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Paintings for Holes

Liudmila Konstantinova’s paintings raise questions about the assumed purpose and meaning of contemporary art. Paintings for Holes is an installation comprising 17 rectangular, monochromatic painted canvases of various sizes, hung on the gallery wall in an arrangement that at first look resembles a modernist grid. In fact, the colour block set up is reminiscent of a certain time in Soviet history – of Malevich’s geometric compositions, of Russian constructivism – and of its influence on the graphic design of movements such as the Bauhaus and De Stijl.

The artist wanted “to make a series of paintings that could be useful for different people”. Catering to the lowest common denominators of acceptability – and bypassing any sticky controversial subject matter or format issues – she made canvases in all shapes, sizes and painted them in clear flat colours so that everyone could find “their own”; but crucially, they’re all essentially as blank as each other.

As their title implies, the paintings were also made with another specific purpose in mind: they can be used to hide any imperfections on a wall, like cracks, paint marks or dead mosquitos. They can be arranged as desired, like modular shelving or an occasional table. Konstantinova’s proposal for art today is more utilitarian chic prop than revolutionary.

List of paintings

  • Burgundy - théâtre, 60x30 cm
  • Gray - negotiations room, 60x40 cm
  • Blue - ice palace, d=60 cm
  • Coral - first aid room, 150x10 cm
  • Blue-black - deprivation room, d25 cm
  • Bronze brown - hunter's hut, 85x20 cm
  • Gray-yellow - children's area, 40x40 cm
  • Bright yellow - casino, 40x40 cm
  • Red - flag room, d15 cm
  • Mother-of-Pearl - spa zone, d40 cm
  • Vivid green - garage, 10x20 cm
  • Nude - master bedroom, 120x20 cm
  • Black square - hookah bar, 25x25 cm
  • Light blue - aqua disco, 85x20 cm
  • Olive - mud room, 45x20 cm
  • Lilac - maid's room, 40x30 cm
  • Flesh color - fur coats storage, 10x20 cm

Developers team

  • Liudmila Konstantinova
  • Dmitry Antonov
  • Maxim Ilyukhin
  • Syntax Gallery