Anna Škodenko. At Arm’s Length

From many things studied in different institutions, painting has been Anna’s most consistent companion. Flexibly interpreted, it appears again and again in her work. On the other hand, a thought that Anna already phrased as a third-year painting student speaks against devotedly dealing with one medium for too long: “To me, becoming something is more interesting than being something.” Indeed – if art means searching for clarity in life, then it is not of decisive importance which language it uses. Therefore, we rather shouldn’t hope that Anna Škodenko’s upcoming exhibition will greet us with the smell of oil paint and canvases. Even the working title of the exhibition can be interpreted in different ways: as “Within reach, yet still unattainable” or “Reach out your trusting hand in the darkness”.

Anna Škodenko (1986) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work is characterised by a lyrical and analytical approach to her medium and visual image. The format of her work depends on the conceptual frame, which she creates through textual writing and which is conditioned by a specific place, context and theme. Škodenko graduated from the painting department at the Estonian Academy of Arts (2009), complemented her studies at Chelsea College of Art in England and later in the Institute of Contemporary Art in Moscow, and graduated from the master’s program at Glasgow School of Arts (2017). She has been awarded with the Eduard Wiiralt Prize (2016) and Köler Prize Grand Prix (2018). In 2019 Škodenko participated in a residency at WIELS Contemporary Art Centre.