THE ANGLE OF VIEW or Fence becomes stairs

Readymade object, 120×70, wood, metal.
2002

A fence stops you. A stair invites you to move. One denies passage, the other makes it possible.
But if you rotate the fence 90 degrees, it becomes a staircase.
The opposites turn into each other if you change your point of view.

Exhibited at:
– Festival of contemporary art «Crossing borders» 2024. Beka 9, Hrpelje-Kozina, Slovenia
– International exhibition “Eurasian syndrome” 2002, Museum of Fine Arts, Yekaterinburg, Russia

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Author note: “The Angle of View” is a story about how meaning changes when you simply turn an object. It’s the same object, but the way we look at it changes everything. Sometimes we see only obstacles. But what if we looked differently?
I made this object in 2002 and then came back to it in 2024. The world around has changed, but this idea is still relevant. It’s about how our boundaries are not always what they seem.

Critical response:

“The work by Yekaterinburg artist Marina Razheva titled ‘The Angle of View or Fence Becomes Stairs’ comes closest to the idea of transformative vision. Her comment on the piece was: ‘Opposites transform into each other if you shift your angle of view.’
Indeed, what could be simpler than turning a solid fence into a convenient staircase? All it takes is a little goodwill and inventiveness. But do we all have that?”
— Yulia Filippova, Ural Worker Newspaper, August 24, 2002