On 19 May 2023, multidisciplinary artist Lidia Russkova-Hasaya in association with Surface Lab Art will present a public art installation ‘Portal’ at CREA International Cultural Centre.
‘Portal’ installation by Lidia Russkova-Hasaya is a three–metre tall glowing glass door framed in metal and set into a massive metal base. LED lighting outlines the silhouette of the door, giving it the appearance of floating in mid-air.
Based on years of research by the artist in art history, symbolism, urbanism, and architecture, 'Portal' represents hope and the possibility of a new beginning — a passage to a better and safer space. The door, however, is not accessible, leaving visitors confined to their present reality.
“The artist beckons us to contemplate the path leading to our goals and to recognise that it is this very journey which should bring joy and value. Contemporary realities, however, compel us to believe in substitute values that focus our attention on an ephemeral future,” says Alena Stetsiukevich, the curator of the project.
Installing ‘Portal’ in Venice is a symbolic act. Since the Renaissance, doors have served as significant decorative elements and indicators of status in Italy. The front door reveals what to expect inside the space. Venetian doors are also highly functional. The design of doors leading into the canals helps to withstand Acqua Alta, an event that sees Venice temporarily flooded at various points during the year by the rising Adriatic Sea tide.
Lidia also interacts with the space of the CREA International Cultural Centre, located on the docks near the gondolas and motorboats repair. The area is one of the reasons the artist chose metal, glass, and neon to construct the installation. The materials used in the making of ‘Portal’ transform an ordinary object into a work of art: the simple door becomes a meaningful symbol with numerous interpretations. The installation is created in accordance with the principles of sustainable development.
What: Grand Opening of ‘Portal’ public art installation
Where: CREA Cantieri del Contemporaneo, Giudecca, 211, Venice, Italy
When: 19 May 2023 at 18:30 — 20:30
What: ‘Portal’ public art installation
Where: CREA Cantieri del Contemporaneo, Giudecca, 211, Venice, Italy
When: 20 May 2023 — 31 August 2023
Lidia Russkova-Hasaya is a multidisciplinary artist and director who studied at Pace University in New York. Her practice encompasses various genres of art — including photography, video, performance, sound, and immersive installations —and explores the relationship between universal images, languages, and impulses. Textual elements are often employed in her projects, reflecting her interest in political philosophy. Lidia also investigates the concept of ‘intermezzo’, as presented by French philosopher Gilles Deleuze, which denotes the possibility of focusing on the present when the past is deceptive and the future unknown. Lidia's art projects are presented all over the world. At the start of 2023, she opened ‘Unfolding’, an exhibition at the Ria Keburia Foundation (Georgia), to critical acclaim.
CREA Cantieri del Contemporaneo is a project that starts from far, from the first steps of One Contemporary Art Association on Giudecca Island in 2016. The contemporary art intervention project within the Consorzio di Cantieristica Minore Veneziana has been calibrating itself, identifying itself more and more towards a permanent and daily collaboration with the local artisans, almost merging into a single vision, in a single direction that daily aims to preserve the identity of the city, its heritage of arts, crafts, and residences, drawing on the proactive power of the world of contemporary arts. During the past five years, the centre has organised over 60 exhibitions of more than 400 artists from all over the world, and has been visited by 250,000 people. CREA actively cooperates with many prominent arts institutions, including Gallery Rosenfeld (London), Engel Gallery (Tel Aviv – Jerusalem), Art 3035 Gallery (Amsterdam), and many others.
Surface Lab Art is a gallery and a creative space that promotes art as a way of conscious living. It is based on a ceramic slab manufacturer Surface Laboratory. One of the key goals of the project is to integrate contemporary art into the public space. Pieces that make us reflect, challenge our convictions, and foster interest in something new and unknown improve the quality of our environment. By incorporating contemporary art into our daily routines, the gallery aims to enhance everyday life. As part of one of its international projects, Surface Lab Art presented the ‘Ouroboros’ installation by Alexander Ponomarev on the Giza plateau in Cairo during the Forever is Now 2021 Biennale.
