Girls, Architecture And Orchestra

The exhibition “Girls And Architecture” was born out of the creativity of artists who at different times created projects in the art residence “Vyksa". Olesya Bolmatova, the curator of the exhibition and an expert on art residencies, told the Art Observatory that closely observing different artists visiting the art residence, she wanted to single out several, while choosing different areas of research. The focus of some is reflection on the self-perception of women in the modern world. Others explore different facets of architecture and its profound significance in everyone's life.

“I found it interesting to combine artists from different research fields. This expands the viewer's imagination and reflection – we are talking about architecture and women. Do you think that these are completely different topics to combine within the framework of one exhibition? However, well-chosen works by talented young artists dispel these doubts and create a holistic world,” says Bolmatova.

Throughout the exhibition days, the space was filled with orchestral musical pieces by the contemporary composer Sofya Romanova. Sofia's music embodies a synthesis of classical forms and ultramodern harmonies. The main work of the exhibition was a Mass for women's choir, string orchestra, French horn and vibraphone, written in the Latin canonical text MISSA BREVIS. Sofia's music emphasized the touching and depth of artistic works.

Kristina Baeva paints faces with gouache on flat light wood. She explores emotions inside herself and tries to portray their faces. Every woman is not one woman, but dozens in the body of one, says Kristina. But no one wants to see this, it's easier for everyone to perceive a flat image. To some extent, her works look like modern icons, where the human personality and self-exploration acquire a sacred meaning.

Urban surfaces are depicted by Dmitry Tsirenshchikov. The bigger the city, the more walls surround a person. Facades, windows, walls, fences, and the only thing that a person is endlessly looking for is a door that they can enter. The appearance of the city reflects its state and mood, and equally architecture also affects society. In his work “The Stone Desert”, Tsirenshchikov in an elegant manner depicts loneliness in the city walls, sandy smoothly laid slabs of the building go in waves like dunes. A person in these conditions is naked, defenseless and alone.

Of particular interest is the photo fresco by Polina Manskaya. Her work combines digital photography with oil stains. The artist depicts a woman sitting at a table with eggs, chicken and the famous Andy Warhol can. Manskaya draws attention to the pressure that mass culture continues to exert on women. Taking care of the house and children often still rests on the shoulders of women, and in the stream of worries, her personal ambitions and potential are gradually blurred by paint on the canvas, and it is not practical to see her.

Alisa Bunyatova creates installations from reinterpreted interior items. In her work “JHK Stool” two roughly and unexpectedly assembled chairs made of untreated boards, tied with metal rods. Chairs for a family dinner look like torture. Bunyatova talks about dysfunctional families in which people cannot communicate with each other in an friendly way and only traumatize each other in communication, without trying to find a healthy solution to fights.

Eva Rondo is an artist, curator and founder of the gallery "New Sincerity". According to Eva, being surrounded by many talented artists, it is difficult for her to take her work seriously and she often underestimates her own creative abilities. Nevertheless, Eva presented at the exhibition a touching oil painting “A girl watches firebug". Firebug symbolizes disgust and a sense of beauty at the same time – something that almost every young girl who goes through the stage of growing up experiences.

Alice Kuklina looks at the architecture of Moscow through the prism of conceptual art. She absorbed many perspectives and forms of a well-known city, and now the artist seeks to bypass the external images of architectural structures and streets and reduce them to an essence, to a minimum, for example, to a shape of and ideal circle and a piece of aluminium foil, where only small areas of printed silk screen will remind of the city.