As I sit down to write, I can't help but reflect on the busy weekend that has just passed (in fact, it's already Tuesday and I'm only now finding the time to sit down and gather my thoughts). The weekend was filled with so much excitement that I feel like I need to give out texts and pictures in portions to fully capture everything.
One particular event that left a lasting impression on me was the exhibition by Arseny Zhilyaev and Alexey Maslyaev. Together, they opened a portal in the MMOMA that seemed to lead either to the future or to a parallel universe. The installation was a striking mix of total white and total yellow, with perfect forms, binary code, schemes, slogans, and a neon sign that read "Artists strike against art institutions."
The exhibition provoked some deep philosophical questions in me. It made me think about the role of institutions in legitimizing art and the eternal question of who should evaluate works of art. These questions are so intriguing to me that I have even decided to make them the topic of the first chapter of my PhD thesis.
But, as much as the philosophical questions stirred my thoughts, I couldn't help but also be captivated by the exhibition itself. The exhibition occupied all the halls on the second floor of the building on Gogolevsky Boulevard. It was conceptual and required careful consideration of details. You couldn't just rush through it. For instance, in the largest hall, there was a white wall hung with white canvases that, at first glance, may have seemed unremarkable. But upon closer inspection, I realized that I was standing in a temple, and the canvases themselves were texts...
The exhibition was so thought-provoking that I have already decided to visit it again on a deserted day so that I can fully immerse myself and reflect on its many layers of meaning. If you do decide to visit, be sure to read the curatorial texts to fully appreciate the exhibition's depth and complexity.
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