3+5

Desks, books, prints, rust, metal, staining solution, blades, wood. LHQ Gallery, Cork City Council Library, Cork. 2024. Phot. Jed Niezgoda  www.jedniezgoda.com

‘3+5’ by presents art works that examine the manipulation of knowledge and the re-framing of history. Co-existing opposing versions of ‘truth’ become more apparent in the times of conflict. The themes of censorship and contamination of information are explored by the artist, who uses books in various languages and other printed materials (maps, personal documents, photographs) to build up a sculptural installation, suggestive of a classroom environment. One of the books is George Orwell’s ‘1984’, where an omnipresent Ministry of Truth is tasked with erasing unsuitable knowledge and replacing it with its own version of reality.

The exhibition title ‘3+5’ refers to the ongoing events in the artist’s country of origin, Russia. Since the outbreak of the conflict with Ukraine, the word ‘war’ has been replaced with the phrase ‘Special Military Operation’. In protest, ‘3+5’ (the number of letters in the Russian phrase нет войне—No to War) emerged as a coded expression of dissent.

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