The Bird&Carrot productions would like to announce the installation of Kostya Benkovich's monumental sculpture The Right Hand of God in historical Holland Park's Napoleon Garden.
The installation will be on display between 18 June - 31 July 2022. The sculpture was chosen by the esteemed select committee via an annual open call and is exhibited as part of Kensington + Chelsea Art Week (KCAW) and the fifth annual Public Art Trail. The installation is also the first major outcome of the recently established Bird&Carrot artist residency. Previously, Benkovich exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery in the critically-acclaimed show "Art Riot: Post-Soviet Actionism from 1990 - 2010", however, this outdoors installation is his London debut.
Make sure that you explore the Public Art Trail throughout the whole Kensington and Chelsea area. The project features works by many outstanding artists, including Gavin Turk, Sokari Douglas Camp CBE, Charlotte Colbert and others, and it feels amazing to be part of it.
Benkovich's monumental work (over 4 meters high) powerfully speaks on the Russian-Ukrainian war. Konstantin's practice is built around the principle that art can transform society from within by bringing major shifts in people’s consciousness. "No institution holds as much power as a single artist," believes Benkovich. The artist conflates Medieval iconography of the Right Hand of God as the symbol of mercy, omnipotence and authority, with the apocalyptic vision of God's wrath. This way, the benevolent God's hand becomes the place of refuge for those suffering the injustice and turns into the hand of judgement for the evil-doers. In artist's own words, "Today, with humanity standing on the brink of the third world war...it becomes our personal duty to read the warning signs and prevent the approaching catastrophe".