A cycle of online workshops designed by young Russian artists for kids and parents

I invite kids and parents to join a creative workshop and discussion of how art helps us to cope with loneliness. More than a month ago, the city of Zagreb where I am currently based lived under isolation. To fight the feeling of sadness, I launched Balcony Gallery in my own apartment, which has since hosted over a dozen shows addressed to people, birds, dogs, and even the wind.

Along with the exhibitions I organized in my gallery, our workshop is dedicated to practical skills: I will show how to draw a watercolor portrait of a dog, cat or beetle and then display it on a balcony or in the window and thus transform a flat into an art gallery.

Taking part in the session requires a number of simple materials, such as paper, watercolor, graphite and color pencils, brushes and the actual presence or photograph of the animal or pet you wish to portray.

Biography

Ekaterina Muromtseva is an artist. Graduate of Lomonosov Moscow State University and Rodchenko Art School. Her personal exhibits have been held in the former Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2016) and XL Gallery (2017, 2018). She has also contributed to the project Dear Visitors at Garage Museum of Contemporary Art (2018). Participant of several group shows, including Styrian Autumn Festival (Graz, Austria, 2018). Resident of Garage Workshops (2019). Winner of V-A-C Foundation’s Present Continuous program. Founder of the nomadic Balcony Gallery.

Just imagine that you and your family are a real tribe, with each of you performing a particular role in the tribal hierarchy. Any tribe has rituals and ceremonials, each of which requires a unique outfit, where the mask is an obligatory accessory. Rather then being merely a decoration, the mask endues its bearer with specific personal qualities and power, while it can also translate or conceal real emotions.

Together, we will try to create a mask of your favorite character or someone you would like to personify for a short while. It can be a superhero or an animal, a real person or a fictional friend. Along with discovering something new about yourself, you will also be able to hang your own handmade artwork on the wall at home.

Biography

Masha Obukhova is an artist. Born and raised in Moscow, she moved to Elektrougli to devote herself to the exploration of the wild yet charming tribe called kids. A participant of multiple group shows, her solo exhibition Lords of the Flies at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art (2019) focused on the study of children as a tribe and intra-tribal customs. Maria is currently self-isolated with the tribe’s two little representatives who help her run apartment exhibitions.

We will discuss the artist’s creative method, what it actually means “to make art”, and how to do it. We will also look for recipes to fight fears and will try to permit ourselves genuine creative experimentations with some hooliganism included—so that a real sculpture or installation can appear on your desktop as a result.

Please, read the instruction on the collection and preparation of materials for the workshop carefully.

Biography

Ivan Gorshkov is an artist. As a child, he used to draw and invent a lot of things and started organizing potato exhibitions at the age of three. In 2008, he worked at H.L.A.M.—Voronezh’s first gallery of contemporary art. Ivan’s personal show Everything Fountain was held at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art (2019). Since 2015, he has been teaching students and running summer schools. Recipient of Garage’s grant program in support of young Russian artists (2012, 2013), he was The Artist of the Year at the Cosmoscow International Art Fair (2017).