In the Museum - 2

video, 7'01" / 2011

In his artistic practice, Stas Voliazlovskyi was inspired by mass culture, art brut, prison visual language, and the everyday routine of Kherson residents. The artist addressed important social, psychological, and political issues through hyperbole, sarcasm, and provocation. Voliazlovskyi worked in various media and labeled his art "chanson art."

Voliazlovskyi often collaborated with other artists, which was typical of the Totem artistic association, of which he was one of the most prominent members. In recent years, he has collaborated with the artist Semen Khramtsov as part of the hip-glam band Rapany.

In the video, Voliazlovskyi and Afanasiev emphasize the situation's absurdity when the Kherson Art Museum hosts an exhibition of live monkeys. Under the same roof of the so-called "temple of art," national heritage museum works collide with cultural entertainment involving imprisoned animals. This contrast emphasizes the deep social contradictions and problems in the fields of culture and morality.

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the work gained additional context. All the works documented in the video were not preserved, and after the capture of Kherson, they were stolen by the Russian occupiers. This event adds another layer to the understanding of the work, emphasizing the issue of preserving cultural heritage in the face of war and occupation.