Konstfack

source: contributormagazine

The artist Petr Davydtchenko was born in 1986 in Arzamas, Russia and currently lives and works in London, UK and in Stockholm, Sweden. He is pursuing a M.A. in Sculpture from Royal College of Art, London and has a B.A. in Fine Arts from Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, Stockholm. Petr Davydtchenko works mostly with scenography and sculpture. By using different medias he creates dimensions where the border between reality and fiction is blurred. He combines symbolism, occult and subcultural references with minimalistic expression. He is fully involved in his work and often uses himself as the object of focus.
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source: flickr

Petr Davydtchenko was born in Russia 1986. He has attended Konstfack BA of Fine Arts 2008-2011. Petr is currently studiyng Sculpture MA at Royal College of Art in London, UK.

His work was presented in the Spring Exhibition at Liljevalchs in Stockholm 2011 and Gävle konstcentrum, If the light should take us- summer exhibition, 2011.

In his art Petr Davydtchenko chooses to work with subject matters he feels are disturbing. He combines laden symbols and the occult, sub-cultural references with minimalism. With these combinations Davydtchenko creates a world where the difference between reality and fiction becomes unclear.

He wants to create new visual codes and revive the concept of “good versus evil”. It is important for Davydtchenko to be fully engrossed in his art, being, sometimes, even the object himself of his work.
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source: bosseandbaum

Petr mostly works site-specifically with staged interaction, performance and sculpture focusing on themes of violence, fear and collapse. We came across his work at the RCA Show 2013, where he shaved hair from those members of the audience wanting to participate in the ritualized performance he staged on the opening night of the exhibition (he then collected the hair which is now displayed beautifully in his studio). His practice also includes sculptural pieces cast in iron and lead- the Bible and Mein Kampf – forever preserved in these heavy and immobile metals, alongside more delicate pieces cast in bronze and gold plated referencing his youth and growing up alongside the violent skinhead culture in Russia, where the threat of cutting off one’s ears is preserved in the disembodied casts of the artist’s ears.

The artist in his own worlds “one of the main tools of connection between the public, the artwork and myself is ritual. By preparing props and loading the space for a particular event I strive to create a dimension where codes that are known to us lose their original meaning. The new meaning that is created becomes open and unique for everyone involved.”

Using occult symbolism combined with a minimalistic aesthetic and sometimes using the artist himself as an object of focus, cultural meanings are explored and blended to rethink and reinterpret social codes.