Way to Light. Alina Kha

15.04.2023 - 15.05.2023

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Conceptual artist Alina Khalitova recently relocated to a new country, UK, due to her strong anti-war stance. This significant life change prompted her to gain a clearer understanding and analyze her artistic practices.

The exhibition "Way to Light" showcases a selection of works that best represent the creative path Alina has pursued in recent years. Her art explores four main themes: space, light, visual perception, and context.

Alina, who has a background in art history, approaches her work within a socio-cultural context, making her creations almost always site-specific. She appreciates the intimacy of encountering her art unexpectedly in unconventional locations, believing that this approach removes the elitism often associated with traditional exhibition spaces.

From her early artistic endeavors, Alina developed a fascination with light, its essence, and the effects it generates. Initially, she conducted photosensitive experiments using analog photography, attempting to capture the moment when light, as a substance, physically manifests itself. Over time, her focus shifted to the realm of visual perception.

She delved into the inner workings of images, exploring how factors like the horizon line, perspective, and composition influence subconscious perception. This exploration resulted in the "Crisis of Evidence" series, where she experimented with impossible human visual experiences in natural settings, such as reverse perspectives and the presence of two suns. Alina decided that her art would be devoid of narrative or emotional motives, aiming for a purely analytical approach. She embraced the idea that aesthetic expression and form should be kept to a minimum. Her next step involved pushing the boundaries of human visual experience, with landscape as a medium allowing for less narrative and more immersive visual experiences.

A large-scale (80 m2) photo installation titled "1 x 1 = 1" continued her exploration of the intersections between light, reflection, visual perception, and context, becoming her primary focus. This approach also manifested in the "White Noise" project, where light and reflection were presented through the unexpected discovery of artwork in unconventional settings.

The "Way to Light" exhibition brings together Alina Khalitova's work spanning the past 15 years. This retrospective exhibition includes internationally acclaimed series such as "Crisis of Evidence" and the object "Reflection." Additionally, vital contributions to Alina's art practice are evident in the photo series "O (0, 0, 0)" and sections of the large-scale presentation "1 x 1 = 1." Given the site-specific nature of much of her work, exhibition copies will be accompanied by detailed descriptions, and audio information will also be available.