The exhibition Me and the Ark, Me and the Great Flood took place in Baku as part of the YARAT Contemporary Art Space programme. This international project, curated by Ukrainian Kostyantyn Doroshenko, brought together artists from Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia, Lithuania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Czech Republic. The exhibition was dedicated to the philosophy of Sufi poet Nasimi and his concept of “I am the Truth” (I am God).
As part of this exhibition, Ukrainian composer, artist and guitarist of the band Gapochka, Yevgen Yakshin, presented an audiovisual performance entitled Evil, Stupid and Weak, which combined music, video and installation. His work became an important element of the exhibition, which explored the themes of self-knowledge, spirituality and collective memory.
“The performance-ritual ‘Evil, Stupid and Weak’, which took place at Yarat, consists of my musical compositions from different periods. However, the basis is new material with the same title, which I am currently working on and which is due to be released at the end of this year. The main theme is the awareness of inner evil: when, in a fit of anger, you lose control of yourself and become vulnerable. Evil has a clear form and is often associated with power. But if you look deeper, its basis turns out to be fear and insecurity. I structured the musical programme so that, after going through the journey from the first track to the last, listeners and viewers could experience catharsis and complete purification. Each subsequent track becomes louder and more emotional, and the last one reaches a ‘zero point’. In the finale, the sound of a smouldering fire remains, and somewhere in the distance, a lullaby motif can barely be heard (the vocal part was recorded in 2018 by Daniela Zayushkina from the band Vivienne Mort),” says Yevgen.
According to him, the idea for the performance came from an ancient tradition: in Azerbaijan, at the end of the year, people burned old things, forming large bonfires, and then jumped over them, cleansing themselves of all evil.
“I took this ritual as a basis. Azerbaijani artist Emin Mathers helped me visually support the atmosphere: he created a video accompaniment, which he controlled live during the performance. His work with light and shadow further revealed the theme,” comments Yevgen Yakshin on his work.
Curator Kostyantyn Doroshenko also organised a tour as part of the exhibition.
“I was lucky enough to attend the curator’s tour of the exhibition and hear all the meanings behind it. That’s when I got the idea to continue the exhibition with my own performance. The exhibition starts with expressive works by Ukrainian artists Volodymyr Budnikov and Vlada Ralko (I’ve been a fan of their work for a long time) and ends with meditative works by Azerbaijani artists. My performance unfolds harmoniously from a quiet noise that gradually intensifies, reaches its peak and falls into a blissful silence – Nothingness. Here you can feel the parallels with the works of Tarlan Garchu (Nothing) and Vlada Ralko (Lviv Diary),” Yakshin shares his impressions.
The exhibition Me and the Ark, Me and the Great Floodbecame a significant event in the cultural life of Baku, promoting intercultural dialogue and broadening the understanding of Sufi philosophy through contemporary art.