SUPERDEMOCRACY

The work is a collection (in progress) of wooden objects representing human noses, modelled after North Caucasian faces. In Caucasus there are several legends referring to men losing their noses. In order to find them again, and thereby to prove their manliness, they set off on adventurous journeys. In the Avar language, for instance, the word merlep means ‘mountain’ as well as ‘nose’. The highlanders’ identification with their mountains and peaks is also deeply rooted in the region. Landscape does not only ‘tell’ interesting facts about the bond between the Caucasian people and their homeland, but hints at the stereotypes and clichéd images that often influ­ence our knowledge of countries and their inhabitants. (Ilina Koralova)