Aleksandr Razin: Sawdust Body / The Zoo

Ethan Cohen Gallery is pleased to present its first solo exhibition of Aleksandr Razin, entitled Sawdust Body / The Zoo will be on view April 9 – May 22, 2022, Fridays through Sundays 12 – 6 pm, by appointment.

Aleksandr Razin is a conceptual artist who creates site-specific installations using industrial found materials to explore the relation between the environment and the individual. This exhibition showcases nine of Razin’s sculptures that investigate mental illness through the characters of the Winnie-the-Pooh, the beloved children’s tale created by A.A. Milne and E.H. Shephard.

Working with the theory that each Winnie-the-Pooh character symbolizes a certain mental disorder, Razin has created massive industrial site-specific installations to reveal intricacies of the full spectrum of human experience and the effect the urban landscape and the industrial environment has on mental disorders and human psychology.

The following is a run-down on each disorder the characters symbolize:

Winnie the Pooh: Impulsive eating disorder. His near-obsession with honey indicates an eating disorder and his habit of repetitive counting shows evidence of obsessive compulsive disorder.

Piglet: Generalized anxiety disorder. Piglet is a perpetual state of worry and can often be heard saying “Oh, dear.” He has also developed an ear twitch, common in overly anxious individuals.
Eeyore: Depressive disorder. He always has a bleak outlook on life, and never feels any positive emotions.
Rabbit: Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Rabbit is very orderly and obsessive mostly with regards to his garden.  

Owl: Dyslexia and narcissistic personality disorder. While he is exceptionally bright, it is frequently shown that Owl has trouble reading.
Tigger: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Tigger is always seen bouncing and can never stay in one place for long period of time.
Kanga: Social anxiety disorder. She is very overprotective of her son, and she would never let her son make his own decisions.  

Roo: Autism spectrum disorder. He lacks awareness of danger and has a strange attachment to sitting in his mother’s pouch.
Christopher Robin: Schizophrenia. It is believed that all of talking animal characters above are manifested depending of Christopher’s mood. 

The opening reception will take place April 9, 12–6 PM at Ethan Cohen Gallery at The KuBe Art Center, 211 Fishkill Avenue, Beacon, NY 12508.

Ethan Cohen Gallery at the KuBe Art Center

211 Fishkill Avenue, Beacon, NY 12508

Friday, Saturday, Sunday 12 – 6 PM

By Appointment via ecfa.com/schedule