Elena Kovylina

A key figure in Russian radical performance, Elena Kovylina undertook one of her boldest and most dangerous projects in the city of Sochi in 2000. For the performance Save My Soul, she took a rowing boat and headed out to sea, where a storm was brewing. There was no defined scenario other than pure intention and the clear aim of entrusting oneself to the fate. On this occasion fate appeared in the form of the coastguard, who had been called by Kovylina’s friends and colleagues and took the risk of boarding their catamaran to rescue her flimsy boat, thus responding to the call in the work’s title and ending the performance.

The historical context of the work is of particular interest. Save My Soul is heir to two extraordinary and tragic twentieth-century biographies. Swiss poet, artist, and boxer Arthur Cravan (1887– 1918) was known as a talented trickster. He arranged public fights with boxing champions, liked his drink, and often ended up at police stations. Once he decided to sail along the Mexican coast in a small boat, but never arrived at his destination. It is likely that the artist died at sea, although some believe that his disappearance was yet another trick that allowed him to start a new life. In 1975, another exceptional European artist, Bas Jan Ader (1942–1975), repeated Cravan’s sad fate, despite being a professionally trained sailor. Nine months after he set out to single-handedly cross the North Atlantic, his capsized boat was found at sea, sparking numerous legends and speculations. Kovylina’s work is a homage to these two remarkable artists and their bold enterprises.

AM