Lada Nakonechna. Place. 2009.  Drawing on the wall, graphite pencil

Work description

This was the final project created during the existence of the CCA at NaUKMA. For a week, Lada Nakonechna drew with graphite pencil on the gallery walls, shading the lit areas. Once completed, the project was open to visitors for several days, after which Nakonechna herself painted over the drawing, as previously agreed with the organizers. 

The key element of the work lies in the artist’s interaction with the specific space and the interplay of light and shadow on its walls, created by artificial lighting. In the end, the pencil-covered hall appeared even more empty, stripped of the usual spatial cues—slopes, corners, and irregularities.

This gesture of “obscuring” the exhibition space, significant for the professional and creative development of her generation and for the artist herself, marks a turning point. It began her path toward sustained, consistent institutional critique. After all, the exhibition space conveys power, setting the boundaries for the perception of art and directing the visitors’ gaze.