Family

In the intriguing and multi-layered work, Family (2000), Gumeniuk uses linear perspective – a technique employed by Renaissance artists like Giotto and Brunelleschi. The different planes and vanishing point (in this case, the tiny house) create the illusion of depth. On each plane stands a series of ambiguous human figures exhibiting a range of emotions: in the foreground a pair of dispassionate androgynous figures dressed in Renaissance robes, a tutu and modern medical apparatus; in the middle two disfigured and angry judges; and in the background a row of sombre Slavic peasants holding puppy dogs. The last of these stare out at the viewer, returning their gaze.