Contemplation of "Black Square"

This photograph presents a composition that combines a black square with a series of unique white forms arranged on a black background. Their configurations and color resemble blank masks, and the visual solution itself refers to the iconic legacy of Kazimir Malevich's "Black Square" while simultaneously demonstrating how Suprematist ideas can be reinterpreted in contemporary photography.

The number of masks in each row corresponds to the mystical number "13." This fact hints at the controversial and enigmatic versions of the origin of the "Black Square," prompting the viewer to ponder what constitutes true art for them and what ideas it carries; whether they see in this collection of forms the hidden future of its development? As a result, the various interpretations of the "Black Square" as a work of art give rise to further reflections on the nature of the artistic symbol itself.

The unfinished "Venetian" masks serve as "faceless" figures, in which the spirit of Suprematism is distinctly evident. For Malevich, outward appearance, and in a person, the face, were merely a hard shell, a frozen mask, a guise that concealed the essence. Therefore, the white faceless objects, which only vaguely resemble human faces, further enhance the feeling of a "desert of non-being," both momentary and eternal, and thus resonate with the traditional "Black" and "White" Squares. It is precisely through this "facelessness" and the rejection of clear boundaries of human images that the photograph acquires a special ideological depth, encouraging the viewer to find their own reflection in a new reading of Suprematism and posing questions about the place of contemporary photography and new forms of digital art in the space of high art as a likely next stage in the development of classical artistic traditions.

© VarrIng, 2025