M HKA Ensembles

Installation, 00:08:00, 16/9.

Collection: Courtesy of the artist.

It is no coincidence that the machine-like quality of Grishina’s works is reflected in their titles. The best example of her exacting method is No-Go Machine. The ‘system’ she presents appears to be built precisely for breaking down those who agree to perform a function within it. Grishina writes: “The No-Go Machine is a space where theatrical action is inverted. The stage is the hierarchical pyramid of the system of government, with agents in their proper places. Each level of the pyramid corresponds to a level of the game. The uppermost level controls the lower ones – everything is done by the book. But the players lack their own will; their actions are based on primitive stimuli and reactions. Absorbed in the game, they hammer at their keyboards and stare at their screens. In their irritable behaviour – reflecting the plasticity of contemporary movement – we see the simulated tension of anti-efficient action concentrated.” (AK)