GTBT Start Introduction Itinary Outro
Doris Denekamp's exhibition addressed an experience in which the mythical and the everyday came together. Two blue sculptures with reminisces of daily life in Kuzhir were combined with a black and white photograph. The photo was a key element. It showed hands rising from the water, an ambiguous gesture that could be read as an act of empowerment. As if a female or feminine creature has swam from deep down to the surface so as to show the natural elements the way,- a bit like a conductor does with an orchestra. But the gesture could also be read as the depiction of utmost fragility, a state we might find ourselves in when faced with the actual powers of nature.
A careful arrangement of elements made up the installation. A blue stepladder was leaning against the far end wall, a blue fence or rather segment of a fence stood out centre room. The photo of the hands rising from the water had been attached to the fence and was illuminated by an old bureau lamp - the only light source in the exhibition. This work showed a primal response of the Dutch artist to the island Olkhon. The photo was taken on the shore of Lake Baikal, the form and colour of the two sculptures refers to the colloquial environment and do-it-yourself architecture of Khuzir.
The artist had changed the project room in a half dark space. Yellowish light of the old bureau lamp tinged all objects with a patina, as if they had come from an older place and time to a non-descript locus where they could now just linger on in time. In this theatre setting everything was prepared for a manifestation. The word 'Tengri' is the Siberian term in the Shamanist tradition for the sky and its devine feminine essence.
