Limiyan & Sadovsky

The collaborative work by Liliya Limiyan and Katerina Sadovsky is dedicated to the subject of social taboo. The strict religious education and social status frame person’s sexuality as well as one’s identity. Katerina’s drawings made with oil pastels on top of almost sterile photographs by Liliya, bring the elements of carnivalization, emancipating the image of body from the literariness of its perception, and demonstrate an ironic approach. The manner of drawing is neither hysterical nor precise — rather it shows an infantile negligence of the image composition. Moreover, the medium itself — oil pastels — looks infantile compared to black & white photography. Katerina takes subjects from biblical mythology mixed with stereotypical ideas of beauty and sexuality, as well as patriarchal phobias. Katerina’s and Liliya’s collaborative work could be interpreted as the representation of body as disguise. Body is understood as a product of social construction. Thus, one’s emancipation from the social constraints could become possible through the emancipation of body by rejecting its prescribed functionality.

— Olga Deryugina

works available

selected DUO exhibitions

2017 — SOMEONE WANTS TO DEVOUR ME / AKOPYAN GALLERY, MOSCOW, RUSSIA
2017 — SCREAMING MACHINE / AKOPYAN GALLERY, MOSCOW, RUSSIA
2015 — WHAT TO SAY WHEN THERE IS NOTHING TO SAY / UDARNIK, MOSCOW, RUSSIA