rooms | Anna Radchenko
Visual artist Anna Radchenko has brought the Melancholy Rooms to London; at the Hoxton Gallery, she creates an ambient where worldwide cultural behaviours are exposed, leading the audience to see, hear, feel and ultimately think about these certain issues. The total installation, or mixed media art, is the first Anna has ever done in London and it is a breach of her own boundaries as an artist as she creates more than just images. The exhibition mixes her well-known photographic work with sculptures, installation, music and video.
As soon as you enter the gallery, visitors are immersed in Anna's creative mind as the first piece of the installation stands right next to the door. Three old televisions are piled up and on top of the last one lies the upper body of a woman made out of plaster. She has her hands covering her eyes while the TVs show scenes of war, poverty and commercials that emphasize on having a perfect body, which are presented in a very sexual way, aiming to trigger our minds to consume those products, seeking to reach society's unrealistic beauty standards.
According to Anna, this first and rather shocking piece shows the woman's emotion in not wanting to see these kind of things any more. Media has been polluting our minds with all sorts of commercials and advertisements that care very little for our well-being while violence and war are still spreading across the globe. Having the TVs as part of her body makes us question whether it is possible to break free from these cycle of images or not.
Although the subjects seen through the installation can be seen as global concerns, Anna feels that the rooms are very personal to her, as she comes from a huge world metropolis in which these issues can be seen and experienced everywhere and everyday. Anna tells us that a big part of her inspiration came from recent events and general situation in Russia. Having her country as main inspiration also influenced her colour choices, as she usually don't like using bright colours in her work, however, they do represent the mood and the city of Moscow.
Suffocating mother's love, dependency on the Internet and modern technology, consumerism and war propaganda are the subjects Anna decided to expose in the Melancholy Rooms. Each room has a different setting, sculptures and images. They can be seen as different parts of our mind where these subjects can be found. Each room has a specific content and hide the deep and the dark reality we live in.
When you think of melancholy, the idea of pensive sadness comes in mind, and although the reasons for this sadness may not be clear, the feeling is real. The idea of becoming slaves of social media and technology is no longer just an idea. To be happy, millions of people seek the likes and the approval of their Facebook friends regardless of how empty their lives really are.
Overprotective mothers try to hide their children from the world unaware that extreme protection does not make their kids any safer. TV, radio and newspapers most of the time portray a world that is beyond help. Media creates a standard of beauty that cannot be achieved unless you redo yourself by going on all sorts of diet programs, pills and plastic surgery.
They are all around us, everyday and everywhere, no matter which country or culture we're inserted in; these global concerns are approached by Anna in a very unique and provocative way, awakening inside us desolation and melancholy which are part of the big net of feelings that make us humans.
Words: Fword Magazine