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When shades overlap

26th November — 25th December 2021 Art Design Human Studio

Co-curated by  Anzhela Popova , Tatiana Antonova

The pervasive alienation inherent in modernity subordinates human beings to its logic every day. Like deep-sea explorers, we try to find footholds by shining torches on only small parts of the bottom. The fragility and instability of our worlds give rise to a desire to seek support from the senses. Under these conditions, a new sensuality becomes a place of continuous becoming and growth, of community in love and enjoyment.

How can we feel together? Daniel Antropov's works seek an answer to this question. They are an open system, an affect, a hymn to beauty that lies beyond the aesthetic and the dichotomous. Immersed in the material, the artist follows it unconditionally. Revisiting the traditional approach of working with ceramics and plaster, the artist creates sculptures where the coarseness of the material hides in the depths and the fragility of the layered frosted glass on the outside. Sensing matter and encouraging an affective exchange becomes the fulcrum that gives rise to an emotional connection with the viewer.

Ustina Yakovleva creates her own world where jellyfish and underwater creatures coexist with abstract landscapes. The drawing on the canvases develops like something alive, taking on new forms of entanglement. Jellyfish chaotically unfurl their tentacles in space, recalling the existence of different life forms. The tactile aesthetics of embroidery creates a set of different types of sensations, erasing the distinction between object and subject, and allows an appreciation of traditions in art that were considered secondary or decorative. Femininity as an important aspect of the artist's work helps to reveal emotions and inner turmoil.

One of the most influential researchers of affect, Brian Massumi, wrote: "The skin is faster than the word. Tactile imagery evokes a sense of living together something fragile and explores the continuity of relationships where balance is only possible through a mutual desire to coexist harmoniously together.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

Ustina Yakovleva
Daniil Antropov