“The foundation for my works is outrage”

We begin the Open Call 2024 program with the opening of the exhibition by Kristina Otchich-Chernyak “True story”. The author works in mixed media, combining graphic and painting materials. The main issues of the artist’s works are issues of humanism, philosophy, feminism, which are reflected in the surrealistic plots of the paintings. As the artist notes: “Nothing inspires me, rather, everything confuses me, most of my plots are based on this.” Inequality, war, psychological states, existential problems are the main characters of Kristina’s works. Images of animals and people deprived of their heads are used as tools to focus attention on the plot of the paintings, without emphasizing the portrait component of the image.

The works presented in the exhibition explore a number of socio-cultural aspects of humanity, such as religion, ecology, discrimination. Their content is an artistic analysis of the influence of the church on the formation of traditions and mechanisms for the transmission of dogmas of faith in the model of patriarchy. This conceptual line runs through a dialogue with the creation of the Garden of Eden and the prediction of the fate of Adam and Eve, which foresees the possibility of committing a sin.

In addition to Christian symbols and plots, the series includes studies of attitudes towards women and children in such tradition-oriented countries as India. Since India ranks first in statistics on female slavery, which in turn is caused by caste discrimination and economic problems.

The exhibition also contains art objects dedicated to the study of the historical significance of man, which is divided into two parts: the physical trace in the context of the world’s ecosystem and its existential and philosophical contribution to history. In this context, the author reveals the four main pillars of human existence: war, love, religion and death.

Exhibition author: KRISTIN OTCHICH-CHERNYAK

Instagram @v.och.ch

Facebook @Otchich Kristina

Exhibition coordinators – Daria Gerasimova, Daria Kosichenko

Author’s text

The foundation for my works is indignation. Nothing inspires me, rather, everything confuses me. Most of my subjects are based on this: inequality, war, existential questions, humanism, feminism, philosophy and religion – from a scientific point of view. Also, a large place in my practice is occupied by ecology, animal rights protection, the destructive consequences of human activity, war. The latest series I am working on is called “In Memory of the Future” or True story, 2023-25. gg. Research on the historical significance of man. What trace in history can a person leave as an object and a subject? The first part of this study is about the trace in the history of humanity as an object, it is about a physical trace, becoming part of the world’s ecosystem, remaining fossilized and having meaning only in the sense of physical remains. As part of this study, I work with ceramics, wood, stone. I am interested in the physical imitation of the trace itself, the body, bones, etc. The second part of the study concerns more existential and philosophical questions that can provide an answer to the topic of the subject and its trace in history. Here the topics of the four pillars of humanity (in my subjective opinion) are revealed: war, love, religion, death. The works presented in the exhibition project are the topic of religion as an influence on the formation of the social role of women in society. This topic includes the study of the Bible from a scientific point of view, the influence of religion on the formation of traditions, patriarchy as a form of broadcasting religious dogmas. Reflections on the creation of the Garden of Eden and the predicted fate of Adam and Eve. The creation of man in the image of God should lead the author to the idea of ​​programming the possibility of committing a crime. Therefore, the expectation of “purity” of thoughts and behavior in the conditions of the created prohibition is obviously wrong in advance.
The conversation on this topic is supported by excerpts from the Bible, various translations, where one can find evidence of these or other events, if one takes into account the Bible as a historical book more than a religious one. Also, one can understand the influence of religion on the formation of traditions and forms of being, the status of men and women in society. Each of the works has behind it a history or theoretical reflection or the fact of committing a crime
or injustice towards a woman and her body.

Info clippings from various sources for the works

The woman answered the serpent: We may eat of the fruit of the tree of the covenant, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman: Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.

Genesis 1:26-27 The Bible translated by Ivan Ogienko 1962

And God said: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Genesis 2:18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that there should be man alone. Let us make him a helper like unto him.

Genesis 2:17 The Bible in the translation of P. Kulish and I. Pulyu, 1905

Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field.

The countries were determined according to the following criteria: health care, sexual harassment, discrimination, cultural traditions and “human trafficking”. India became the most dangerous country because of forced marriages (especially of minors) and sexual slavery.

When they are considered old enough, which can happen when they are only 11 years old, most of them start doing sex work.

The main problem is that we do not have alternative jobs for them. That is why their families want them to continue working”

-And why, in your opinion, do many countries not want to recognize sexual slavery as a serious crime?