Gusev Igor “Likehokku”
“Likehokku”
26 of June 2015 – 15 of August 2015
NT-Art Gallery presents a collection of poetry “Likehokku” by Igor Gusev with author`s illustrations. Simultaneously, an eponymous show with more than 20 graphic works and several installations will be opened for public.
During the last two years Igor Gusev, known primarily as an artist, practically daily published short poems on his Facebook page. Most often, these poems, which Gusev named “likehokku”, summarized the events unfolding in Ukraine very precisely and concisely. With three or four lines as if it was a telegram Gusev informed his readers about the latest news. Sometimes his branded irony showed through these lines and sometimes pain and fright of the February events at Maidan, Grushevskogo, in Crimea. The laconic form and the depth of the Gusev lines content indeed provided the artist with a lot of likes and reposts in social networks where he continues to publish his poems though not as often as before. However, speaking as a poet, Gusev was unable to completely give up his usual visual language and created several series of graphic works – “Sociopank” and “Wall islands” that supplemented likehokku as a result. Works from the series “Common human flesh” (1998) and “12 minutes stolen from humanity” (2012) were added to the new series. Thus, the collection of poetry “Likehokku” with the author`s illustrations emerged.
Igor Gusev is Ukrainian artist, poet, author of performances, films, objects and installations, participant and organizer of many artistic actions, leader of the Art Raiders and founder of the underground gallery `Norma.` Born in 1970 in Odessa, Ukraine. He graduated from Odessa Grekov Art School. The constant participant of large exhibition projects, such as `Restart`, `A Space Odyssey`, `Independent`, `20 years of presence` and special project of the First Kiev International Biennale of Contemporary Art – ARSENALE 2012 `Double Game`. His works have been presented at auction Sotheby`s, Phillips De Pury and others.