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Artworks
Sanya Kantarovsky
Theater II, 2020Monotype14 3/4 x 22 1/4 inches
37.5 x 56.5 cmSanya Kantarovsky is known for his work across a variety of mediums, as well as his texts and curatorial projects. The artist probes his art historical predecessors: both canonical and...Sanya Kantarovsky is known for his work across a variety of mediums, as well as his texts and curatorial projects. The artist probes his art historical predecessors: both canonical and relatively unknown painters, writers and illustrators. The presence of these muses, which dot Kantarovsky’s compositions simultaneously questions and indulges in a lineage of painterly impulses. Presented here is a selection from a series of monotypes, the imagery of which was inspired by photographs taken in Russia by his grandmother. Theater II depicts two soldiers beside a hillside, as if taking refuge. One figure is slumped over, dead or dying. The other, seemingly wounded, dressed in big, black boots and a shirt hanging half off his torso, casts his head downwards with a rooster atop his helmet. The dark humor and socio-political narrative of this work is prevalent throughout Kantarovsky’s artistic practice.
