Katya Bochavar’s interactive exhibition opens in the Netherlands

Russian artist Katya Bochavar has created an interactive, multimedia art piece based on the drawings of celebrated artist Sol LeWitt, one of the key proponents of conceptual art. Rhythm Assignment at Bonnefantenmuseum in Maastricht in the Netherlands consists of projections of drawings by LeWitt interwoven with videos and images of dance and geometrical patterns designed by Bochavar. LeWitt played a major role in the creation of a new radical aesthetic in the late Sixties, which insisted on the importance of the concept in art. The movement followed the abstract expressionism of the preceding decade.

For the exhibition, Bochavar, who has worked both as a curator and an exhibition designer, said she took inspiration by Pavel Filonov, one of the masters of Russian modernism. Filonov’s influence is evident throughout the exhibition, in the interaction between image, sound and audience.

The audience, too, plays an important role in the piece, operating sound machines and determining the sequence of beats and, therefore, the rhythm.

Bochavar is a key figure in Russia’s contemporary art scene. After completing her studies in textile design at the Moscow Textile Academy, she was involved in a number of different projects including the launch of design company Ekaterina Moroz in 1990. The company was commissioned by the Kremlin Museums to design a collection of scarves based on Faberge’s designs. In 2004, the artist launched much2much, a line of conceptual jewellery, whose collection Russian Revolution was displayed in the Kremlin.

The exhibition is part of the Netherlands-Russia Year 2013 and runs until 15 September.