The exhibition isbeing held within framework ofthe Second Moscow Biennale ofactual art (Special Projects section), State Tretyakov Gallery (Lavrushensky pereulok, 10, hall N36).
Exhibition will beopen from March 22toApril 15, 2007
It isfor the first time inthe practice ofgallery that works ofcontemporary Russian artists, (fine art, graphics, photography, video, text) are exhibited inone ofthe halls ofthe permanent exposition inthe context ofclassical art. Projects curator Ekaterina Dyigot thinks that contemporary actual art will have adialog with famous masterpieces ofthe 19th century Russian realism, particularly that ofPeredvizhniky group. This innovative, for aRussian museum experience project, offers anunexpected glance atthe modern art, its sources and ideology basics, and also, despites nihilism and revolutionary spirit, atthe internal link with the 19th century realism.
Exposition includes about fifteen works ofart by: Yury Albert, Sergei Bratkov, Erik Bulatov, Dmitry Gutov, Ilya Kabakov, Yulia Kisina, Collective Action Group, Valery Koshlyakov, Vladimir Kupriyanov, Anatoliy Osmolovskiy, Pavel Peppershtein, Dmitry Prigov, Gor Chakhal, Olga Chernysheva.
The 26th issue ofWAM magazine, published with the support ofInterros Publishing Program, isa part ofthe Intellectual Realism project. Projects curator shows onthe pages ofthe magazine the selected works ofcontemporary Russian artists and the samples ofart ofa national realistic school ofthe 19th century, thus expanding the extent ofthe exhibition. Demonstration isaccompanied bythe texts ofcurators discussions with participants ofthe project: Ilya Kabakov, Dmitry Butov, Olga Chernysheva, Pavel Peppershtein. The texts are both inRussian and English.
Ekaterina Dyogot says: It iscustomary inRussia toseparate the traditional and contemporary, modernist, while usually considering astraditional the realism ofthe 19th century. While infact both inRussia and Europe realism isperceived asan early form ofmodernism, first art ofcontemporary life, which analyses the life ofa human being under the conditions ofrapidly changing social reality. Peredvizhniks were the first actual artists inour country, that iswhy for numerous representatives oftoday they are still interesting, though acontemporary author views the 19th century realism, attimes, ina totally non-traditional way.
The aim ofthis exhibition isto show with what eyes and for which purpose the Russian artist looks atTretyakov Gallery, atPeredvizhniks, atrealism. Contemporary artworks will becompared with several famous canvases ofthe 19th century, which will suddenly emphasize the unexpected actuality ofthe latter.
The participants ofthe exhibition may beconventionally divided into two groups, which represent two trends. One isunhappy that contemporary art ostensibly betrayed its realistic roots, interest tothe simple people, tothe humble and insulted. They dream togive back toactual art its social pathos, its compassion tothe problems ofsociety. This group comprises photos bySergei Bratkov, Vladimir Kupriyanov, drawings byOlga Chernysheva and her video movie Russian Museum, which shows how modern people and old fine arts literally permeate one another.
The second group ofartists does not forget that inRussia the realistic piece ofart, toa certain extent artificially, introduced byPeter Iand was for long time functioning asa kind ofcontemporary style, asan intellectual task quite recently set toan artist. All Russian realism ofthe 19th century ispainting about painting. This isparticularly interesting and dear tothe artists ofconceptual circle: Ilya Kabakov, Erik Bulatov, Collective Action Group. Dmitry Prigov proposes aproject ofconceptual installation Tretyakovskaya Gallery, while Pavel Peppershtein talks about his Night Dreams about Tretyakov Gallery.
Several artists offered special projects inthe form ofdocumentation.