Review by Irina Rusinovich
Ivan Volkov’s “Jokes Everywhere”, presented in October at Kensington Mall in London,
was an exhibition that tackles the unsettling nature of evil hiding behind humor.
Curated by Dmitry Malyshev and Valeria Nikitina, the show invited viewers to reflect on
morality and society’s contradictions through Volkov’s sculptures and paintings.
One of the standout pieces, An Evil Toy (2024), is a ceramic sculpture that embodies
Volkov’s ability to mix humor with unease. The shiny, metallic body of the figure
catches your attention like a funhouse mirror, but the grotesque, red face reveals
something darker. Inspired by masks and totems from ancient cultures, the piece feels
both playful and eerie, making it hard to look away. It forces you to confront the strange
tension between attraction and fear.
Left | Evil Toy (2024)
Similarly, the painting Fountain (2024) delivers a powerful, surreal image. A headless figure stands in the foreground while severed, bleeding heads float in the sky. Despite its violent theme, the soft pastel colors give the scene an almost dreamlike quality. It’s unsettling but also strangely poetic, reflecting Volkov’s skill in blending opposites—beauty and horror, humor and tragedy. The exhibition goes beyond Volkov’s work by incorporating photographs from co-artist Dmitry Malyshev, which creates a dialogue with the sculptures and paintings.Malyshev’s portraits explore the impact of human interactions with evil, adding another layer to the exhibition’s message. By strategically pairing these works with Volkov’s art, curators created a complex narrative about the masks people wear, the roles they play, and the moral struggles they face–challenging viewers to consider the broader implications of Volkov’s themes.
Fountain (2024)
What makes this exhibition resonate is its connection to the world we live in today. Volkov reflects on how globalization and societal divisions create unsolvable tensions, which show up in his art. His characters, inspired by the struggles of the working class, are exaggerated to absurdity, but they still feel familiar and relatable. They remind us that evil isn’t always an external force—it’s woven into everyday life, often hidden behind a smile or a joke. Jokes Everywhere doesn’t give easy answers or solutions. Instead, it challenges viewers to look beyond the surface, question their assumptions, and confront the darker sides of themselves and society. By placing Volkov’s surreal and grotesque works within an artfully arranged space, the curators amplify the sense of unease and confrontation. This approach not only deepenes the viewer’s engagement but also reinforces the exhibition’s central theme of duality—humor as a mask for darker truths. Volkov’s mix of irony, absurdity, and raw emotion coupled with Malyshev and Nikitina’s thoughtful curation ensures this exhibition leaves a lasting impression. It’s a thought-provoking experience, full of contradictions, that asks us to face the complexities of the human condition.
Text : Irina Rusinovich
Opening night | Ivan Volkov’s solo exhibition “Jokes Everywhere”
