Angel of Undevastation and Black, by Paul Solovyev (aka 0x17)

Moscow artist Paul Solovyev, or 0x17, creates art that intentionally throws viewers off balance. His works turn the familiar inside out as the artist considers the nature of belief and the objects used to symbolize belief. “Is it possible,” Solovyev asks, “to repeat the phrase ‘God is not thrown down’ . . . in the language of contemporary art and not sink into the territory of didactics and platitude, and make a noncritical, unbiased and positive statement?” Solovyev wrestles with such questions in painting, sculpture, and installations, suggesting that the most important questions are best answered by art itself, as in Black, a burned rye loaf that spills out fire.