This work is dedicated to the topic of social masks, but the images the artist uses areintended to attract rather than scare or repel. The title "Lolito" is a reference to Vladimir Nabokov's novel "Lolita", but unlike the protagonist of the book, Fedotov-Fedorov's characteris an abstract, gender-neutral being. The artist likens it to the two-faced Janus, which unitestwo opposing sides. One side of the creature is smiling irtatiously and sticking out itstongue, while the other side, more reserved, shows no emotion. In this sculpture, Fedotov-Fedorov also draws on the symbolism of the rabbit, a gure often associated witheroticism in popular culture.

(c) Anna Mayskaya, Research Assistant of Anna Nova Gallery

What the artist calls the “social mask” is not theatre but technique which controlleddisclosure, calibrated self-presentation, a kind of code-switching that produces a “doubleface” when circumstances demand it. The self becomes a practiced performance ofsteadiness, not out of vanity, but because public space often rewards recognizability andpunishes deviation.

(c) Sungah Serena Choo, Independent Curator