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Celebration

Polina Kanis

Galerie C, Neuchâtel

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Title
Celebration
Gallery
Galerie C, Neuchâtel
Year
2014
Duration
13 min 27 s
Format & Technical

Video, loop, HD

This work reflects the feast as the moment when the repression that is implanted into everyday life, is being crystallized during the ritual of celebration.

It shows us men in uniform dancing with each other indifferently. We do not understand who they are, why they are together and what will happen next. In spite of the fact that the characters are united in action, there is a strong feeling that each of them remains in the personal space completely alienated from the others. It takes time to realize that the absurdity of the scene is a challenge to the vision itself. It is not just a demand for empathy that, nevertheless, allows keeping the distance, but a diagnosis to the audience. However, the distance disappears when the suspicion turns the made-up image of the world into the nightmare of social reality. In this conventional celebration, the sparkling trash is not jolly, and the signs of attraction do not entice. So, absurdity remains the inherent meaning of these ritual exchanges; it is a worm-eaten fruit of tradition.

Stills

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Polina Kanis

Artist
www.polinakanis.com

1985, Saint-Petersburg

Polina Kanis

Born in 1985, Polina Kanis graduated from Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia (2006) and the Rodchenko Art School (2011). In 2011, she was awarded the Kandinsky Prize in the category Best Young Artist for her video Eggs (2010). In 2016 Polina Kanis received the Sergey Kuryokhin Award in the category Media Object for her film “The Pool” (2015). In January 2017 Kanis joined the residency program at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. Her social staging reinvents rituals while investigating the power dynamics of the individual in formed groups. In her approach, she exposes broken structures by using routine, rhythm and repetition. Her pedagogical training and ability to work with various groups lead her to be the catalyst of each action.

Last update: October 14th, 2019.