R;68

Sonja Rychkova

Info: Sonja Rychkova (b. 1998 in Darmstadt, DE) presents her first exhibition Smile Now Cry Later at R;68. As an artist whose family immigrated from Russia into a socially disadvantaged neighborhood of Germany, often referred to as ghetto, Rychkova’s work draws on and back to experiences of her own and of her peers. Thus, themes of social positionality and immigrant experiences are ever pertinent in her work. To understand the complex images which she here illustrates, one must understand ghettos beyond the common stereotype which majority in-groups define as less than, but as a place some people call home and own as their own, such as Rychkova once did. Her art thus comes to life as inspired by her shared experiences of hybridity and marginalization. The Chicano experience, Lowrider vehicles, and the historical and ideological presence of barrios (Mexican American ghettos) are foundational to this series. (…)