Zhanna Kadyrova. Data Extraction Irpin («Data Extraction. Irpin»). 2023. Metal reinforcement, epoxy resin, asphalt. Sizes vary
Project description
This project, like most other series by Zhanna Kadyrova, originated in the early 2010s and continues to develop, responding to the challenges of the places where the artist created or exhibited it. The works appear as “canvases” of cut asphalt with all the cracks and damages it has endured. Asphalt fragments first appeared during preparations for the UEFA Euro 2012 football championship, when the city’s face was changing and streets were being reconstructed to spruce up for guests. Continuing the themes of destruction and city development, non-political resolution of legal issues, and concentration of power in the hands of the financially privileged elite, the artist moves from sculptural fruits and diagrams to the literal use of resources — asphalt strips, presenting them as readymade objects. A year later, the artist repeated the idea and created new works using fragments of the Spanish SA-RC highway, the construction of which lasted decades due to local corruption and bureaucracy [1].
From afar, the works may deceptively resemble abstract paintings, but up close, the flawlessly cut squares of asphalt immediately shift the viewer’s focus to geopolitical events. The relevance of the project only grows over time, as shadow appropriation of funds through large-scale road construction and repair thrives even during wartime. At the same time, martial law adds another contextual layer to the series. In 2023, Kadyrova presented canvases of asphalt damaged by blast waves and direct hits as a result of Russian airstrikes.
- Cyba H. LA BIENNALE 2013. Zhanna Kadyrova: “I documented the life of sculpture in the urban environment.” Art Ukraine, 21.05.2013. URL: https://artukraine.com.ua/a/la-biennale-2013-zhanna-kadyrova-ya-sdelala-dokumentaciyu-zhizni-skulptury-v-gorodskoy-srede/.
