NEW NATURE

art duo Recycle Group

December 17, 2021 — March 13, 2022
Winzavod CCA, Manege Exhibition Hall and Triumph Gallery

While the new iteration continues to explore the interactions between machines and humans, and the transformations in us brought about by the influence of modern technology, it also offers a new exhibition-design narrative.

Winzavod CCA, Manege Exhibition Hall and Triumph Gallery present New Nature, a large-scale personal project by the art duo Recycle Group. The exhibition premiered this summer at Manege in St. Petersburg.

While the new iteration continues to explore the interactions between machines and humans, and the transformations in us brought about by the influence of modern technology, it also offers a new exhibition-design narrative. The exposition traces back the evolution of art by Recycle Group and of the audience’s perception as shaped by the ebb and flow of social, cultural, and technological developments. The exposition is expanded with objects and installations that were not shown in the first part of the project.

Forest of Expired Links
2021
Film, thermoforming, plastic, sound, ducted fans
Sizes vary

Winzavod CCA, Manege Exhibition Hall and Triumph Gallery present New Nature, a large-scale personal project by the art duo Recycle Group. The exhibition premiered this summer at Manege in St. Petersburg.

While the new iteration continues to explore the interactions between machines and humans, and the transformations in us brought about by the influence of modern technology, it also offers a new exhibition-design narrative. The exposition traces back the evolution of art by Recycle Group and of the audience’s perception as shaped by the ebb and flow of social, cultural, and technological developments. The exposition is expanded with objects and installations that were not shown in the first part of the project.

The Moscow edition of New Nature scatters the artworks around the premises of Winzavod, a creative cluster that has played a central role in the emergence and development of contemporary art in Russia. Interactive objects and dynamic installations turn viewers into participants of a virtual and technological performance. Taking on the metaphorical role of a metronome and laying out the project in three domains — material, spiritual, virtual — Recycle Group attempts to envisage and anticipate the ideas that will lay the foundation for the art of the future.

‘We want to study the new nature of man, which is undergoing an intensive formative period and will be advancing at an ever-faster pace. What we are seeing today is already generating evolutionary implications. The link between us and machines is currently the key force in civilizational development, and the underpinning philosophies for all this are being elaborated in this very moment. Each of us is almost daily contributing our data to the new world and almost all of this information is stored and is of value'.
Recycle Group

Red Workshop

The Moscow edition of New Nature scatters the artworks around the premises of Winzavod, a creative cluster that has played a central role in the emergence and development of contemporary art in Russia. Interactive objects and dynamic installations turn viewers into participants of a virtual and technological performance. Taking on the metaphorical role of a metronome and laying out the project in three domains — material, spiritual, virtual — Recycle Group attempts to envisage and anticipate the ideas that will lay the foundation for the art of the future.

‘We want to study the new nature of man, which is undergoing an intensive formative period and will be advancing at an ever-faster pace. What we are seeing today is already generating evolutionary implications. The link between us and machines is currently the key force in civilizational development, and the underpinning philosophies for all this are being elaborated in this very moment. Each of us is almost daily contributing our data to the new world and almost all of this information is stored and is of value'.
Recycle Group

The society is going through rapid change on a global scale, precipitated by the ‘digital revolution', and physical proximity is losing its former significance. New technologies and machine learning have enabled an almost fully virtualised lifestyle. Recycle Group focuses on the human aspiration to make a lasting mark in this virtual world and on the transformation of the familiar models of communication and perception in the age of AI.

‘The projects by Recycle Group explore the perspectives and effects of the diffusion between the tangible and digital worlds as well as the new virtual forms of art and consciousness. It seems to be just yesterday when we were still separating the material and digital dimensions, but today there can be no question about these two aspects having been integrated and interlinked — we are already living in a mixed reality, without any separation between the real and the virtual. Daily updates and additions to our digital persona turn into a gradual development of your virtual replica. But can this persona, unlike our physical body, achieve a sort of digital immortality?'
Polina Mogilina, curator

White Workshop

The society is going through rapid change on a global scale, precipitated by the ‘digital revolution', and physical proximity is losing its former significance. New technologies and machine learning have enabled an almost fully virtualised lifestyle. Recycle Group focuses on the human aspiration to make a lasting mark in this virtual world and on the transformation of the familiar models of communication and perception in the age of AI.

‘The projects by Recycle Group explore the perspectives and effects of the diffusion between the tangible and digital worlds as well as the new virtual forms of art and consciousness. It seems to be just yesterday when we were still separating the material and digital dimensions, but today there can be no question about these two aspects having been integrated and interlinked — we are already living in a mixed reality, without any separation between the real and the virtual. Daily updates and additions to our digital persona turn into a gradual development of your virtual replica. But can this persona, unlike our physical body, achieve a sort of digital immortality?'
Polina Mogilina, curator

The first thematic section of the exhibition features the works based on recycling of classical images and on referring the viewer to the artistic and creative legacy of the former centuries. Recreating the classical forms in new materials and injecting them with current relevancy, Recycle Group builds a new mythology and a new system of visual codes. Drawing from the past, the artists transform these images into a future being forged in the present.

The second section shows works that investigate the characteristics of ‘computer vision'. By substituting our sight with digital code, Recycle Group assigns to the viewer the role of a machine, trying to make us feel how an algorithm would analyse and read the environment.

The third and closing thematic section offers a new format of perceiving art — as mediated by augmented reality. This comes in the form of a digital overlay imperceptible to the naked eye, except if aided by a smartphone, and delivers a crucial contribution to the meanings and visuals of the objects. The use of digital technology thus becomes a prerequisite for engagement with the audience and the audience is, in turn, integrated into the artistic process.

Large Wine Storage

The first thematic section of the exhibition features the works based on recycling of classical images and on referring the viewer to the artistic and creative legacy of the former centuries. Recreating the classical forms in new materials and injecting them with current relevancy, Recycle Group builds a new mythology and a new system of visual codes. Drawing from the past, the artists transform these images into a future being forged in the present.

The second section shows works that investigate the characteristics of ‘computer vision'. By substituting our sight with digital code, Recycle Group assigns to the viewer the role of a machine, trying to make us feel how an algorithm would analyse and read the environment.

The third and closing thematic section offers a new format of perceiving art — as mediated by augmented reality. This comes in the form of a digital overlay imperceptible to the naked eye, except if aided by a smartphone, and delivers a crucial contribution to the meanings and visuals of the objects. The use of digital technology thus becomes a prerequisite for engagement with the audience and the audience is, in turn, integrated into the artistic process.

An important aspect of the New Nature project is the parallel educational program. During lectures and public talks, researchers, data journalists, philosophers, artists, and representatives of tech companies will discuss the transformations of the concept of reality in the age of seamless connectivity, and address the subjects of AI, big data ethics, and the future of privacy in a digital world. The events will focus on creative innovation, cultural algorithms, and various aspects of post-internet art. The educational program is supported by re: Store, Russia’s largest chain of monobrand shops and service centers specialised on Apple devices and certified as an Apple Premium Reseller. re: Store is part of the Inventive Retail Group within the LANIT Group and operates 90 locations in 25 Russian cities.

The title eco-partner of the exhibition is Russian Environmental Operator responsible for implementation of a comprehensive waste management system and transition to circular economy in Russia. The project is also supported by EcoLine, Sberbank Moscow, and Vesper. Tickets are available exclusively through MTS Live. Stay tuned for project merch by Recycle Group in collaboration with ÖMANKÖ.

Curator: Polina Mogilina

Large Wine Storage

An important aspect of the New Nature project is the parallel educational program. During lectures and public talks, researchers, data journalists, philosophers, artists, and representatives of tech companies will discuss the transformations of the concept of reality in the age of seamless connectivity, and address the subjects of AI, big data ethics, and the future of privacy in a digital world. The events will focus on creative innovation, cultural algorithms, and various aspects of post-internet art. The educational program is supported by re: Store, Russia’s largest chain of monobrand shops and service centers specialised on Apple devices and certified as an Apple Premium Reseller. re: Store is part of the Inventive Retail Group within the LANIT Group and operates 90 locations in 25 Russian cities.

The title eco-partner of the exhibition is Russian Environmental Operator responsible for implementation of a comprehensive waste management system and transition to circular economy in Russia. The project is also supported by EcoLine, Sberbank Moscow, and Vesper. Tickets are available exclusively through MTS Live. Stay tuned for project merch by Recycle Group in collaboration with ÖMANKÖ.

Curator: Polina Mogilina