“CHAOSE ART” is a term Evgenij Kozlov coined in 2009. The letter “E” in “CHAOSE” is a reference to Evgenij Kozlov’s artist name “E-E”. An introduction into the theory of CHAOSE ART, based upon the findings of E. Kovlov and written down by Hannelore Fobo, can be read here >>.

“CHAOSE ART” describes the formal complexity of a painting or drawing where different elements – figures, geometrical forms, symbols – are assembled one by one, without a compositional plan. This is art after the disappearance of meaning; the attempt to find this lost meaning or rather, the desire to introduce new meaning into art, as into life, out of chaos. It is a completely new approach to art starting in the early 20th century – sparked off by Abstract art, advanced by the Dada movement, fuled by Pop art, and now constituting the main approach in the 21st century. Some of the artists entirely or partly pursuing CHAOSE ART principles are Wassily Kandinsky, Pavel Filonov, Joan Miró, Willem de Kooning, Jean Dubuffet, Roberto Matta, Jackson Pollock, Arshile Gorky, Robert Rauschenberg, Kenny Scharf, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Sigmar Polke, Martin Kippenberger, Francis Bacon, Shinro Ohtake, Georg Baselitz, Evgenij Kozlov (E-E), Jason Rhoades, Neo Rauch, Jonathan Meese, Jonas Burgert.

In CHAOSE ART, the application of the artistic means is often unconsidered, but never random. If we consider, for instance, a painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat, it inspires harmony in spite of its obvious anarchic style. In the case of Kozlov’s art, however, the seemingly uncontrolled way of building up a composition is in fact the result of a highly conscious method. It aims at enhancing what he calls the “spiritual layer”. The spiritual layer is what remains of a work of art when we first remove the paint (or anything else on top of the medium) and then the medium itself. The material “nothing” or “zero” we obtain is the equivalent of the spiritual essence of this work of art; it is, in fact, art itself.

The main contribution for the spiritual layer to arise comes from the human figure and, in the artist’s owns words, the face and its expression. Exploring the potential wisdom of a human being, it is here that the artist’s creative intelligence finds its most important manifestation. When looking at Evgenij Kozlov’s art, we find this approach combined with subtle as well as anarchic humour. In 1998, when he wrote the children’s “Poem on orange peels”, inventing the character of a little piggy called “Chruni”, he made it say:

On the human face
The ears appear strange,
and not pointed enough.
The nose not hip enough;
the eyes not kind enough;
the mouth not wise enough;
the facial shape not round enough.

In this way, Evgenij Kozlov’s art is not a critical response to the constraints of the imperfect world, but an attempt to unfold the human potential through new images and symbols. In the process of creation these elements may gather in a chaotic way only to build up a cosmos of a higher order.

Selection of works
The 103 selected works are from 1982 to 2013, either being part of larger thematic and stylistic cycles or standing out as single works. They represent one of several stylistic positions by Evgenij Kozlov – CHAOSE ART, which is described above – , whereas works belonging to a more minimalistic or abstract position were not included.

From 2008 up to now the artist has been working on a large series of graphic works on paper, dedicated to the twentieth century and called “Century XX”. It is based on 102 collages (Century XX, part 1, with a book edition for the Biennale di Venezia library) more >>, and, when finished, will comprehend approximately 500 original drawings and the same number of so-called “light boxes”. Here the style of CHAOSE ART is elaborated to its full extent with the help of a new technique. Video "Centruy XX / In furious" 2009 >>. Eighteen examples of “Century XX “ have been included into this document.

Hannelore Fobo, 2013

CHAOSE ART 1982 - 2013 pictures >>

CHAOSE ART introduction (2009) >>