The All-Russian Museum of Decorative, Applied and Folk Arts and the East Meets West Gallery are proud to present “Beauty: Beyond the Ordinary?”, a solo exhibition of works by sculptor Vladimir Kolesnikov, held from September 6 till October 10, 2014 at the Museum.
The opening of a sculpture exhibition is not a frequent event at Moscow museums. Contemporary Russian art has been heavily influenced by American and European traditions in recent years, and traditional Russian sculpture has simply not attracted the attention of the press or major official festivals/forums; the mainstream is now dominated by installations, performances and other types of contemporary art closely associated with popular culture, everyday life and better understood by the majority of the audience.
At times it appeared that “beauty” – at least in the traditions of classical sculpture – would be left strictly in past. But art is a complex process that includes not only revolutionary explosions and breakthroughs but also a return to earlier origins at each new stage of development.
Vladimir Kolesnikov was among many sculptors of his generation who successfully filled government orders for monumental sculptures in the 1970s and 1980s. During this time, he mastered the complicated process of working with hard woods and stone. Then, in the 1990s when individual demand from private collectors started to rise, he turned to small forms of easel sculptures. Kolesnikov is an admirer of classical sculpture as well as the works of the Art Deco masters of the early 20th century, and he was particularly fascinated at that time by female beauty, which he reveals in many of his works executed in white marble, stone and ceramics.
The end of the 20th century brought new trends in Kolesnikov’s creative work: the appearance of new characters, textures, materials as well as a return to monumental sculpture. Although he continues to create works for the Moscow government, experimental pieces now play a more important role in his artistic life. He looks for opportunities to combine new materials with his own innovative sculptural forms, as was done for example in “Leonardo” (2011). At the same time, Kolesnikov did not break from tradition; he skillfully used the stylistic features of antique high relief, transforming it into a modern form through consolidation of the image, its details, and the use of new materials.
At present Vladimir Kolesnikov is focused on his own subjects and creative use of materials, combining metal, wood and ceramics in his sculpture “The Blindest of the Blind” (2014); wood, metal and acrylic in a monument named “The Return” (2010); and wood and metal in “Andrei Rublev” (2011). This last statue is a tribute to his father, who had executed Rublev’s hands in copper but was not able to use them anywhere. “The Blindest of the Blind” clearly demonstrates Kolesnikov’s transition to new “standards” of beauty, the beauty of the 21st century. Evidently, beauty as a main subject of his creative process not only survived the transition from high art to normal life, but also gets along very well with it.
The exhibit is structured along two principles. First, the opposition of the museum inner and outer spaces, with the Carriage Hall, the Museum Educational Center and the second floor as the inner space and the Museum Park with the monumental sculptures as the outer space. Second, the separation of genres, creative activities and steps of creative development: the Museum Park houses Kolesnikov’s monumental sculptures of recent years; the Carriage Hall holds smaller easel sculptures; and the Museum Educational center hosts an exhibit by his art school students and a master class by the artist himself.
OPENING PARTY “BEAUTY: BEYOND THE ORDINARY?”
ART LESSON AT THE EXHIBITION “BEAUTY: BEYOND THE ORDINARY?”
Press release
East Meets West Gallery
Vladimir Kolesnikov “Beauty: Beyond the Ordinary?”
The All-Russian Museum of Decorative, Applied and Folk Arts and the East Meets West Gallery are proud to present “Beauty: Beyond the Ordinary?”, a solo exhibition of works by sculptor Vladimir Kolesnikov, held from September 6 till October 10, 2014 at the Museum.
The opening of a sculpture exhibition is not a frequent event at Moscow museums. Contemporary Russian art has been heavily influenced by American and European traditions in recent years, and traditional Russian sculpture has simply not attracted the attention of the press or major official festivals/forums; the mainstream is now dominated by installations, performances and other types of contemporary art closely associated with popular culture, everyday life and better understood by the majority of the audience.
At times it appeared that “beauty” – at least in the traditions of classical sculpture – would be left strictly in past. But art is a complex process that includes not only revolutionary explosions and breakthroughs but also a return to earlier origins at each new stage of development.
Vladimir Kolesnikov was among many sculptors of his generation who successfully filled government orders for monumental sculptures in the 1970s and 1980s. During this time, he mastered the complicated process of working with hard woods and stone. Then, in the 1990s when individual demand from private collectors started to rise, he turned to small forms of easel sculptures. Kolesnikov is an admirer of classical sculpture as well as the works of the Art Deco masters of the early 20th century, and he was particularly fascinated at that time by female beauty, which he reveals in many of his works executed in white marble, stone and ceramics.
The end of the 20th century brought new trends in Kolesnikov’s creative work: the appearance of new characters, textures, materials as well as a return to monumental sculpture. Although he continues to create works for the Moscow government, experimental pieces now play a more important role in his artistic life. He looks for opportunities to combine new materials with his own innovative sculptural forms, as was done for example in “Leonardo” (2011). At the same time, Kolesnikov did not break from tradition; he skillfully used the stylistic features of antique high relief, transforming it into a modern form through consolidation of the image, its details, and the use of new materials.
At present Vladimir Kolesnikov is focused on his own subjects and creative use of materials, combining metal, wood and ceramics in his sculpture “The Blindest of the Blind” (2014); wood, metal and acrylic in a monument named “The Return” (2010); and wood and metal in “Andrei Rublev” (2011). This last statue is a tribute to his father, who had executed Rublev’s hands in copper but was not able to use them anywhere. “The Blindest of the Blind” clearly demonstrates Kolesnikov’s transition to new “standards” of beauty, the beauty of the 21st century. Evidently, beauty as a main subject of his creative process not only survived the transition from high art to normal life, but also gets along very well with it.
The exhibit is structured along two principles. First, the opposition of the museum inner and outer spaces, with the Carriage Hall, the Museum Educational Center and the second floor as the inner space and the Museum Park with the monumental sculptures as the outer space. Second, the separation of genres, creative activities and steps of creative development: the Museum Park houses Kolesnikov’s monumental sculptures of recent years; the Carriage Hall holds smaller easel sculptures; and the Museum Educational center hosts an exhibit by his art school students and a master class by the artist himself.
We are pleased to invite you to the joint opening party for Vladimir Kolesnikov’s exhibition on Moscow City Day, September 6 at 15:00.
All-Russian Museum of Decorative, Applied and Folk Art
The Carriage Hall, the Museum Park
Delegatskaya Str., 3
www.vmdpni.ru
+7 (499) 973 32 19
September 6 to October 10, 2014.
The museum is open daily (except Tuesdays) from 10:00 to 18:00 (21:00 on Thursdays)
EAST MEETS WEST GALLERY
Director Tatiana Paleeva
Tel.: 8 (916) 680 53 90
E-mail: paleeva@emwgallery.com
www.eastmeetswestgallery.ru