The Museum of Everything "discovers" Russia
Today, one of Moscow's foremost cultural commentators, Afisha veteran Yury Saprykin posed the very important question as to why Peter Gabriel and Sting are so quick to voice support for Pussy Riot, while Russian rock stars like Zemfira keep quiet. He proposes that the former are laboring under the misapprehension that Pussy Riot is an actual band, ala Sex Pistols, and not an artistic initiative, operating within the confines of the art world.
As for what constitutes these confines, that's a task that the Museum of Everything aims to explore with its fifth exhibition, which takes the shape of a tour across Russia, seeking undiscovered talents or outsider artists. This search will culminate in what the promotional video below absurdly calls "the first truly democratic exhibition of contemporary art" at the Garage's new Gorky Park space in Moscow. For more information and the dates of the tour, check the website, or watch this video:
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/45572835 w=500&h=281]
Meanwhile, at Iris Foundation's St Petersburg outpost, New Holland, the summer program opens an exhibition called "Lyuda EXPRESS" today, which is set to showcase the efforts of artist Peter Belyi's experimental non-profit, Lyuda Gallery. While it may not meet the qualifications for the Museum of Everything's "outsider" status, the St Petersburg scene has been more or less ignored for refusing to play along with the slick packaging of Moscow. This exhibition will rotate the artist on display every three days, going through a roster with such diverse talents as revered minimalist sculptor Konstantin Simun (known - though in our opinion, not enough - for his stunning Broken Ring monument to the Leningrad Blockade) to the emerging painter Vlad Kulkov. The exhibition is curated by Gleb Ershov, and will run from today until August 15. For more information, visit the website (soon to be updated in English.)
Konstantin Simun, The Broken Ring, 1966 monument to the Leningrad Blockade