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Unmasking evil through humor in Ivan Volkov’s solo exhibition “Jokes Everywhere”

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.

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.

This series, “Bodies in Motion: Freedom in Action,” explores the relationship between movement and personal expression. Each image captures the human body in dynamic action, focusing on form and motion rather than individual identity. By highlighting the body in motion, I aim to evoke a sense of energy, spontaneity, and freedom.

The photographs are primarily shot at night, using flash to freeze these moments of physicality, emphasizing texture, contrast, and the raw power of movement. The interplay between light and darkness enhances the feeling of rebellion and liberation. The subjects interact with urban and natural landscapes, crossing boundaries in playful and often daring ways.