LECTURE CYCLE: 1990s YEAR BY YEAR
February 18, 7:30 pm
Sasha Obukhova: The Year of 1998
Despite the shutdown of the Center for Contemporary Art's venues at Yakimanka, the art scene became relatively stable, with the participants successfully performing their respective roles. The major agents of the would-be art market seemed to have accepted the chaotic nature of the local economy, as some galleries traded in antiques and others supported political campaigns.
The August economic crisis and the budding art market produced a strong influence on the artistic language and style. At this point, artists abandoned spatial statements for serial productions. In the early 1990s, artists had expressed themselves via shows in which all the exhibits formed a whole; taking one object away threatened to bring down the entire construction. However, in the late 1990s, in response to market demands, artists revised their aesthetic positions and returned to on-the-wall artworks. No longer able to afford big one-piece projects, artists created series of works exploring the same theme.
Sasha Obukhova (born 1967) is an art historian and member of the Kandinsky Award expert board. She has worked at Moscow Contemporary Art Institute, Tretyakov Gallery, and State Center for Contemporary Art. Since 2012 she has been acting as the head of the Garage research department.
Entrance to all education events is free.
Before attending, please check the schedule at garagemca.org.
Images:
1. Emperor Vava, Oleg Mavromatti (Absolute Love Sect). The Ending Performance. 1995. Action. God's Thought exhibition, TV Gallery, Moscow.
2. Zurab Tsereteli. The Crystal Chapel. 1997. Moscow Forum of Art Initiatives, Moscow.
3. Mikhail Ukhov. Terminator. 1996.
4. Anatoly Osmolovsky. Chaos - My House. 1993.
