Concrete — Ekaterina Gerasimenko

«Nine steps»

From the «Ouroboros» series

In work “Nine Steps”, I refer to the last battle between Ouroboros (Jormungand) and Thor in Norse mythology. During the battle, Thor blew off Jörmungand’s head, although Thor managed to step back only nine steps and a stream of poison from the mouth of the dead Ouroboros killed him.

Cast from concrete, seemingly lightweight, a life preserver is actually a trick: it seems that you are saved, but then you realize that in fact it is pulling you to the bottom.

The dichotomy of form and material refers to the myth of another hero — Theseus. In his ship, while maintaining the external shape, the material completely changes and the primary value shifts. A soothing circle with its monotony creates an imaginary sense of safety.

*Concrete, polyurethane foam, 83x83x24.5 cm, weight 80-90 kg, 2021*

Ball

From the «Adaptation» exhibition

The project “Adaptation” became the artist’s first fully sculptural installation. It is based on the observation of hidden violent processes in the global architecture of capitalist society. Considering in detail the daily living environment of an individual, Ekaterina comes to the conclusion about the internalized stigmatization of grief in the prevailing imperatives of happiness, enjoyment and indispensable creative realization.
The ordinariness of what is happening masks the slow violence of the horror of everyday life, which is normalized by the painful passage of time itself. A dramatic encounter with the worst becomes the beginning of the transformation from an individual into a subject.
(Yulia Grigorieva)

*Concrete, d: 22.5 cm, weight: 12.5 kg, 2022*

Paw

From the «Ouroboros» series

Tail
From the «Ouroboros» series