Instrument by Zhanna Kadyrova
Zhanna Kadyrova
Instrument, 2024
Pipe organ, fragments of fired Russian shells
380 × 300 × 240 cm
“We are surrounded by tools and technologies that profoundly impact our lives. I am not only referring to the forms of digital communication that have become integral to daily life, or to the appliances around us that make our lives easier. I am also talking about the devices that exert control over our lives, and even our deaths.
An organ is an exceptional musical instrument. It is not only an instrument but also a form of architecture, and it even serves as a model of the living body as it is sustained by the breath of life. The organ is unique among musical instruments - capable of producing the entire range of audible sound, from the deepest bass to the highest notes. Its technological complexity makes it most suitable for cavernous churches, cathedrals and specially designed concert halls; the organ is far from an ordinary, everyday object.
Zhanna Kadyrova’s work often grows from simplicity,”Instrument” involving such an intricate structure, might seem contradictory to this approach. Still, the inspiration for this work emerged from the simple resemblance of an organ’s pipes to the bodies of missiles launched by Russia into Ukraine - symbols of destruction and death. As Instrument demonstrates, art has the power to subvert, and to transform these metal shells into symbols of resurrection and hope.
This organ, once static and now combined with the remnants of deadly weapons, has become mobile and to speak to international audiences of the courage needed to confront aggression. First displayed at Venice Biennale 2024, the most renowned arts festival in the world, it is now presented in Lviv train station. Here, it highlights the importance of preserving history and tradition in the context of current civic life, and its challenges. Instrument also offers a moment of reflection, as we gather around it and mourn in a way that both gives solace and strengthens our resolve to live.
Kadyrova's Instrument juxtaposes culture and the brutality of war, the sacred and the profane, the static and the mobile, the aesthetic and the functional. This brings us to its most critical aspect: it must be used, activated, to remain alive. The modified organ is a piece of contemporary art, but it also functions as a musical instrument that demands to be played in order to sustain itself and contemporary Ukrainian culture.
Kadyrova lives in Kyiv but is always on the move. Her work is often created in motion, and her inspiration comes from everywhere - from the folk art found in Ukrainian villages to the Brutalist buildings of Ukrainian cities, or even nature’s morphology.
One of the working titles for Instrument was ‘Russian contemporary Baroque.’ Why baroque and why Russian? Missiles are increasingly seen across Ukraine. If you are fortunate enough to encounter only their cold remnants, you can't help but be intrigued by their appearance. The metal casing, torn apart by the explosives stored inside, twists into shapes reminiscent of baroque scroll-like ornaments, named volutes. For Kadyrova, ‘Russian Baroque’ refers not only to the Baroque-like curls of her shrapnel pipes, but also to the export of classical music and art through which Russia’s regime has sought to legitimize its imperial ambitions. In times of war, Russian culture and aggression cannot be separated —much like Kadyrova's Instrument, which is visibly and firmly linked to a deadly weapon.
Kadyrova's turn to sound is symptomatic of contemporary Ukrainian life. There are experiences that are very difficult to translate into images or words, and music can convey even the heaviest messages without succumbing to despair.
So, listen.”
Pavel Sterec
Instrument, 2024, by Zhanna Kadyrova has been created with the support of PinchukArtCentre, courtesy of Zhanna Kadyrova, Galleria Continua.
Concert Schedule
- Nov 30/Dec 1, 2024 Kateryna Gajo, Ukraine
- Dec 6/7, 2024 Bohdan Demʼyanenko, Ukraine
- Dec 13/14, 2024 Insomnia Taxi (Iryna Novikova), Ukraine–Sweden
- Dec 20/21, 2024 Sandor Schreiner, Olga Chundak, Ukraine
- Dec 27/28, 2024 Ivan Saraeshvili, Georgia–Norway
- Jan 3/4, 2025 Lviv Organ Hall
- Jan 10/11, 2025 Nils Henrik, Norway
- Jan 17/18, 2025 Oleksiy Shmurak, Vitaliy Dvorovy, Ukraine
