CM: As the granddaughter of the collector of art works of the Russian avant-garde George Kostakis (1912-1990), Lena Dimova grew up in Moscow and from an early stage became familiar with the work of Soviet constrouctivists of the early 20th century - Ivan Kliun, Kazimir Malevich, El Lissitzky, Lyubov Popova and Vladimir Tatlin. The main features of the constructivist movement are the quite abstract constructions. They lack the conventional representations of objects, while much emphasis is given on the depiction of geometric forms. The subjects are often treated in a purely minimalist and often with a feel for experimentation.
Dimova endorsed the constructivists' admiration for architecture and technology, and included industrial materials - plastic, glass or iron - on the construction of her works. Thus, she gathered a plethora of found materials with interesting shapes. Then she formed these materials in a special way - cutting, carving or painting - while others - mostly metal materials - she used as such to serve the compositional needs. In this way, the work begins to arrive at a surprisingly unexpected result that is affected by chance. When tied to gether the geometrical patterns enter a dialogue amongst themselves and create a construction. The artist's intention was to break the strict geometry and to create an aesthetic game. The grain of wood warmens the mechanistic composition. Every part of the picture holds yet another surprise by revealing new elements. The curves are synchronized with the oval frame. The pair of spiraling woodcarvings derive from the pedimental decoration in the long-gone patrnal home. The springs are old rusted pieces of iron that have accumulated energy within them. The concentric circles offer balance in the work. The box, in the heart of the project, invites the viewer to interact with it. Its lid opens and closes to conceal a secret, which gives the title to th e present artwork.
