Mila Dolman
© 2019 Mila Dolman
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Communion by the Black Square
This is a public art sculpture, made of timber and painted using a black rubber colour. The height, width and depth of the object are exactly the same – 3 meters. If somebody stands directly in front of the work, he or she will see the optical illusion. The tunnel made of wooden frames will merge into a single whole surface, the yardage will disappear, and we will be able to see a black square with a small niche inside. Any movement or change in the angle of perspective will lead to the 'destruction' of the square. The square will turn into a cube, which is made up of 'frames' diminishing with each step.
I conceived of this work as being interactive. Any viewer can go inside, but in order to pass through they need to bow. Because the height of the last frame is slightly lower than that of an average person - 154 cm, almost everyone will have to bend, or in other words to worship the square.
I came up with this work and implemented it in 2015. This year marked 100 years of the Black Square – the great work of Kazimir Malevich, which greatly influenced the art history of the 20th century. From the birth of the Black Square to this day it remains one of the most controversial and provocative works.
To understand the Black Square one should start to speak the language of the Black Square. Or there is a second option. Many people believe in God, but not all of them fully understand the nature of the deity; many have not even opened the Bible or the Koran. This is the power of The Belief. In our case the viewer can also believe in the power of 'The Square', just take it for absolute.
For Malevich his Black Square is an icon of revolutionary art, death and birth, a metaphor of ash and symbol of contemporary art, which becomes a religion for the artist. That is why Kazimir Malevich hung the Black Square in the 'red' corner, the place where an icon always hangs in a traditional, Russian peasant's hut.
For me it was important to show that 'The Square' becomes a sacred object, demanding veneration. Just as Malevich wanted his Black Square to become an icon for the art of the 20th century. It is a 'test' for the viewer, an opportunity to see, try to understand, to fill the power, to pass through contemporary art and pass it through themselves. For me it is an act of communion with 'The Square'.
I conceived of this work as being interactive. Any viewer can go inside, but in order to pass through they need to bow. Because the height of the last frame is slightly lower than that of an average person - 154 cm, almost everyone will have to bend, or in other words to worship the square.
I came up with this work and implemented it in 2015. This year marked 100 years of the Black Square – the great work of Kazimir Malevich, which greatly influenced the art history of the 20th century. From the birth of the Black Square to this day it remains one of the most controversial and provocative works.
To understand the Black Square one should start to speak the language of the Black Square. Or there is a second option. Many people believe in God, but not all of them fully understand the nature of the deity; many have not even opened the Bible or the Koran. This is the power of The Belief. In our case the viewer can also believe in the power of 'The Square', just take it for absolute.
For Malevich his Black Square is an icon of revolutionary art, death and birth, a metaphor of ash and symbol of contemporary art, which becomes a religion for the artist. That is why Kazimir Malevich hung the Black Square in the 'red' corner, the place where an icon always hangs in a traditional, Russian peasant's hut.
For me it was important to show that 'The Square' becomes a sacred object, demanding veneration. Just as Malevich wanted his Black Square to become an icon for the art of the 20th century. It is a 'test' for the viewer, an opportunity to see, try to understand, to fill the power, to pass through contemporary art and pass it through themselves. For me it is an act of communion with 'The Square'.
Communion by the Black Square. 2015. Wood, metal 300х250х300
'Interview Russia' about first prize in the competition Absolut Space 2015 among young artists.
Tempera on canvas, paper applique 30х30 each
Ukrainian team performance in front of 'Communion by the Square' and Malevich 'Sportsmen' (1928-30).
In the program of the VI Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art
The Sculpture is owned by the Cultural foundation 'Skolkovo'