Looking back at the art history of the second part of the 20th century, it is quite peculiar to notice how contemporary artists became increasingly interested in folk and pagan motives in their art. Such an approach is not a novelty. If we look back at Russian avant-garde practices, we will notice how artists of that period adopted the folk art palette. This demonstrates how each art and cultural history element can inspire a younger generation to do something new and outstanding.
Following that, we will overview Olya Eliseeva and Polina Kulbachevskaia, two Russian female artists who work with this agenda. Each of them finds inspiration in the blend mentioned above, which allows them to produce interesting and recognizable pieces.
Olya Eliseeva is a multi-media artist who works with textiles and installation art. Her practice aims to create a personal mythology space that envelopes the viewer and makes them a part of the creative process. Eliseeva states that personal mythology is one of the main strategies that contemporary art invented. A myth is a fantastic space for her creativity — it allows her to produce personal iconography and create narratives correlating with this personal microreality.
Eliseeva’s installation “Salt Circles” (2024) is a great example of how one can combine local folk motives with international art heritage to create a fully understandable space for the spectators.
Looking closely into some examples of Russian literature, we will find a short novel by Nikolai Gogol called “Viy.” In this piece, the writer mentions circles the main character creates to save himself from evil spirits. However, the circles produced by Eliseeva do not allow the viewers to stand inside of them. They form a decorative reality where classical solar symbols create a self-reflection space for the audiences. Another important detail that can be mentioned is that salt was also used in Robert Smithson’s land art piece Spiral Jetty, one of the most influential contemporary artworks of the 1970s.
However, Eliseeva’s “Salt Circles” also includes a graphic art piece, which creates an additional visual narrative. This way, the artist managed to rework all of the heritage her predecessors made and create a piece that demonstrates her creative self. All of that indicates that Eliseeva is an outstanding artist who is truly one of the field’s leaders.
Video and performance artist Polina Kulbachevskaia draws inspiration from tribal dance and ethnic rituals. Her piece “Midnight” presents a captivating dance performance featuring nine dancers immersed in a dimly lit nocturnal setting. Moving through modern, partly improvised choreography, the dancers form a ritualistic circle around a symbolic campfire — its flickering light masterfully recreated by an unseen lighting instrument. Warm, fire-like tones bathe the performers, contrasting with a cool, moonlit turquoise glow from above, creating a layered and mysterious atmosphere evocative of the night.
This performance was inspired by Joseph Beuys’s work “I Like America and America Likes Me” (1974), in which the artist communicated with the sole representative of the American land — a wild coyote. Of course, Kulbachevskaia did not invite animals into her piece, but she asked the performers to act as if they were in contact with nature. The choreography transitions seamlessly between sharp, erratic movements and smooth, fluid gestures, evoking the feeling of an invocation to higher forces.
