Notre Dame des Gunshots. A soap sculpture by the Ukrainian artist and Crimean refugee Maria Kulikovska @mkuv_studio was the latest addition to the scenography of Chapter 1 GENESIS. A loan from the private collector, this 70 kg piece traveled from Munich to Paris by car, arriving on location on the night of setup.
A life-size cast of Maria’s naked body with traces of two brutal gun shots on her shoulders was a part of Kulikovska’s 2019 performance piece, for which she portrayed a Russian propaganda journalist, shooting gun at six identical soap casts. This was a reference to what had happened to Maria’s earlier works when they were shot and vandalized by Russian militants on site of Izolyatsia plant in Donetsk.
Due to war, the wounded soap sculpture was Maria’s only piece available to travel in Europe; and its journey was negotiated during the flood of news on collective killings, tortures and rapes in Bucha and Irpen. Arrival of the wounded Ukrainian woman in the Ukrainian house setup of the store, masterfully choreographed by Avoir collective @avoir.ig, was a symbolic gesture. And a much needed one.
The addition of Maria Kulikovska’s piece to TRIPOLAR showcase was made possible by YSDS.
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