Video installation The Forest by Ukrainian artist Zhanna Kadyrova to be shown at CTM Festival

The video installation The Forest by Ukrainian artist Zhanna Kadyrova, which explores the ecological catastrophe at the Kakhovka Reservoir, will be shown at the annual music and visual CTM Festival in Berlin. It will be on display from 23 January to 22 March.

Source: CTM Festival on Instagram

Details: At the centre of the project is an installed boat placed on the site where water from the now-disappeared reservoir once was. It now appears to be sinking amid dense vegetation that has since grown there.

The Russian destruction of the Kakhovka dam on 6 June 2023 destroyed the reservoir and caused devastation in the surrounding area. In addition, cultural heritage sites were lost due to the flooding.

The video captures the rhythm of natural change over the course of a year, while photographs convey the passage of time and the formation of a new landscape. However, the area remains mined.

Zhanna Kadyrova worked on this project for two years. Her works are combined with archival materials and documents, as well as pieces by other artists. This allows for a deeper look at the history of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, as well as the scale of the flooding and the loss of cultural heritage.

The Berlin-based CTM Festival was founded in 1999. Initially focused on electronic music, the festival later expanded to include a wider range of genres.

Zhanna Kadyrova is the winner of this year's Shevchenko Prize in visual arts. She has also become the first recipient of the new Her Art Award at the international Art Paris art fair. This year, she will represent Ukraine at the 61st Venice Biennale.

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