Artists explore abandoned spaces in Okapi gallery exhibition

Alexei Gordin and Dasha Trofimova have opened their two-person exhibition “Private Property” at Okapi gallery, exploring abandoned spaces, ERR reported.

Trofimova, an artist from Kazakhstan who works in Riga, has addressed themes that connect with Gordin’s recent work, including the aesthetics of abandoned spaces and their links to geopolitical changes, as well as the physical and mental experience of abandonment and absurd spatial performance.

For both artists, engaging with abandoned spaces is a playful and intriguing process resembling archaeological research. Layers accumulated over time reveal different eras and the traumas associated with them.

The artworks in the exhibition take the form of mimesis, documenting works originally created as site-specific installations or spatial artistic interventions.

Gordin uses abandoned spaces as visual settings for messages that mock contemporary social problems and cognitive dissonance with irony. He writes these messages directly onto walls with aerosol paint.

Trofimova also creates temporary performative works. She builds large-scale installations from furniture and household objects found in abandoned buildings. Fragile balance plays a central role in her work: when it begins to shift, like a political system or an economic crisis, the entire construction eventually collapses.

The exhibition remains open until August 30.