Archive: Art in Russia

This city has never appeared on any official maps

Nadav Kander – The Polygon Nuclear Test Site I (after the event), Kazakhstan, 2011

If it were possible to take a picture of the entire earth’s surface, the mosaic of human co-existence would be a sight to behold. Some areas are military grounds, mining cities or tourist destinations while others are education hubs just to mention a few. It is hard to appreciate that in the midst of all that are secrets as deep as the mystery of death. In the Dust series, as created by Nadav Kander’s, images of crows illuminated against the light of the moon in the darkness symbolizes how difficult it is to hide the truth. These images appear in the first three spreads, perhaps to prepare one’s mind to the secrets about to be uncovered.

Posted in Blog | Tagged 2011, Art in Russia, Atomic Lake, Baikonur, Cold War, Kazakhstan, Kurchatov, military, Nadav Kander, nuclear testing site, photography, Priozersk | Leave a comment

“Giant Galactic Space Penis” is larger than life (SFW/video)

Voina – Giant Galactic Space Dick, 2010, 55 liter of white emulsion paint, 65x27m, Liteiny Bridge, St. Petersburg, Russia

A group of Moscow art members also known as the “Members of War” or more popularly as Voina have racked up quite the reputation for themselves as art rebels. The group is famous for faking gay beatings at local malls or portraying Russia’s federal museum director in an orgy. On the morning of famed revolutionary Che Guevara’s birthday in 2010 the group created a 65m (213ft) tall drawing of a gigantic penis on the Foundry Bridge. The drawing did not take long to complete (23 seconds), however, it did deliver in terms of the message that Voina wanted to pass across.

In short, the drawing of the penis was created as a giant “fuck you” to all the Russian authorities that have operated through years with corruption, impunity, and oppression. According to members of the group, the large drawing would rise and fall every time it was raised to allow passing ships beneath through. It was framed on the Foundry Bridge because the bridge represented the striking architecture of the former capital city of the Russian Empire.

When the Foundry Bridge rose as it does every morning, the galactic penis that was created by the group faced the Federal Security Service (FSB) windows directly. The renegade art group created the image to send a simple message; that Russian government officials were corrupt and that the public was aware and willing to do something about it.

Needless to say, the leader of the group was arrested, but not before thousands of bridge users, city residents and FSB agents from across the city had received the message. Some of them took the opportunity to take photos of this political statement and it made rounds in some of the most popular social media platforms.

According to Voina, another group of activists was supposed to spell out the FSB acronym to clarify who the recipients of the message were, however, the activists did not make it to the daring graffiti installation. The security guards at the bridge were perceptibly annoyed by the installation; however, the local police seemed to find humor in the galactic penis.

Voina, although unconventional in the techniques, managed to snag a nomination from a prestigious government-sponsored art award. Up to this day, the giant galactic space penis, now dubbed “the penis in FSB captivity”, has managed to inspire thousands of Russians in different ways.

Video (Russia Today)

Video (making of)

Posted in Blog | Tagged Art in Russia, Liteiny Bridge, public art, St. Petersburg, Voina | Leave a comment

After Soviet & US invasions: Creation of beautiful war rugs

War Rug in Afghanistan
Photo: AFP-JIJI

Every time there is war in a region, the locals look for ways to ease their frustration in an effort to remain hopeful. Afghanistan has been at war for a long time and while most people are aware of the United States invasion in 2001, the Soviet Union had occupied the region in 1979. The Middle East region is renowned for its creative rug art and this trade was popular among the women. Up until the dawn of the 1980s, Afghanistan rug makers would dramatically alter the designs of the rugs. Instead of flowers, tanks, airplanes and rocket launchers would comprise the basic design of the rugs. Even though these new-age rug designs would be symbolic of hard and trying times, they would be among the richest art form as a result of war.

The art of rug making in Afghanistan for centuries past was practiced by women. As it was popular among the nomadic tribes, it was not long before various tribes took it up as an activity they would do with their hands. The presence of the Pazyryk rug believed to have been made in the 4th century B.C. is evidence of this deep-rooted tradition. The rugs were used a medium to preserve patterns and lessons as experienced by the artist. It is this inspiration to make art pieces to depict the life around them, which led to the rug images changing following the invasion of Soviet forces.

Posted in Blog | Tagged Art in Afghanistan, Art in Russia, Baghlan, carpet, Kevin Sudeith, Pakistan, Peshawar, Rugs of War, tank, Turkmen tribe, Uzbek tribe, War rug, War Rugs | Leave a comment

Unpredictable paintings on walls inside of museums

Karina Smigla-Bobinski - ADA, 2010, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow, Russia, 2013

Karina Smigla-Bobinski – ADA, 2010, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia, 2013

ADA, a kinetic sculpture by Karina Smigla-Bobinski, stands out for being interactive and unpredictable; Imagine a giant ball that is filled with helium gas and its surface covered with charcoal spikes. The helium causes the ball to be suspended in the air and the charcoal sticks provide grips and a medium with which to create art.

Through numerous exhibitions ADA is getting immense attention from visitors and the best part is, you do not have to be an artist yourself to enjoy the experience. Visitors get to push the ball which moves freely in space because it is not attached to anything and as the ball comes into contact with the surrounding walls, the charcoal sticks draw ambiguous lines on them. The result of what is drawn is never predictable and it is perhaps this feeling of suspense that keeps visitors coming back.

ADA is a transparent globe that resembles a molecular hybrid. The helium inside it and the hedgehog like surface give it an autonomous bounce from wall to wall. The ball is covered with 300 charcoal sticks with a spacing of 10 inches from one another. The technique behind it was developed by Smigla-Bobinski purposely for this art piece. Moving the ball to create patterns on the wall is interesting but what is even more enjoyable to do is to watch as people try to control the ball with their weight.

While the charcoal sticks come into contact with the white walls, every stroke is unique because of the direction in which the ball is thrust, the force applied, the level to which it is bent and the angle of contact with the wall. You will be frustrated if you approach this activity with intelligence so visitors are advised to just flow with the energy of the ball as their energy floats with it.

The artist Smigla-Bobisnki might never fully understand the therapeutic nature of what she had created but here is a canvas that was started by an expert and is being completed by anyone who has the interest and time to play with a floating ball of helium.

Karina Smigla-Bobinski – ADA, 2010

Karina Smigla-Bobinski – ADA, 2010, The Lowry, Manchester, UK, 2015

Karina Smigla-Bobinski – ADA, 2010

Karina Smigla-Bobinski – ADA, 2010, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia, 2013

Karina Smigla-Bobinski – ADA, 2010

Video

Posted in Blog | Tagged 2010, 2013, 2015, Art in Russia, Exhibitions, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, interactive art, Karina Smigla-Bobinski, Manchester, Moscow, s, sculpture, The Lowry, UK | Leave a comment

Photos of world’s biggest statues taken from unusual angles

Fabrice Fouillet – Colosses, Jibo Kannon, Kagaonsen, Japan, 73m (239ft), Built in 1987

Through several centuries, there have been different statues erected around the world. These statues vary in sizes and what they represent. Photographer Fabrice Fouillet embarked on a tour to study and take photographs of the biggest and most imposing statues in the world; A project he named Colosses. The project brings about a change in how these monuments are viewed, in other words, the idea of the project is not entirely to capture images of the statues or show off their sizes or the symbol they represent. The project however is to show these figures in the environment they are in and how they fit into the landscape and their connections to their immediate surroundings. Colosses is a study of the landscape in which monuments and commemorative statues are erected, and tends to bring out another perspective from which these symbolic representations can be viewed.

There can be different reasons why statues are erected and these include political, ideological or religious. Most times, statues are erected to keep alive the memory of a person or event and with the passing of the years, the statue will eventually become a symbol for the community.

As the series Colosses is all about the landscapes in which these statues are sited, we get to see the connections these gigantic declarations have with their immediate environment. A lot of statues were erected around the world in the 1990s with many of them located in Asia. Right now the world’s highest statue is undergoing construction in India and it will go as high as 182 meters which will be almost twice the size of the statue of liberty.

For this project, Fouillet took photographs of the statues outside their surroundings totally detaching them from their natural environment thereby giving a wider view and perspective to how these huge monuments fit into the landscape. He captures the monuments from a perspective we don’t usually get to see every day. Some of these monuments include the Dai Kanon in Sendai, Japan which he framed from a few blocks away. Christ the King monument in Swiebudzin, Poland was framed from behind. For some of the monuments, Fouillet shoots wide enough to capture the details of the things in the environment of these looming monoliths. For example, in the image of the Grand Byakue Kannon in Takazai, Japan, there is a Coca-Cola machine just down the hill away from the monument. According to Fouillet, his intention is to take out the monument from its regular touristic and religious setting which we are already used to.

So far, the project has spanned through ten countries and Fouillet thinks the project would not be complete if he does not capture the monument of Genghis Kahn riding on horseback which is located on the banks of the Tuul River in Mongolia and the Sardar Patel statue which is under construction in India. For the biggest statue in the world at the moment, the Spring Temple Buddha in Henan, China, Fouillet said he was unable to find a satisfying angle.

Fabrice Fouillet – Colosses, African Renaissance Monument, Dakar, Senegal, 49m (161ft), Built in 2010