Experiences of the imaginary

27 August – 25September 2016

New Holland, St.-Petersburg

Experiences of the imaginary

27 August – 25September 2016'

New Holland, St.-Petersburg

curator:

Andrey Misiano

Nikolai Alexeyev, Aslan Gaisumov, Yevgeny Granilshchikov, Ilya Dolgov, Anastasia Kuzmina, Kirill Makarov, Ivan Novikov, Alexandra Sukhareva, Anna Titova

artists:

Garage Museum of Contemporary Art and “New Holland: Cultural Urbanisation” have joined forces to present the group exhibition, Experiences of the Imaginary, which showcases the works of recipients of Garage’s grant program for the support of emerging Russian artists

Building on its regional program, Garage will open its first exhibition on New Holland Island in St Petersburg. The exhibition runs from August 27 until September 25 in the park’s temporary exhibition space, Pavilion.

Nine emerging Russian artists – Nikolai Alexeyev, Aslan Gaisumov, Yevgeny Granilshchikov, Ilya Dolgov, Anastasia Kuzmina, Kirill Makarov, Ivan Novikov, Alexandra Sukhareva, and Anna Titova – will give the audience a glimpse of their inner worlds, as they try to define the place of the artist in the contemporary world, through the prism of personal experience and inner feelings.

In the rapidly changing reality, the professional life of artists is bound up in an endless articulation and struggle for representation in virtual space. This is why curator Andrey Misiano decided to draw attention instead to the interior state of the artist and take a closer look at feelings, rather than the strictly analytic or formal elements of the artistic process. At first glance, this approach might seem conservative, taking us back to the classical perception of the artist
as the lone genius, slaving away in the quiet of his studio. At times, it may seem like the art of the 20th century has given way to manifestos, political or social critique, or research projects. But despite these external changes, art remains as before, a holistic practice generating space for sensual encounters and the creation of empirical models of knowledge.
In the selected works, the artists in this exhibition each consider the phenomenon of interaction between the outer environment and inner feelings.

Train
mixed media, UV print on canvas, 80x60 cm, 2016

text by Andrey Misiano:

In his practice, Kirill Makarov conducts experiments that challenge the canons of painting. For instance, he studies the synthesis of UV printing and painting, or the underlying principles of computer modeling of the body. His piece, Vortices in Sandboxes (2016), bears witness to how advanced technology is still very human at its core, requiring communication with other people. For a long time, Kirill Makarov has conducted experiments that challenge the canons of painting. For instance, he studies the synthesis of screen printing and painting, of the underlying principles in modeling of human body, which is not based on the anatomy lessons taught in every classical art academy, but rather on the principles of digital modeling. But despite the references to technology, at the core of Makarov’s work is a secret humanistic drive. And perhaps for this reason, Makarov’s practice on the whole bears a very human element at its core, in its communication with other people, as demonstrated by his piece.