Albert Soldatov

Balthus

The video Balthus addresses the present-day lack of ideals, the state of inertia, emptiness, and obsession with comfort. Ten scenes formally depict subjects from Balthus’ paintings. Off-screen dialogues reproduce phrases that were taken from social networks and do not carry any meaning in themselves: posts, emotions, likes, and ratings. They sometimes comment on what is taking place in the video and sometimes depart from its visual imagery to become strange or frightening and break the atmosphere of idleness and comfort. The characters metaphorically represent the inner world of a modern person who is overwhelmed with information noise.

The new medium of the Internet has made communication instantaneous and information accessible. Yet, it has also increased the noise and fragmentation of reality. A person is lying on the sofa with a gadget in his or her hands and moving fingers across the touch screen. This convenient access to information and endless flickering of images make him numb in a way, similar to Balthus’ figures. The very word «balthus» ceases to simply refer to the French painter and becomes associated with this state of inertia and numbness of body and mind.

Albert Soldatov