Goldfish perils. After Gogolfest (see entry of 11 September) I'm delighted to be invited to the opening of the Ukrainian Contemporary Art Auction. The show opens in total darkness as a performance artist deploys a bunch of young women and men who I hope are volunteers.  The latter variously sing, manipulate large pieces of liver, and hold glass storage jars containing live goldfish in water, while the artist spatters them with paint and other liquids, breaks eggs, and manipulates a mincing machine. It's always dangerous volunteering for performance art and this is no exception; but I feel a bit sorry for the goldfish who presumably haven't volunteered and for whom things end badly. The rest of the art, visible throughout the large exhibition space once the lights go up, includes everything from sculpture to paintings and video installations, and despite the economic crisis there's a big crowd of visitors.  Whilst not pretending to know anything about art, I do, as the saying goes, see a great deal I like.  The exhibition will be on show for the next few days and the actual auction is due to take place on 24 October - if you want a piece of contemporary Ukrainian art, now's your chance. But best leave your goldfish at home.