Poet-sculptor arch hades’ venice biennale show shatters nft records, blurs lines between art and life
Arch Hades, the enigmatic artist who once fled Russia and now commands a global following, is captivating Venice with his ambitious exhibition, ‘Return | Ritorno,’ a sprawling exploration of existence and memory.
A literary roots, sculptural awakening
Born in St. Petersburg, Hades’ early life was defined by upheaval – the assassination of his father and a subsequent exodus to London. He found refuge in libraries, particularly drawn to the romanticism of Byron, a displaced figure himself. This early experience of displacement profoundly shaped his artistic trajectory, informing his current work’s preoccupation with identity and the search for meaning.
From poetry to monumental forms
Initially known as a poet, Hades swiftly amassed a massive Instagram following in 2018, publishing six volumes of work grappling with love and philosophical concepts. A pivotal moment arrived in 2021 when his fourth book, Arcadia, sold for over half a million dollars as an NFT at Christie’s New York – instantly establishing him as the highest-paid poet in the world. This venture provided the financial means to acquire a country estate, a space meticulously designed to fulfill a lifelong dream: a bespoke library-cum-sitting room.
A house built on inspiration
The estate’s design is a testament to Hades’ eclectic influences, blending Gothic Revival detailing reminiscent of Horace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill with the restrained elegance of Vienna’s National Library. A dedicated studio, painstakingly recreated, allows him to reclaim a passion sidelined in his academic years – painting. He describes his self-taught approach as a “re-education,” relying on YouTube tutorials and the study of masters. The architecture itself, with its soaring mezzanine, speaks volumes about a desire to transcend the mundane and embrace the sublime.
Existential echoes in venice
At the heart of the Venice exhibition lies a 22-panel quasi-altarpiece, a monochrome meditation on the human condition that stretches across three walls. Employing ‘Van Dyke red’ and ‘ultramarine,’ Hades constructs a river of figures, representing a spectrum of experience, ultimately returning to ‘the abyss of nothing.’ Inspired by Klimt’s lost Faculty paintings and the works of Albacini and Canova, the piece embodies his core belief: beauty is essential to navigate the complexities of existence. He peppered our conversation with references to Sartre and Brodsky, articulating a worldview rooted in existentialism – a recognition that we are ‘thrown into life without any purpose, and must make our own choices to bring meaning to the short time that we inhabit the earth’.
Sculptural explorations and vulnerable truths
Sculpture has become a more recent focus for Hades. His piece, Isle, is an homage to Venice’s Isola di San Michele, drawing upon verses from his 2021 book, Paper Romance. He equates poems to gravestones, acknowledging their role as markers of love’s enduring presence. The text is inscribed directly onto the surface, accompanied by a ‘sound-shower’ delivering a recitation of the verses. The ongoing Confessions series further explores this theme of vulnerability, presenting diary excerpts in marble, concrete, and fibreglass – materials coaxed to resemble crumpled paper. ‘It can feel quite cringeworthy,’ Hades admitted, ‘but vulnerability is the price of connection.’
A future of hyphenated creativity
Looking ahead, Hades is developing a new series of paintings that fuses Byzantine iconography with scenes from nature. He believes visual Art possesses a greater capacity for nuanced expression than literature. Furthermore, his seventh volume of poetry is due this autumn, described as a “play” set to be performed. It’s clear that Hades’ creative pursuits are rapidly multiplying – a testament to his restless intellect and his unwavering commitment to exploring the depths of human experience. The exhibition ‘Arch Hades: Return | Ritorno’ presents a compelling and often unsettling portrait of an artist forging his own path, one meticulously crafted piece at a time.