Kuril Chto – UNDER JOVE’S PROTECTION

About This Project

From April 17th to May 17th, concurrently with the 60th Venice Art Biennale, at the Kunst Depot ‘Parrucche ai Biri’ space in the Cannaregio district, the solo exhibition of artist Kuril Chto titled “Under Jove’s Protection,” curated by Valentin Diakonov, will be open to the public. The exhibition, promoted by the Bahnhof Gallery, will feature an installation centered around the theme of the Monobloc chair, a design object that has long been the subject of research by the artist.

Kuril Chto, an artist of Russian origin currently living and working between Lisbon and New York, delves into the characteristics of this commonly used and widespread object on Earth, almost as if it were a universally famous character through which to understand the world and reflect on what is happening.

In line with the theme of the 2024 Biennale, which reflects on the concepts of foreignness and displacement, Kuril elevates the Monobloc chair, an extremely common type of chair, lightweight, and waterproof, made of polypropylene, as a symbol of always being “at home,” as it is a frequently found object in any dwelling, from private terraces to public places, recreational areas, and beach facilities. The installation of the Monobloc chair is Kuril’s reflection on those figures that are often absent in the general narrative of the nomad and the foreigner, attributing to the chair values such as welcome, hospitality, and gratuitous generosity that the artist himself has encountered during his travels.

With a reference to ancient literature, the Russian artist draws a parallel with the figure of Nausicaa from Homer’s Odyssey, a character who offers food and shelter to Odysseus.

The exhibition will showcase painted representations of the chairs on the walls, featuring the distinctive Yves Klein blue color, along with the placement of bronze sculptures depicting Monobloc chairs. The space will be entirely occupied by rows of beach tables and umbrellas available to visitors to take a break from the lively rhythms of the city. The effect will be almost alienating, with the total absence of the human figure and, instead, the omnipresence of the Monobloc chair from the walls to the installation, as in a large exhibition organized and composed of plastic chairs. Kuril Chto internalizes in this environment feelings of “nostalgia, loneliness, a sort of Saudade.”

The curator, Valentin Diakonov, also sees the sensations of reliability and security that the Monobloc chair evokes in this installation, citing the famous line of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire: “Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”

Kuril Chto explores difficult, often controversial and painful topics and themes underlying contemporary society, drawing inspiration from the world of social networks, memes, and communication in general, recreating narratives that personify everyday objects with ironic characteristics and bordering on the absurd. By playing with the scale representation of objects and modifying their shape, color, and context as in the case of the Monobloc chair, Chto seeks the interconnections between objects and the human dimension, thus also investigating social, controversial, and painful issues of contemporary society.

From the artist’s statement: “After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the artist seeks new ways to tell the humanitarian catastrophe through the analysis of consumer goods, historical narratives, and other means. A recent interest of Kuril Chto is the surface of technological objects, such as SUVs, excavator buckets, and other examples. Exploring the ‘fetishism’ of painted finish and steel, Kuril Chto aims to capture the power of charm and control represented by heavy machinery and personal transportation.”

The Bahnhof Gallery, founded by New York curator Ekaterina Soriano, is a traveling gallery that aims to represent emerging artists, always seeking a coherent placement for curatorial projects to enhance their value. Interested in various and unusual media, the gallery supports the free expression of ideas and the use of unconventional spaces. Bahnhof’s exhibitions have been reviewed in Paris Review, The Office Magazine, and Artnet News