"Standing at the Crossroads"
Olivie
Opening of the exhibition on May 11 at 19.00
In 2018-2019, a series of exhibitions "Sustainability Art" was presented in the Netherlands. These were exhibitions about the sustainability of civilization in terms of art. Art is an expression of the humanitarian values of civilization and the sustainability of art determines the sustainability of civilization. The organizers decided to make the exhibition "Sustainability of Art" in Moscow in 2020, the idea was supported by the leadership of the Center for Creative Industries "Fabrika".
The pandemic disrupted the plans, and the exhibition was postponed to 2021, then to 2022. But already in 2020, it became obvious that the pandemic and other events in the world make the concept of the Sustainability of Art exhibition not as relevant as it was in 2018. New threats to our civilizations that have eclipsed environmental concerns. The organizers of the exhibition saw that the benefits brought to our lives by digital technologies have a flip side and the flip side makes us reconsider some futuristic positions. The thoughtless, criminal use of the planet's resources, the unwillingness to understand the countries that are on the sidelines of civilization, the division of the world into rogue countries and "democracy" countries lead to military confrontation, which puts the world on the brink of complete destruction.
Art Sustainability has been transformed and developed into an exhibition with a new concept.
The name has changed. The name of the exhibition "Standing at the Crossroads" very accurately reflects the concept of the exhibition. The curator of the exhibition Vladimir Opara is grateful to the curator of the Sustainability of Art exhibition Saskia Gras (The Hague, the Netherlands) for the emergence of an important topic for artists, as well as Maarten Bertheux (Amsterdam) for discussing the new concept and title of the exhibition. Indeed, humanity is at a crossroads and it will have to make a difficult choice, a choice that will have colossal consequences. Artists, curators, art critics, writers, creative personalities will speak out about the problems they see, standing at the crossroads of civilization and about their choice of path, the path that they see.
Natalya Tolstaya (Moscow), artist-philosopher, great-great-granddaughter of Leo Tolstoy, is looking for answers to the questions of the development and sustainability of civilization in signs, symbols, words preserved in culture and that have come down to us. Natalia, like her world-famous great-great-grandfather, stands at the crossroads, trying to understand the ways of civilization development. From Leo Tolstoy and his sometimes painful search to Natalia Tolstaya and her search for a way today.
Artists Asya Dodina and Slava Polishchuk see the problems inside and around themselves, examining objects thrown out by people and the ocean after a hurricane, which are perceived by everyday consciousness as garbage. They discover that concrete and steel structures were the first to be destroyed by the hurricane, while small, light objects remained unscathed. A series of works and the film "What Remains" are presented at the exhibition.
Vladimir and Maya Opara (Moscow) in the video installation "Very close to each other", which includes: "Buzz of space", "Island of Holland", "Black Book", "Horizon Line" try to imagine the world of the future without states, in the form of islands and megacities. Vladimir and Maya see the Netherlands (Holland), a country that is under the constant threat of flooding and has learned to live with this constant, every second danger, as an example of the future of the world.
Julia Winter tries to feel the future through immersion in the past. It creates transitions from one reality to another, shows how the passage of time constantly changes our perception. The past is awakened in the reconstruction of fragments or with the help of fragments of memories.
Apandi Magomedov turns to natural materials and folk practices. It shows the lost path of civilization - perhaps it is necessary to abandon modern technologies that are leading the world to disaster.
Eva van der Zand and Masha Volkova are interested in ecology, climate change, problems of the atmosphere, the air we breathe. Their video is a piece of poetry filled with fabrics, like a green screen talking about problems. A map showing the new hidden worlds of the clouds. Images of rotating realities. Images of twisted realities.
Anita Mizrahi explores the artistic life of Moscow, meets with artists, records interviews.
Station Dno — a group of Moscow intellectuals is exploring the impact of new technologies and AI (Artificial Intelligence) on human creativity and the possibility / impossibility of their mutual coexistence in the coming era of singularity. The presence in the project of the name and personality of the writer Leo Tolstoy implies an invitation to the project and contemporary writers "standing at the crossroads". The exhibition will feature texts and video interviews of curators of various trends in art, art critics, creative personalities reflecting on civilizational problems.
Exhibition Participants:
1. Vladimir Opara, Moscow
2. Maya Opara, Moscow
3. Natasha Tolstaya, Moscow
4. Asya Dodina, New York
5. Slava Polishchuk, New York
6. Julia Winter, Amsterdam
7. Creative Association "Station Dno", Moscow
8. Anita Mizrahi / Anita Mizrahi, Amsterdam
9. Eva van der Zand, Amsterdam
10. Masha Volkova, Amsterdam
11. Apandi Magomedov, Makhachkala Dagestan
Events within the framework of the exhibition
May 12 at 19:00
Discussion "Influence of new technologies and AI (Artificial Intelligence) on human creativity and the possibility / impossibility of their mutual coexistence in the coming era of singularity." Organizers - Station Dno. Artists, art historians, writers, philosophers, viewers take part in the discussion. During the discussion, a video is being recorded, followed by a demonstration in the exposition of the exhibition.
May 19 at 19:00
Movie show:
Anita Mizrahi "Moscow Art Scene",
Film by Vladimir and Maya Opara "La Boheme" (Netherlands art scene)
May 26 at 19:00
Curator tour of the exhibition
June 5 at 17:00
Natalya Tolstaya, Leo Tolstoy's great-great-granddaughter: “Searching for a Way”, “The Life of Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy in Illustrations” (this is a published book and can be purchased, author Natalya Tolstaya).
