Proof: Francisco Goya, Sergei Eisenstein, Robert Longo

Date

30 SEP 20165 FEB 2017

Hours

11:00–22:00

Featuring works by Francisco Goya (1746-1828), Sergei Eisenstein (1898-1948) and Robert Longo (1953-) Proof offers insight into the singularity of vision through which artists can reflect social, cultural, and political complexities of their times.

Spanning eras and continents, each artist witnessed the turbulent transition from one century to another, experiencing the seismic impacts of revolution, civil unrest, and war. While Goya served church and king, Eisenstein the state, and Longo emerged during the rise of the contemporary art market—the dominant benefactors of each period—they all rose to prominence through developing nuanced practices that challenged expectations and demand.

Looking to innovations in technique and technology, each artist has worked across mediums—from painting and printmaking, to sculpture, film, and performance—but all continuously turn to drawing as a primary tool to articulate thinking. Rendering the societal impact of politics and power in black and white, the artists have diversely experimented with narrative visual forms, beyond traditional reportage, to chronicle events and provide an impassioned portrayal of the world around them.

Proof: Francisco Goya, Sergei Eisenstein, Robert Longo

Public program
Image as Power is a diverse set of activities intended to explore the powerful resonances and dark timbers that dwell in the work of the three artists featured in the exhibition  Proof —Francisco Goya, Sergei Eisenstein and Robert Longo.

Image as Power is a diverse set of activities intended to explore the powerful resonances and dark timbers that dwell in the work of the three artists featured in the exhibition  Proof —Francisco Goya, Sergei Eisenstein and Robert Longo.

Tension, stress, transgression, and sublimity are ubiquitous in the visual frame composed by the artworks of these artists. The program delves into the origins and the dynamics of the power that these images incarnate to trigger audience perception and enrich understanding of the historical narratives and their nature.

A series of lectures by local and international specialists, including Mark Harris and Naum Kleiman, will reflect upon the individual careers of the artists and the interconnection between their artworks. On November 19, Garage chief curator Kate Fowle and artist Robert Longo—authors of the exhibition concept—will be in conversation.

Regular screenings of the documentaries Robert Longo. An Artist's Journey (2015, directed by Paul Tshinkel) and Goya, the Secret of the Shadow (2011, directed by David Mauas) will also take place throughout the exhibition, in Garage Auditorium. They will provide insight into the development of Robert Longo's charcoal drawing method and the history of Goya's oeuvre interpretations. The screening program to accompany the exhibition will also include several films directed by Robert Longo, and music videos that he created for music bands including REM, Megadeth, The Golden Palominos and others. Sergei Eisenstein’s so-called “revolution tetralogy”: StrikeThe Battleship PotemkinOctober: The Ten Days That Shook the WorldThe General Line, will be presented as a separate screening program.

For families with children, Image As Power will focus on black and white imagery and its techniques: engraving, drawing, flipbooks and film. Skills will be developed during a series of open workshops on weekends and through a special children’s exhibition map.

As part of Garage Inclusive program, tactile models of works by Robert Longo and Francisco Goya will be available for blind visitors during special tours. The tactile model of Robert Longo’s sculpture Heretics (After Goya’s Procession of the Flagellants) will be on display as part of the exhibition.

An audio guide, specially prepared for the exhibition, will be available in Russian and English. For deaf and hearing impaired visitors, tours in Russian Sign Language as well as an RSL video guide will be available.

Schedule

Lecture by Mark Harris

Mark Harris is a UK artist and printmaker. He is Associate Professor of Fine Art at Kingston University, Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture.

In his lecture he will discuss the work of Francisco Goya, Sergei Eisenstein and Robert Longo to contextualize these artists' practices within the frame of the Proof exhibition.

Date
Thursday, October 13
Time
19:30
Place
Garage Auditorium

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