Untitled 1997

This untitled photograph was made by Arsen Savadov. There’s a lot going on, but it's all rendered in monochrome: two people, one with a trumpet sticking out of their bum, a bunch of rubble, and some sort of wheat sculpture on a plinth! Savadov's use of photography here feels less about capturing a perfect image and more about documenting a performance. The composition is chaotic, almost like a snapshot of a bizarre, impromptu ritual. It has a rawness that makes you feel like you're stumbling upon something secret and maybe a bit dangerous. It reminds me of some of Paul McCarthy's performance work, where the body becomes a site of irreverent humor and social critique. Art doesn't always have to make sense, right? It's more about the questions it provokes and the feelings it stirs. This piece definitely does that for me.