Public Program: Video Essay as a Genre and an Artistic Method

The audiovisual works in open storage only partially represent the great diversity within the genre of video essays. Works from Garage Collection and pieces by invited artists demonstrate various aspects and methods of the genre.

The artists will discuss various ways in which they include video essays in their practice.

Participation is free. Advance registration is required.

About the Speakers

Sasha Deyash is an artist who works predominantly with video. She graduated from Moscow Architectural Institute in 2023 and is currently a student at Moscow School of New Cinema (Video Art Studio).

Sasha Karelina is an experimental filmmaker and teacher. She graduated from the British Higher School of Art and Design (2012), the Institute of Contemporary Art (Moscow, 2013), and Moscow School of New Cinema (2016).

Dasha Likhaya is an experimental filmmaker. She graduated from the documentary film lab at Moscow School of New Cinema (2022). Her films have been shown and won awards at international festivals in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nyon (Switzerland), and other cities. She was a resident of Garage Studios and Artist Residencies in 2024.

Kristina Dryagina is curator of Garage Studios and Artist Residencies. She graduated from St. Petersburg University of Culture (2015), worked for the Russian-Norwegian non-commercial organisation Arctic Art Institute, and was a co-founder of the Arctic Art Forum. From 2021 to 2023 she was a co-curator of the ARKA Center for Contemporary Art (Arkhangelsk).

REGISTRATION

We come across video essays more often than we think. The term is used to describe videos by YouTube vloggers, festival works, visual studies by film historians, Netflix documentary series, and even journalists’ investigations. How then can we define a genre that encompasses such dissimilar works? Where does the line between visual essays, documentary film, and video art lie? How can we classify works in the genre? And why is its hybrid nature both a blessing and a curse?

Mazim Seelznev’s talk will attempt to define the genre and answer these questions.

The meeting will take place online. Participation is free. Advance registration is required.

About the Speaker

Maxim Seleznev is a film critic, video essay maker, and a lecturer at the Higher School of Economics Art and Design School.