Nuts
dal 7/9/2011 al 5/10/2011
Segnalato da
7/9/2011
Nuts
Regina Gallery, London
A new generation of predominantly Russian artists present their latest works. Whilst the participants have already attracted worldwide attention through multiple group shows in international institutions, most of the works in the exhibition are being shown abroad for the first time.
Elikuka / Tigran Khachatryan / Egor Koshelev / Olya Kroytor / Vlad Kulkov / Arseniy Zhilyaev
Regina Gallery is pleased to announce, Nuts, a group show of a new generation of predominantly Russian artists who will
present their latest works. Whilst the participants have already attracted worldwide attention through multiple group
shows in international institutions and Biennales, most of the works in the exhibition are being shown abroad for the first
time.
In the poem The Tale of Tsar Saltan Alexander Pushkin (1799-
1837) wrote about a magical squirrel that could make nuts
turn into precious stones. This poem has a special place in
Russian consciousness, being an ongoing source of influence
to children and inspiration for the older generation who grew
up with these stories always present in Russian education.
Here, the nuts became a symbol of how classical ideas
permeated into general culture, leaving its mark in
unexpected ways.
Translated into the English language, there is an obvious play
of words which refers to the craziness of young thinkers. For
instance, the deceptively simple paintings of art collective
EliKuka (Oleg Eliseev and Evgeniy Kukoverov, b. 1985 and 1984)
play upon striking graphic slogans and illustrations to bring
about absurd meanings in objects from everyday life.
Other artists are clearly inspired by the
vocabulary of different movements of the 20th
century. Vlad Kulkov's (b. 1986) organic paintings
are expressive and imply dynamic gesture.
Through collage Olya Kroytor (b. 1986) invents her
own language located in the aesthetics of Social
Realism and constructivism. Arseniy Zhilyaev (b.
1984) also draws upon constructivist typology to
make sculptural slogans from such readily
available materials as flat-pack shelves and old
furniture.
Whilst certain artists in the exhibition approach
the creative process from a purely aesthetical
perspective, others create an obviously
politically-engaged body of work. Egor Koshelev's
(b. 1980) iconic and figurative compositions
result in a mixture between traditional painting
and urban graffiti. Lastly, the unambiguous
videos of Armenian-born Tigran Khachatyran (b.
1980) deal with technical progress and human
liberation, and depict a society built on mass
media and political controversies.
The past few years have seen the youngest generation of artists moving towards the creation
of a blank slate in relation to pre-existing ideas
which were dominant in the art movements of the last hundred years. In Russia, this group have each come up with
unique positions, entirely detached from former dogmas. Through such means this group of individuals have been able to
explore all possible horizons in various media such as painting, sculpture photography, video and installation.
(Image: Egor Koshelev, I Vomit at Least Like a Genius, 2011, acrylic on cardboard)
Private View: Thursday 8 September, 6-8 pm
Regina Gallery
22 Eastcastle Street, London
Opening Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-6pm