Saodat Ismailova's 'As We Fade' is a mesmerizing and unforgettable journey into a psychic dreamspace. Step into a dark room, where four captivating film pieces await. Curated by the Baltic, this exhibition is a brave and concise showcase of Ismailova's work, an Uzbek artist and filmmaker. Prepare to be immersed in a world that is both exhilarating and terrifying.
The central element is a black padded square, symbolizing the void, a concept Ismailova has explored throughout her two-decade career. Growing up during the perestroika era, when Soviet ideology crumbled, she witnessed the cultural void firsthand. Her father, a cinematographer, exposed her to the film industry from an early age, with their family living opposite the largest film studio in Uzbekistan. The four works in the exhibition interact and resonate with each other, creating an elemental atmosphere.
The first piece that draws you in is 'As We Fade', projected through 24 sheaths of silk, suspended in a glittering line. This silk, a nod to the ancient trade routes of Uzbekistan, mimics the cinematic standard of frames per second. The footage, a mix of found and new, showcases rituals performed on the sacred Sulaiman Too mountain. The images are not fully revealed; they fade and disappear, leaving you with a sense of mystery and the importance of what is unseen.
'Melted Into the Sun' adds to the surreal and mystical atmosphere. Set at the bottom of the room, it features traditional cushions once belonging to the artist's grandmother. The film explores the 8th-century figure Al-Muqanna, a prophet-like character, through faceless figures and dusky landscapes. With elements of ASMR and video game aesthetics, it avoids getting too bogged down in local history, instead raising universal questions about the determination of east and west.
'Swan Lake' is a visceral and poetic ode to Central Asian films from 1988 to 2001. It captures the ambience of the time with exquisite cinematography from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The film showcases breathtaking beauty, violence, protest, disorientation, and anxiety, all while exploring the dreams of men, women, and children. Iconic scenes include a woman kissing a fish, a man licking a shard of glass, and a woman bursting into flames. The film also includes crackling footage of ballet dancers performing Swan Lake, a symbol of Soviet state TV's influence.
The exhibition delves into ideas of psychic space, power, and propaganda. It pulls you in while warning of manipulation, inspired by Ismailova's memories of the hypnotist Kashpirovsky on Soviet state television. Kashpirovsky, a Rasputin-like figure, attempted mass hypnosis in 1989, an attempt to save the crumbling USSR regime and control its population.
Ismailova's work also explores the distinct male and female realms in Central Asia, with 'Zukhra' as a prominent example. This piece, shown at the 2013 Venice Biennale, features a single long shot of a woman sleeping, accompanied by archival news recordings and the legend of Venus. As she wakes and leaves the room, the empty bed remains, capturing the enormity and possibility of a woman's inner world, often confined but not diminished.
'As We Fade' is a show about holding on to the past and letting go, leaving you with a sense of wonder and curiosity about what might emerge from the darkness.
