Arkadiy Ryabin

Artist's Apology
Arkadiy Ryabin MFA Thesis
Exhibition
Hunter College Gallery, New York
2017

'Artist’s Apology' consists of multiple works, in a range of different media, grouped around themes and subject matter such as archives, histories, 19th century literature, immigration, identity, language, and popular culture. The title is a reference to “The Writer’s Apology”, the introductory section of the book- 'A History of New York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty, by Diedrich Knickerbocker' (1808), Washington Irving. Irving’s satirical, pseudonymous account of the history of NY went on to bleed into reality as mythological fact (ie- NY Knicks, Knickerbocker beer, Knickerbocker Ave, etc). My immigration experience as a child from the former Soviet Union to NY activates a research-based approach from the outside in. I aim to complicate the relationship of private and public histories, to further understand my identity.

'Globe' is the entire installation consisting of 4 works: 2 videos(containing sculptural elements), 1 sculpture, and 1 takeaway print project. 'Psyche' is a video (11:00) projected onto a sculptural screen, it consists of 6 sections that interweave narrative fragments that imbed time and place; it contains private, and fragmented public images. The second video channel materializes into the architectural space in 'Threshold', which is projected onto the HVAC air piping. Spoken audio from 'Psyche' appears on the wall sculpture, 'Island'; the image of 'Island' appears on 'Artist’s Scent' in the form of a tag; text printed on the inside of the shirt contains my micro-manifesto in poetic form. The text is printed in reverse, as a stencil. My intention is for the sweat from the body of the wearer to actualize the text in the world outside.