What connection does a potato have with art? Surprisingly, a significant one, as illustrated by these Russian contemporary artists. The intertwining relationship between man and nature, and the symbolic interpretations of fruits across various cultures and eras, form the essence of the exhibition showcased at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art in October 2023.
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The giant pepper installation on display is by the artist Ekaterina Yakovleva and was created in 2021. It’s aptly titled ‘Hot pepper’ and is made of chamotte (or grog, a high alumina calcined clay). The sculpturist created a whole series titled ‘Fruits of the Earth’. One can also encounter Ekaterina’s works at the State Darwin museum (Moscow), besides them also being a part of private collections in Russia, the U.S., Israel and Eastern Europe.
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‘The Golden Gift’ is an artwork by Vadim Grinberg and dates back to the 1980s. The artist from Odessa received critical acclaim from very well-known artists, such as Jeff Koons, David Hockney and Damien Hirst – they all own Grinberg’s works.
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‘The flight’ by Andrey Grositsky might seem rather confusing, but his works often depict one single object that exists on the edge of reality and fantasy. The artist is frequently called one of the founders of Russian pop-art. Now, Grositsky’s works are exhibited at State Tretyakov Gallery, State Russian Museum, State Museum of Fine Arts and many other prominent establishments.
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A series titled ‘Starts and apples for Nina K.’ by Vladimir Salnikov is dedicated to his ex-wife Nina Kotel – also an artist. They had been together for 35 years and were not only a couple, but also an artistic duet.
Salnikov himself started as an abstractionist. In his youth, he would read the magazine ‘America’ and began creating abstractions – however, his parents were seriously scared for their son’s mental health and thought that he had gone mad.
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Artist Sergey Zarva interprets visuals of the Soviet period in his works, just as in the poster below. Another common feature of his works is his love of turning his characters inside out – quite literally, if you look closely.
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This is not the full list of artists represented at the exhibition – it also includes works by Pavel Leonov, Zurab Tsereteli, Robert Falk, Oleg Tselkov and many others.
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