Cabinet de l'Art | Anzhelika Ishkova

Anzhelika Ishkova
‘alL0ne’

The fourth edition of The Switch’s Cabinet de L’Art will host “alL0ne”, solo show by Anzhelika Ishkova, a Russian Photographer based in Lisbon. Comprising a sequence of self-portraits, the exhibition unveils a surreal beauty captured by an intimate gaze. Dating back to 2013, this series has generated all her further works, marking a turning point towards her deep emotional body’s exploration. Opening is scheduled for Friday 5th of May 2017, from 7pm to 10pm, and the show will be on view from May 6th up to 21st.

“alL0ne” is the outcome of a provocation: used to photograph urban and architectural landscapes, a residency in Lisbon made Anzhelika face herself as the work’s subject. Self-representation was not a painless mission to her at all. A tryptic and a solo-picture (in two versions – printed and projected) are visceral testimonies on being exposed to the camera, a register of this first traumatic experience that has completely changed her artistic lexicon. In the first picture, her insecure eyes facing the camera put the viewer in a safety oasis’ position. By using long exposure techniques, Anzhelika Ishkova forges a double persona, where an obscure aura emerges from the sliced Artist. Layered temporalities and a fragmented reality allude to the primary obsession of being alone. This introspective moment captured by the lenses engenders a possibility of rescue amid chaos.
The exercise of being observed made Anzhelika face deeper personal conflicts. Bareness led her to a protective gesture: not seeing, not hearing and saying nothing. The other three photographs on show are references of the almost childish image of Three Monkeys, rendering multiple meanings by performing the Artist’s fantasies. Triggering effects of double, also visible here, partially protect the Photographer of showing a fraught self. Besides being multiple, she’s still being one. The blindness is never complete. Deafness is selective. The impossibility of oral expression is partial.

Born in Russia, Anzhelika Ishkova has been living in Portugal since 2001. For the last years, she has studied at the Portuguese Association of Photographic Arts (APAF), Portuguese Photography Institute (IPF), and attended Photography studies at AR.CO – Art Center & Visual Communication from 2011 up to 2016. She has actively joined notable group exhibitions and held a solo show at House Museum Medeiros & Almeida.
“alL0ne” will open on Friday 5th of May 2017, from 7pm to 10pm, and will be on display from May 6th to 21st, by appointments only.

The Switch’s Cabinet de l’Art will present shows by Artists such as Hugo Cantegrel, Gonçalo Aires de Gameiro, Sébastien Zanella among others. The concept is based on short-term exhibitions every two weeks, reserved space with personalised attention, presenting the work of blooming talents.

The young gallery The Switch, located at Rua Heróis de Quionga 54D, is managed by an Artist and was born with the vocation to give new strengths to the art world and its market.

For more information and bookings, visit www.theswitchgallery.com or write to info@theswitchgallery.com