Artists: Øleg&Kaśka
Title: Ghosts of the Labyrinth
Curator: Michal Stolárik
Venue: Šopa Gallery, Košice
Hazy timelessness creates an atmosphere for mystical experiences, phantoms and a deliberate loss of control. Through nuances of theatrical decadence, it accelerates the imagination and diverts it from stark reality. Yet, the illusion of sweet and enchanting escapism swiftly gives way to anxiety, sorrow and disorientation, where time flows relentlessly in all directions. Everything becomes acute; there is no refuge from external pressures. Pathways lead to everywhere and nowhere at the same time. A vicious cycle of Harlequin’s nightmare.
The solo exhibition of the creative entity Øleg&Kaśka Ghosts of the Labyrinth presents a series of recent drawings. They present fragments of characters resembling the portraits of Harlequin, Jester, the skeleton or various monsters inserted into non-specific (non)places. Lost in illusory spaces and geometric patterns, they seek an escape from the elusive chaos, existential anxiety, the fleeting nature of life, or from their own identity.
Although Øleg&Kaśka have recently focused primarily on painterly figurative compositions that blend historicist aesthetics with contemporary trends, the current series give way to more intimate works on paper, complemented by spatial installations. Faithful to their signature atmosphere of symbolic scenes, Eastern European mythology, fascination with alchemy, popular culture, and inspiration from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, we see increasingly complex scenes where linear narratives are replaced by intertwined plots.
The green accent of the exhibition symbolizes the ambiance of hauntological infatuations. It suggests an escape into the realm of the never ending grief for the world. The compositions oscillate between collage, comics and movie storyboards, characterized by geometric and organic forms highlighted by systematic surface delineation, softened through expressive gestural drawing. Patterns and decorative elements, along with varying intensities of hatching, conjure the illusion of spaces and multi-dimensional perspectives. Hints of architectural transparencies, themes of melting dials, the night sky, or fragments of figures emerge from the abstract compositions, which, despite their unsettling nature, seek tranquillity and understanding.
It is more stimulating to explore emotional layers of the drawings than postulating their narrative, that emerge through symbolism and motifs. The spaces created evoke labyrinths or dystopian backdrops from which there is no escape. A sense of confinement, tension, or burnout are palpable, reinforced by expressive drawing elements. The omnipresent dials resonate with existential themes, connecting the relentless flow of time to the acceptance of our own finality. Subjective experiences intertwine with universal questions of existence, culminating in introspective reflection.
