Marxizm de Sad 1998

Arsen Savadov's photograph, titled "Marxizm de Sad", presents an unsettling tableau that confronts us with questions of power, desire, and representation. The composition divides the subjects into a stark visual hierarchy. On the left a man in a suit wearing a rabbit ears hat, appears over a kneeling figure collared like an animal. To the right, a figure crawls on all fours with a rope around his neck. The forest setting and costume-like attire create a theatrical space, but the dynamics between the figures are anything but playful. The work evokes the philosophy of de Sade, exploring how transgression and domination challenge conventional morality. The rabbit ears, an almost absurd addition, act as a signifier of innocence turned perverse, while the leashes and exposed bodies visualize control and submission. The photograph doesn't provide easy answers. Instead, it forces a consideration of how we negotiate power dynamics and the societal structures that subtly and not-so-subtly shape our perceptions of freedom and control.