Perturbation of Feelings 1990

Editor: So, this is Oleg Holosiy’s “Perturbation of Feelings,” an acrylic on canvas piece from 1990. It has such a dreamlike, unsettling quality to it. What's your take? Curator: The unsettled feeling comes, I think, from the historical and cultural moment in which it was made. Holosiy was working in the Soviet Union as it was collapsing. This piece, with its fragmented figures and decaying landscape, reflects that sense of societal upheaval. How do you see the use of figuration within this abstract expressionist style? Editor: I notice how the figures, like the face with wings and the sleeping person in the ring, are very distinct yet still blend into the abstract background. I guess the contrast feels relevant, suggesting a struggle to hold onto something tangible in a changing world? Curator: Precisely. Art doesn't exist in a vacuum; it responds to and reflects its environment. Consider how the public exhibition of art changed at that time, as the rigid control of Soviet art institutions lessened. Do you think this impacted the themes Holosiy chose to explore, or his style? Editor: Definitely. Knowing the socio-political context really shifts my interpretation from personal anxiety to a broader commentary on the anxieties of a whole society undergoing rapid change. I would not have picked up on that if you had not given some of that background. Curator: Understanding the conditions of artistic production—who is allowed to show what, where, and to whom—illuminates so much about the art itself. Editor: I've always appreciated the aesthetic qualities, but the historical analysis provides a deeper insight into this kind of art, making me look beyond the canvas. Thanks for showing me this point of view. Curator: And I think your initial response of unsettledness speaks to the piece’s continued power to evoke the turmoil of the time. It’s a conversation between then and now, the artist and the viewer, mediated by these forces.