Le Chant des Anges, Bouguereau. Images courtesy the artist
Ancient gods party like it's 2015 in Ukranian art designer Alexey Kondakov new classical painting mashup series, Daily Life of Gods. He inserts time-tested portraits of deities into the buses, sidewalks, and cafés of Kiev, imagining what Venus and Dionysus might get into in the modern world. Some are clearly loving it, like Bacchus' raucous entourage running through the city's grungy tunnels, but the sight of Apollo strumming his harp for change is far from celebratory.
Advertisement
The idea came to Kondakov when a picture of people drinking wine on Tumblr caught his eye, and he had the urge to replace the group with his own entourage. "Then I thought, 'What if I invite these [gods] into our reality and imagine they are on streets of modern Kiev?'" he tells The Creators Project. "Then I wanted to transform a noisy company of cheerful kids who gathered to spend time together in the city or go to the movies. And in these heroes I saw the work of other artists." Kondatov wants to be clear, though, Daily Life of Gods isn't a commentary on society or religion or art. "My project is about life," he says. "I really want to avoid talking about the social commentary."Originally called 2 Reality, Kondakov changed the name of the series to Daily Life of Gods, adopting the nameFubiz gave it on Friday.
ONE EMAIL. ONE STORY. EVERY WEEK. SIGN UP FOR THE VICE NEWSLETTER.
By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.
