In his solo exhibition Goat, Andrej Polukord will present both new and previously created works that analyse consumerism and related themes. The focus of the exhibition is the goat, the symbol of ritualism, widely described in ancient mythology, especially the motifs of goat sacrifice. The multidimensional meaning of the work itself and its connection to the old culture allows us to rethink what is becoming a sacrifice today. This is particularly relevant now, in the times when the relationship between man and nature never ceases to change. The artist explores the issue of consumerism through works made from recycled materials, while objects found in nature become a kind of trace or documentation of human activity. As lifestyles are constantly changing, so too is consumption itself, which currently manifests while striving for a quick, cheap, and fashionable product. However, this comfort costs natural resources and raises important ethical questions. The works feature the opposites, which create a tension between today’s changing life and the more sustainable old one. The author does not seek to provide already formulated answers but leaves space for the viewer to openly discuss in which direction consumerism in capitalist society is leading: towards the evolution or involution of humanity.
Andrej Polukord (1990) is a young generation interdisciplinary artist who works in Vilnius and Vienna. He studied at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts and the Rupert alternative education program. The artist is well known both in Lithuania and abroad. He actively participates in solo and group exhibitions. His works have been exhibited at the 12th Kaunas Biennale (2019), The minus20degree Biennale in Flachau, Austria (2018), The Survival Kit in Riga (2017), and well-known galleries such as GAK Kunstverein in Bremen, Konsthall C in Stockholm, Warsaw in the National Art Gallery, the Lithuanian National Art Gallery, The Kunsthalle Wien exhibition space in Vienna, etc. In 2016, he received the Kunsthalle Prize Vienna award.
