Created in the spirit and style of traditional Orthodox iconography, this work repeats the phrase
"punk’s not dead" in the manner of a secular prayer. Punk is interpreted broadly, as a culture of
courage and defiance, idealism, dreaming big and fighting for your dreams to become reality, an art
of asking uncomfortable questions and living life in one’s own peculiar manner.
The ornamentation resembles barbed wire, stitches, or the marks prisoners make on walls to track
days in the absence of a calendar.
This piece could either be viewed as a reflection on transforming rage and pain into beauty, action,
and resilience - or it could be viewed in any other way, since punk has no written rules.
According to Tolokonnikova’s triad of the contemporary art world, all modern art originates from early
spiritual and religious practices. In this triad, visual art corresponds to iconography, performance to
prayer as a participatory collective action, and installation serves as a modern interpretation of
creating a shared space for the community, akin to a church (as a building). According to this
worldview, BARBED WIRE as a visual art piece belongs to the category of iconography.