Oligarch Nights Candle Set
Oligarch Nights Candle Set
‘OLIGARCH NIGHTS’ is a votive candle set by Israeli artist Nir Hod. A response to the sordid power structures manufacturing our global contemporary state, Hod titled each of the candles with a provocative name: in gold-filled lettering, “Natasha,” “Tatyana,” “Svetlana,” and “Melania” seduce from the obsidian-black façades of each candle.
“‘Oligarch Nights’ refers to the fragility of identity,” says Hod. “We live in a time when everything is so extreme and dangerous. These names represent something beautiful and powerful, but at the same time gentle, tragic, and precarious.”
Aligned with Hod’s artistic ethos present in infamous projects like The Night You Left and the Genius series, the sophisticated design of the stark black, four-candle set evokes a reverence to luxury, self-referentially proliferating and challenging the mass appeal of indulgence.
Votive size: 2.75 x 2.25 inches diameter (at the top)
The candles feature two sultry scents created exclusively for ‘Oligarch Nights’ by Red Flower founder Yael Alkalay:
Moscow Leather: Notes of Balsam wood, Amber Resin, Cinnamon, Patchouli, Clove Bud, Star Anise, Eucalyptus, Cade, Rock Rose
La Femme Noir: Notes of Yuzu, Bergamot, Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, Gardenia, Incense, Amber, Oud, Vetiver.
As Seen In:
Artist |
Nir Hod |
Edition |
Open edition. |
Size |
2.75 x 2.25 inches |
Details |
Set of 4 candles. Moscow Leather and La Femme Noir Scent by Red Flower. |
About Nir Hod
The Thinker.
You can’t help but be drawn into Nir Hod’s pieces, so deep and magnetic is their pull. Hod’s art begs an emotional investment – or at least an investment of serious contemplation, or conversation. Primarily a painter, Hod also works in sculpture, film and canvas. He explores themes of beauty, sexuality, decadence and lost innocence. Some of his work could be described as abstract, and his paintings often have a glamorous feel thanks to his use of Old Masters techniques. Other pieces mix and merge styles and are clear depictions of the contrasts that can exist in people: that fine line between innocent and narcissistic; highly polished and slightly askew. These contrasts can feel exposing and uncomfortable to look at, but this is deliberate – Hod’s work is never naïve. His aim is not to express, or even encourage judgment. Instead, it’s to control and draw attention, invoking curiosity. Everything is raw and visceral.