sopromat

May 25 — June 18, 2013
Triumph Gallery

The materials that are used in contemporary art today are very different from their predecessors, which were defined by their place on the artist’s supply shelf, where they were silent and obedient, ready to fulfill any request.

Modern materials, on the other hand, immediately announce their origin, purpose, design, and functionality, making the artist’s role more about finding the right context, story, or combination. In classical art, the struggle with materials was a crucial aspect of the artwork, and the artist’s skill was the key to success. However, in contemporary art, this skill is no longer a necessity. The author’s dictatorship has come to an end, and we can now say that the relationship has become equal and collaborative. It can also be argued that the artist often loses out to the material, and their role is now secondary, resembling that of a conductor rather than a craftsman or creator. In this context, the artistic concept often serves as a symbolic guide. The author’s primary responsibility is to organize and control the material, but they also face the risk of being overshadowed by the material and excluded from the work.

The presented exhibition was named "Sopromat" for a reason. This is a science that studies the ability of solid structures to withstand any external stresses without breaking. It is a fundamental discipline of general engineering training that no technical university student can avoid. However, the entire centuries-old history of art is a clear example that the struggle of humans against the resistance of materials is not limited to technical minds alone. Today’s material science presents practices of interaction with the material, ways of revealing, suppressing, and positioning it, in which the author’s private statement balances between the opposition "material — artist." This exhibition has an open ending, ending with the question: does it mean that the material, transformed and designated by the artist as a work of art, has failed and lost its freedom, or, on the contrary, that by becoming a work of art, the material has gained freedom and found its best purpose?

куратор
Владимир Потапов
Яна Смурова

участники
Дмитрий Гутов
Александр Бродский
Николай Полисский
AES+F
Гриша Брускин
Аладдин Гарунов
Иван Горшков
Recycle Group
Куда бегут собаки
Николай Алексеев
Андрей Кузькин
Татьяна Хэнгстлер
Жанна Кадырова
Ирина Корина
Владимир Козин
МишМаш
Илья Орлов
Сергей Шеховцов
Танатос Банионис