M HKA Ensembles

Sculpture, 40 x 19 x 11 cm.

Collection: Collection M HKA, Antwerp - Donation Friends of M HKA (Inv. no. S0542_01).

The anthropomorphic shapes of Evgeny Antufiev are compilations of organic and inorganic material, including fabric, wire, wolves’ teeth and metal. With the attitude of a skilled craftsman and that of an overzealous ethnographer, Antufiev draws his inspiration from fairy tales, mythology, science fiction stories and historical sources. The shapes are characterized by a certain duality: they can be both lovely and frightening and appear to be the brainchild of a Siberian shaman.

For Antufiev, a work of art functions as a mirror: as a catalyst of memories, thoughts and emotions, in which we are faced with ourselves, our identity and our origin. His works thematise the possible relationships between contemporary art and ancient art, between art and nature, between collective memory and individual identity or between art and time. Antufiev reflects on the ability of artworks to lead us to a dimension where life and death coexist.