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The exhibition showcases 25 of 59 works of modern art donated to the Russian Museum by the famous gallery owner and active participant of mass media process - Marat Guelman. The exhibition comprise works from various art project held in Guelman's Gallery in different years. These include "South Russian Wave", "Nostalgia", "Poor Art", "Beyond the edge", etc.
The art of the south of the former USSR - "South Russian Wave" - has become a real revelation and Guelman was the first to introduce it to open public. The exhibition comprises the works by Alexander Roitburd ("Classicists and Our Contemporaries", 1993), Oleg Golosy ("Outlet to the Sea", 1988), and Yury Khorovsky ("Shore of Somnambulants", 1989). Close to postmodernism of the South is the canvas of Valery Koshlyakov ("Marble Valley", 1999) - a typical example of art engaged in creation of ruine-like forms of architectural monuments.
Conceptual canvas "King Lear" (1995) created by Dmitry Gutov by means of traditional painting illustrates transposability of visual images and text. Meanwhile, one of the best works by Gor Chakhal from his Love series serves as an example of the artist's computer work and of possibilities of using modern technologies in fine arts.
Poor Art is represented with Sergey Volkov's and Angrei Basants' works. Volkov creates his objects of dust thus challenging Fine Art; Basants works with waste products of ideological industry ("Literary Heritage"), putting end to social-art topics. The famous inventors of the internationally recognized movement, Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid, showcase their photoproject "Our Moscow through the eyes of Mickey". The artists refute the myth about the loneliness of the genius artist; they work together and occasionally involve others. In this case it is chimpanzee Mickey, who happily snapshots in the Red Square and becomes an artist himself.
One of the most radical Russian artist, Oleg Kulik, fights against anthropocentrism by other, non-ironical, means. He creates Animal Party or turns himself into a dog-man. In the "Family of the Future" project, created in collaboration with L.Bredikhina, he coexists in the same space with a dog sharing meals and free time with it. The artist seeks to break through human sociality, tries to find or provoke sociality in nature.
Social problems are the topic of ironical studio photographs of Arsen Savadov ("Donbass-chocolate") and one of the most famous national photographers Boris Mikhailov (from "If I were a German" series). Tatyana Antoshina's oeuvre is presented with studio photographs, too. In her "Woman's Museum" series the artist takes as a basis classic works of the world art ("Olympia" by Edward Manet or "Girl on Sphere" by Pablo Picasso) and changes female characters for male ones. This gives Russian feminism an air of irony.
Irony permeates another work - a project of new Russian money created by Elena Kitayeva and Leonid Parfenov. Endlessness of convertion is not secured by local economy. Hence Great Culture and Spiritual Heritage have to serve as the gold reserve stock - situation most common for Russia. Two three ruble banknotes bearing images of Kazimir Malevich and Ilya Repin are designed in modern "European" style. This is another proof of the statement that in Russia money is associated with the name of a person printed on it.
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