MEET THE ARTISTS: Bringing unique political contexts to VOLTA 2023

Apr 19

Artwork with a political undertone is a traditional form of communicating societal dissatisfaction, whilst drawing attention to the elements of the world that we wish to evolve. Whether its lens focuses on local, national or international affairs, political artwork carries a core message to its viewer. At VOLTA in 2023, you’ll be able to connect with a diverse range of artists who use their practice to contextualize the change they seek in the world. In this blog we will introduce you to their international practices in advance of VOLTA New York (May 17-21, Metropolitan Pavilion) and VOLTA Basel (June 12-18, Klybeck 610).

Vlad Ogay | CUT Gallery – VOLTA New York

An emerging artist with strong Korean roots, Ogay graduated from the Staging Department at the Studio School of Moscow Art Theater and has since been working as an artist within the competitive film industry. He has received prestigious awards in Venice, Berlin and Cannes for his artistic project work.

‘Rug1’ by Vlad Ogay, Mixed media, 90 x 65cm. Courtesy of CUT ART GALLERY

‘Pussy Riot’ by Vlad Ogay, Mixed media, 25 x15 x 3cm. Courtesy of CUT ART GALLERY

When it comes to his contemporary art practice outside of film and theater, he focuses on the “ready-made” originally conceived by Marcel Duchamp. He takes every day, recognizable objects – pencils, rugs, puzzles – and manipulates them into religious symbols. With an existential flair, his work assesses religion, but also yearns for domesticity through his chosen materials. Whilst preparing for a solo show with Gianluca Marziani – a curator of Banksy – the unique blend of his transnational lived experience, alongside his piercing point of view brings a distinctive international context to CUT ART’s presentation.

Ola Rondiak and Gamlet Zinkovsky – Focus on Ukraine

Born in Kharkiv, Gamlet Zinkovsky is known for his work in the street art movement. Zinkovsky was trained in Monumental Painting at the Kharkiv Academy of Design and Arts, before finding notable success representing Ukraine at the 53rd Venice Biennale. As well as being presented at VOLTA New York with CUT Gallery, Zinkovsky is part of the ground-breaking project; City x NFT. This aims to preserve the works of some of the most remarkable Ukrainian avant-garde artists, whoes fate is currently unknown due to the ongoing war. The project will be a part of jointly preserving history, whilst also shaping the future of the art world.

Ola Rondiak is a visual artist, being shown by Alessandro Berni Gallery at VOLTA New York, who memorializes female strength and determination in her contemporary portraits. Despite living in Ukraine for 25 years, Rondiak was, by chance, working in New York when Russia invaded on 24th February 2022. She hasn’t been able to return since. Her work reflects an unyielding fight for freedom, with spirit and strength steeped in the emotional surfaces of the women she depicts.

’Unbreakable’ by Ola Rondia, Mixed Media On Canvas, 58x 38cm. Courtesy of Alessandro Berni Gallery

‘9 People Indifferent to Everything’ by Gamlet. Courtesy of CUT ART GALLERY

Oluwole Omofemi | OOA Gallery – VOLTA New York

With tribal marks and halo-esque afros, Omofemi channels past martyrs of the Black Power movement that swept the global African diaspora. Painted with oil and acrylic, his figurative muses represent a mission to showcase afrocentric pride, which he believes is only possible through championing Black women. For Omofemi, true emancipation for Africa can only be achieved when Black women are at liberty to be their true selves, hence why his paintings act as a celebration of just this.

‘The other side’ by Oluwole Omofemi, Oil and acrylic on canvas,140 x 176cm Courtesy of OOA Gallery *

Starsky Brines | Heike Strelow – VOLTA New York and VOLTA Basel

Oscillating between figuration and abstraction, Brines’ colorful paintings and drawings will be a highlight at VOLTA New York for their reminiscence of comedy, theater and fantasy as keystones of critical thought. By combining both anthropomorphic and zoomorphic characters, alongside comic book elements, reality is distorted in a way that encourages viewers to analyze the societal set up they’re born from.

‘LA PRESA’ by Starsky Brines,Industrial paint, spray paint and crayon on canvas,146.5 x 114 cm. Courtesy of Galerie Heike Strelow

‘REGRESO A CASA’ by Starsky Brines, Collage, industrial paint, graphite, crayon, spray paint, oil pastel, and joint compound /paper, 73.5 x 58.5 cm. Courtesy of Galerie Heike Strelow

Brines was born on the Caribbean coast of Venezuela, and now works between Caracas and Miami, Florida. He has exhibited all over the world, receiving acclaim for an influence of Caribbean carnival culture and Latin American figurative art.

Motohide Takami | SEIZAN Gallery – VOLTA New York

‘Fire on Another Shore’ by Motohide Takami, Oil and chalk on fabric, 51.3 x 76.4 x 1.2cm. Courtesy of SEIZAN Gallery

Whilst a graduate student at Tohoku University of Art in Yamagata, the Great Earthquake of 2011 occurred. The disaster had a tremendous impact on the subject matter of Takami’s oil paintings. At VOLTA New York, his signature image of flaming houses by the riverside will be retained as a central motif. Referring to the Japanese expression “fire on the other side of the river” – meaning somebody else’s business – the image embodies Takami’s interrogation of human disinterest in the tragic global events that do not directly affect them, ever pertinent in today’s world.