Preface
In 2018, I drew this feature about artists from the Siberian city of Novosibirsk. Since it had only been published in Russia so far, I decided to translate it into English at the beginning of 2022. But then war began in Ukraine and life changed, including for those portrayed here. I was undecided about publishing the reportage.
But all the artists featured here have taken a clear stand against the war (e.g. on social media). Even though they are putting themselves in great danger.
There are many people in Russia who do not agree with the current situation and are trying to fight it. And artists who oppose the Kremlin's propaganda. This reportage is about five of them.
»German, uh ... deutsch!« I stammer. I can't even say where I come from in Russian. »Aah, Nemetskiy! Rammstein. Du hast! Du hast!« – the man with the sunglasses grins a toothless grin. He offers me his bottle, I politely decline. For a while he keeps looking over my shoulder and in my sketchbook, then he waves goodbye and walks away.
I sit on the curb in front of my guesthouse and draw. A prefab building stretches out in front of me, behind it a luxury hotel and a tower that looks like what people imagined the future would look like in the 1970s. I'm sweating, it's 25 degrees Celsius. When I arrived yesterday, it was close to zero. That was more like what I expected from Novosibirsk. I was invited here for a few days to draw a reportage about the city’s contemporary artists.
Wait a moment. Contemporary art in Siberia?
The arts that I had previously associated with this part of the world were classical theater, painting and ballet. Admittedly, I hadn't really taken a deeper look until I was invited. But on my first strolls through the city center, this image was confirmed to me. No graffiti, no fancy exhibition posters, no hip galleries. And yet I was told about some artists who apparently make the small local scene an extremely remarkable one.
How do artists live and work in Siberia? Under what circumstances do they make progressive art here? A taxi approaches, an employee of the Goethe Institute waves me in. Together we set out for the first stop on my journey to discover the art scene of Novosibirsk.
Anton: »In Novosibirsk you can be a real pioneer.«
Ceramic sculpture in Anton’s kitchen
»Gagarin on the Red Horse«, Photography of a performance by Anton
Lamp in Anton’s stairwell
Cardboard sculpture from a theater performance by Anton
»Balloon Overall«, artwork by one of Anton’s roommates
Anton in the »Watchful Eye«
»As an artist you have to play! With the space, with the people, with society. What I find interesting in art is the social aspect. It is not important to me that as many people as possible see my art. It is more important that as many people as possible come together and make art themselves.«
Ceramic sculpture in Anton’s kitchen
Anton leads me through the rooms of the unheated three-story house in the city center. I shake hands with his roommates, look at walls full of sketches and drawings, floors littered with drying canvases. Papers, fabrics, metals and other materials are piled up in the corners, everywhere I spot tiny to larger than life sculptures made of ceramic, cardboard or wood. Everything here seems improvised, the entire interior lovingly put together from here and there.
»Gagarin on the Red Horse«, Photography of a performance by Anton
»We are nine people living in this house. We work together, organize exhibitions and workshops, celebrate and dance, almost like in a commune. And we pay almost nothing for it. That’s one of the wonderful things about Novosibirsk. In Moscow I had to worry every day about how I was going to pay my high rent. Here, I have a lot of free time, can pursue my dreams and concentrate fully on my projects.«
Lamp in Anton’s stairwell
»I studied contemporary art in Moscow. When I came back to Novosibirsk and found this house, one of the first things I did was to organize an exhibition with abstract objects. The visitors looked at me with wide eyes and understood nothing at all. That’s when I noticed that things needed to be done differently here.«
Cardboard sculpture from a theater performance by Anton
»And so I started to organize workshops and lectures around my exhibitions, to make art understandable and to inspire people to learn more about it. This is very fulfilling, but sometimes it can also be tough.«
»Balloon Overall«, artwork by one of Anton’s roommates
»Recently, one of my exhibitions was forbidden. I still don't know why. Perhaps the host institution was suddenly afraid that I might show things that are not in line with their opinions. Or that lectures on experimental art might disturb people …«
Anton in the »Watchful Eye«
»The art scene in Novosibirsk is still very small. But that has great advantages! You're right in the middle of it! You know everyone, everyone knows you. In Moscow I would be just one out of many. Here I can effect change, try things out, shape them and still be a child! Novosibirsk is a huge playground where I can be a real pioneer.«
Anton’s artworks on Instagram:
@digitalsiberia
Konstantin Skotnikov: »I feel famous today!«
Blue Noses Group, »The New God’s Fools«
Toilet in Konstantin Skotnikov’s studio
Blue Noses Group, »Nato, Welcome!«
Sculpture in Konstantin Skotnikov’s studio
Konstantin Skotnikov, »It’s better to have a hundred friends than a hundred rubles«, part 79
»The art scene of Novosibirsk? I am the art scene of Novosibirsk!«
Blue Noses Group, »The New God’s Fools«
»No, just kidding. The art scene is of course shaped by the young people here. I am just the one encouraging them.«
Toilet in Konstantin Skotnikov’s studio
Between the countless books in Konstantin Skotnikov's studio, there are several saucers with piled-up cigarette butts. Constantly smoking, Skotnikov shows me artworks by himself and his students, recites self-written poems, takes selfies that he immediately posts on Instagram, pours coffee and cuts slices of creamy sweet cake.
Blue Noses Group, »Nato, Welcome!«
»I was a member of the performance group The Blue Noses for many years. We carried out our anarchist actions all over Russia. We revolted against the Kremlin, against the church, against the common concept of art. We rebelled, we shocked, we provoked! Now I'm too old for that, but the spirit of the past is still vibrating inside of me. And I try to pass it on in my role as a teacher.«
Sculpture in Konstantin Skotnikov’s studio
»Most Russians believe that art is only valuable if it looks like the art of the old masters. But no! It's about finding your own way. Anyone can be an artist! Anyone walking the streets of Novosibirsk. People just don't know it. I'm here to tell them!«
Konstantin Skotnikov, »It’s better to have a hundred friends than a hundred rubles«, part 79
It's better to have a hundred friends than a hundred rubles is a Russian proverb that serves as a basis for Konstantin Skotnikov's latest drawing project. For this he portrays a hundred of his friends. I have the honor of being number 79. »I feel famous today!«, he says in broken English while I draw him as he draws me.
Konstantin Skotnikov’s artworks on Instagram:
@konstantin_skotnikov
Mayana: »… and suddenly I felt so mighty!«
Pikachu-Lenin
Joker-Lenin
Newaljaschka-Lenin
Darth Maul-Lenin
Matryoshka-Lenin
Rubber duck-Lenin
»If you study at the art academy in Novosibirsk, you do exactly what generations before us did. You create paintings and sculptures like you did 200 years ago. You don't think, you don't ask questions.«
Pikachu-Lenin
Mayana leads me down the stairs to a basement apartment that looks like a construction site. We walk past rooms full of rubble, sacks of cement, party leftovers and graffiti on the walls. Wooden planks cover holes in the floor, cables stick out of the ceilings. At the end of the corridor Mayana opens the door of her approximately 6 m² studio, which is crammed to the ceiling. We sit down and Mayana pours green tea in yellow plastic cups.
Joker-Lenin
»One day when I was in my second year of study, Skotnikov shook my hand and asked me to smoke a cigarette with him. I didn't know what was happening to me. The academy is all about hierarchy, usually the professors don't mingle with the students.«
Newaljaschka-Lenin
»From then on we were regularly smoking and discussing about art. And for the first time I started seriously thinking about what I was actually doing here. And why. Suddenly I realized what opportunities my skills open up for me and what I could do with my art!«
Darth Maul-Lenin
»During this time I started to live an artistic double life. At the academy, I continued to paint naturalistic canvases, just like the other professors requested. Here in my studio I developed my own ideas and started to find my own language. I became aware that I had something to say with my objects and sculptures. And suddenly I felt so mighty!«
Matryoshka-Lenin
Mayana's most successful objects to date are those of her Lenin figure series. Parts of it have already been exhibited in galleries and at auctions in Moscow. And Mayana will follow them soon.
Rubber duck-Lenin
»In Moscow there are simply more opportunities for us artists. Novosibirsk simply does not have enough to offer in the long run.«
Mayana’s artworks on Instagram:
@mayanamayanamayana
@mayanadraws
@lenin.and.otherassholes
Pyotr: »Blablabla is my approach to art!«
»A lot has to be changed here!«
»We need to strengthen the local art scene …«
»… and give Western artists the opportunity to present themselves here.«
»Above all we have to talk, talk, talk! There are no public platforms where people talk about art.«
»Raaah, I'm tired of hearing my own voice!«
»I recently became one of the new curators of the arts center cc19. There’s a lot to change here! Look at this horrible hanging system! We have to get rid of it. And did you see that stupid copy of the Mona Lisa in the office? It needs a moustache, don't you think so?«
»A lot has to be changed here!«
»But above all, we have to do better exhibitions! So far, the artworks were always hung here without any visible concept. No curation, no accompanying events, no advertising. The art hasn’t been made accessible to the audience out there. Most people who pass by don’t even have a clue that there is a gallery in here.«
»We need to strengthen the local art scene …«
Pyotr is in his mid-twenties and talks nonstop like there’s no tomorrow. Full of enthusiasm he quotes artists, explains the stories behind the works of art in the gallery, flips through books, explains art-theoretical contexts and gets high on his fantasies of change. When we go to a pelmeni restaurant at lunchtime, Pyotr forgets to eat because of all the talking.
»… and give Western artists the opportunity to present themselves here.«
»I have many plans! I want to create new exhibition concepts, organize interactive encounters, host progressive performances, initiate international collaborations. Of course, I have to be careful not to step on anyone's feet.«
»Above all we have to talk, talk, talk! There are no public platforms where people talk about art.«
»When you are new to such an institution, a higher-rank person usually gives you a list of things you have to do and exhibit. We cannot suddenly dump a mountain of garbage here and call it art.«
»Raaah, I'm tired of hearing my own voice!«
»We have to slowly raise people’s awareness for new art. And that's why we’re gonna talk more about art in the future! We will create a platform for cultural exchange. We will educate, inform, inspire ... Blablabla is my approach to art!«
cc19’s Website:
cc19.org
cc19 on Instagram:
@centreforculture19
Aleksej: Aleksej: »Welcome to my White Cube!«
»Empathy Horn«, performance with wearable wifi emotion horns
»Abstract Sculpture, 3/8«, 3D model
»Cyber Bastards«, computer simulation
»Nuclear magnetic resonance radio (The first internet radio that hears molecules!)«, website & sound design
»Birthday Present«, sculpture made from a 3D scan
Photography of one of Aleksej’s garage exhibitions
»In my work I combine art with technology. I experiment with virtual reality, artificial intelligence, computer games, 3D scanning and printing. But when people ask me what I do, I usually say that I am an engineer. Then they don’t look at me so puzzled.«
»Empathy Horn«, performance with wearable wifi emotion horns
»In Siberia, contemporary art is generally frowned upon. For many people, it is a symbol of Western snobbery that tries to bring false values into our traditional culture. And the Church doesn't like these trends either. That’s why there are only few platforms for us and we have to find our own ways to present ourselves.«
»Abstract Sculpture, 3/8«, 3D model
Aleksej chooses his words wisely. It takes me a while to get used to the fact that after each of my questions it feels like a minute has passed before he expresses his thoughts. We stroll through downtown Novosibirsk, pass boutiques, supermarkets, churches and flower shops and finally arrive in a quiet area surrounded by high-rise buildings. In the parking lot of a car repair workshop we step up a ramp to an elongated, flat brick building. Aleksej pushes open a red gate and I follow him into a long, dark corridor. He stops in front of one of the numerous green metal doors and puts the key in a padlock. »Welcome to my White Cube!«, he smiles as the door swings open and the neon light flares up in the dusty room behind it.
»Cyber Bastards«, computer simulation
»This garage belongs to my father, but he no longer uses it. Two years ago my friends and I started organizing exhibitions here. Once a month, just for one night. We hang up current works, invite people, make music, drink, discuss ...«
»Nuclear magnetic resonance radio (The first internet radio that hears molecules!)«, website & sound design
»There is a lot of vacant and unused space in this city. That’s a great opportunity for us artists! It's nice to see that there are more and more places like this. And I also noticed that many people are starting to rethink art and becoming more open to and interested in new art forms.«
»Birthday Present«, sculpture made from a 3D scan
»Siberia is always dismissed as the Middle of Nowhere,« says Aleksey when we are back outside. We sit on a pile of car tires, smoke a cigarette and look at the skyscrapers, which glow yellow in the evening light. »But you know, I like the Nowhere. In the Nowhere there are many opportunities and a lot of space to create something new … «
»… I would say: the Nowhere is on our side!«
Photography of one of Aleksej’s garage exhibitions
Aleksej’s artworks on Instagram:
@eggnot1
Aleksej’s website:
www.eggnot.com
