Kiaf SEOUL 2026

The gallery’s booth will feature a solo project by Ilya Fedotov‑Fedorov, which continues the conceptual line of the artist’s solo exhibition “Second Skin”.

The theme of Kiaf SEOUL 2026 is “Coexistence”. In Ilya’s project, this issue is explored through a reflection on the experience of otherness. In his works, the artist investigates what lies beyond the boundaries of normativity. He examines the notion of the “other” through the lens of corporeality and social constructs.

The main materials Fedotov‑Fedorov works with — fleece, wax, and leather — serve as metaphors for the body, memory, and transformation. In his sculptures, fabric replaces the real face, becoming a social mask, a new epidermis, and a surface of identity.

In Ilya’s practice, the mask is an independent artistic object where contradictory impulses collide. It simultaneously conceals and protects, and it is also the result of bodily dissociation and forced adaptation to social expectations.