FACILIS Descensus Averni

In the arena, the final exhibition of the project “Big Hopes” was opened. A year ago, the Triumph Gallery, MSO Manezh and MediaArtlab combined efforts and decided to show those who fell under the selected category “Young Media Artists” once a month. Since then, a lot of things have happened: “Mediaartlab” has actually merged with the arena, and in the latter the leadership changed. In addition, the current exhibition is not just the final, but also that gives a voice to those artists (Elena Koptyaeva, Anastasia Kuzmina, Alice Tayzhnaya), who had been planned for the last year, but did not take place for various reasons-in particular, due to projects of state importance like the “Rurikovich”, which, unfortunately, also took place in the arena. On the other hand, for example, Dina Karaman refused to participate in the final “big hopes”.

The exhibition takes place on the lowest, underground floor of the arena, more than spacious, in contrast to the individual series of “big hopes”, which were held on the small upper floor “balcony”. A corridor was built, surrounded by black walls with entrances to separate halls. Each of them has a personal art project. Basically, these are new works, which were done specifically for the exhibition, although there are already shown somewhere earlier: for example, Dmitry Venkov’s video installation with people awaiting in the field of empty banners was shown at the exhibition of Venkova and Antonina Baver in 2013 in the triumph gallery, and Albert Soldatova’s video is his diploma project at the School of Rodchenko, for which he later he was later He received the Kandinsky Prize . "Baltus" twice shown in the "drummer" - at the exhibition of the school and the award.

It is clear that the name of the exhibition is about artists. But whether the artists have any hopes-a big question. The gloomy decision of the exposition is not only stylish and in the spirit of the triumph gallery, but also quite approaches the condensing atmosphere of absolute uncertainty in the future. Before the New Year, when you do not want - you think about the future, it is especially felt. In this sense, even those projects that suggest some fun, like (traditionally) Roman Mokrov with his cheerful report on a two -year -old trip to Ukraine with the name “Our Crimea 2011”, which does not stop being topical since spring, seem not so kind. And the work of Elena Koptyaeva, based on formal exercises and experiments with space, reinforces our suspicions and anxiety no less than a large narrative from Evgeny Gradilshchikov - “ Unfinished FILM ” , woven from time.

The architecture of the exposition-caves in the cave-creates a kind of anti-Platon. The Greek philosopher from the cave, into which only the reflections of a certain highest reality fall, we need to go out, while here we plunge deeply into our not always pleasant world and look for supports in it in order to somehow live, even if this support is a button that turns off the light, as Anastasia Kuzmina demonstrates in his work. It’s not that everyone became sad without the notorious “stability”, but something like that is felt.

The exhibition will last until January 18