Vadim Zakharov @ Russian Pavilion, Venice Biennale

Review by Laura Wiggins | 12 Sep 2013

Curated by Udo Kittelmann, Vadim Zakharov’s ambitious work focuses on the Greek myth of the impregnation of Danaë. When her father’s death is foretold at the hands of his daughter’s offspring, Danaë is imprisoned in a tower. Zeus, being omnipotent, appears as a golden shower of coins and impregnates her.

The lower level comprises of a cave-like womb; a place of tranquility and quiet reflection. Only women are permitted to enter this sacred chamber, taking refuge from the flood of golden coins falling from the ceiling, under the transparent umbrellas provided. Visitors to the chamber are invited to gather a handful of coins and place them in a bucket in a second antechamber, which is then hoisted through a hole in the floor by a sharply dressed middleman who resides above. An ever-hungry conveyor belt delivers the coins to the ceiling, where they enter the cycle once more.

In the upper level, the viewer is met by a stern-faced man, who sits on a saddle on the rafters, throwing peanut shells contemptuously onto the floor below. The message on the walls rings clear: 

'Gentlemen, time has come to confess our Rudeness, Lust, Narcissism, Demagoguery, Falsehood, Banality, and Greed, Cynicism, Robbery, Speculation, Wastefulness, Gluttony, Seduction, Envy and Stupidity.' 

The inner sanctum below is now visible, as men kneel on cushions, in a silent prayer to the God of gold. 

Through his artistic staging, Zakharov allows this ancient myth to find a contemporary dimension. Part theatre, part installation, allegories are easily drawn between the sexual and consumerist elements of contemporary culture.

Left with the realisation that we as individuals fuel the perpetual cycle in motion within the installation, the viewer’s judgment becomes introspective; an unsettling conclusion is reached. The process we fed in Zakharov’s constructed environment, in fact, parallels real life.