"Anthology of the Poor in Fine Arts and Design. Dialogue between Russia and Italy"

Online project "BRAFA in the galleries" 27.01.21 - 31.01.21
Heritage Gallery, Moscow 19.02.21 - 14.04.21

On January 27, 2021 Heritage Gallery opens a new season with the exhibition Anthology of the Poor in Fine Arts and Design. Dialogue between Russia and Italy ”. The exhibition will become a kind of comparative analysis of the aesthetics of the poor by the example of representatives of the Italian art movement Arte Povera and the Russian participants in the exhibition "Russian Poor". The exhibit will also include 1970s design pieces influenced by Arte Povera. The opening date of the exhibition is timed to coincide with the launch of BRAFA in the galleries, an online project of the Brussels art fair BRAFA, created in support of regular participants of the event. For Heritage, this will be the third edition of the fair in which she will participate. The project will first be presented on the BRAFA website from January 27 to 31, and the exhibition in the Moscow gallery will open in the usual format from February 19 to April 14.

Continuing a series of exhibitions devoted to the interaction and rethinking of iconic international art movements of the 20th century in refraction with Russian art, the gallery will this time show a project dedicated to the famous arte povera movement, which originated in Italy and existed in the 1960s -1970s. This artistic movement owes its term to the curator and art critic Germán Chelanta, who in 1967 marked a new era of Italian art by combining artists from Rome, Turin, Milan and others at an exhibition he organized called “Arte Povera e IM Spazio” in Genoa. Genoa. Arte Povera artists, despite the economic boom in Italy in the late 1950s, deliberately chose "poor materials" in an effort to de-commercialize art, take it outside the market and gallery business.trying to free the creative process from the limitations of traditional forms and artistic space. Throughout the twentieth century, reactionary movements appeared in Italian art every now and then, starting with Italian futurism, an avant-garde movement that became a reaction to the development of industrialization and enabled artists to find new creative methods, to the anti-avant-garde metaphysics of Giorgio De Chirico and his associates, who denied technological progress as a means, a kind of impetus for the development of culture and art, which are essentially anti-technological. Their followers turned out to be a whole galaxy of post-war artists, among whom were Lucho Fontana, Piero Manzoni, and others. Thus, it was the ideas of the latter that were reflected in their workThroughout the twentieth century, reactionary movements appeared in Italian art every now and then, starting with Italian futurism, an avant-garde movement that became a reaction to the development of industrialization and enabled artists to find new creative methods, to the anti-avant-garde metaphysics of Giorgio De Chirico and his associates, who denied technological progress as a means, a kind of impetus for the development of culture and art, which are essentially anti-technological. Their followers turned out to be a whole galaxy of post-war artists, among whom were Lucho Fontana, Piero Manzoni, and others. Thus, it was the ideas of the latter that were reflected in their work.Throughout the 20th century, reactionary movements appeared in Italian art every now and then, starting with Italian futurism, an avant-garde movement that became a reaction to the development of industrialization and enabled artists to find new creative methods, to the anti-avant-garde metaphysics of Giorgio De Chirico and his associates who denied technological progress as a means, a kind of impetus for the development of culture and art, which are essentially anti-technological. Their followers turned out to be a whole galaxy of post-war artists, among whom were Lucho Fontana, Piero Manzoni, and others. Thus, it was the ideas of the latter that were reflected in their work.which became a reaction to the development of industrialization and enabled artists to find new creative methods, to the anti-avant-garde metaphysics of Giorgio De Chirico and his associates, who denied technological progress as a means, a kind of impetus for the development of culture and art, which were essentially anti-technological. Their followers turned out to be a whole galaxy of post-war artists, among whom were Lucho Fontana, Piero Manzoni, and others. Thus, it was the ideas of the latter that were reflected in their workwhich became a reaction to the development of industrialization and enabled artists to find new creative methods, to the anti-avant-garde metaphysics of Giorgio De Chirico and his associates, who denied technological progress as a means, a kind of impetus for the development of culture and art, which were essentially anti-technological. Their followers turned out to be a whole galaxy of post-war artists, among whom were Lucho Fontana, Piero Manzoni, and others. Thus, it was the ideas of the latter that were reflected in their work.Thus, it was the ideas of the latter that were reflected in the workThus, it was the ideas of the latter that were reflected in the work

artists "arte povera". Along with the industrial and economic upsurge in Italy in the 1950-1960s, there was a sharp development of consumer culture, which became the main prerequisites for the development of "arte povera". Artists resisted the universal focus on commercialization, denied the values of the established culture, and deliberately used industrial materials, leading a dialogue between nature and industry. Leading social and political dialogues, arte-povera artists believed in art as a serious tool of social impact. At the same time, their works had a reference to the cultural and historical past of Italy as the cradle of the geniuses of world art. The main representatives of this movement are Giuseppe Penone, Michelangello Pistoleto, Janis Kunnelis, Mario Cerolli and many others.The movement was short enough, existed from 1960-1979, however, despite this, the works of artists "arte-povera" are today in the collections of the world’s leading museums and the most prestigious not only Italian, but also world private collections, which were so denied by representatives of "arte -pover ".

Artists of the "arte-povera" could not stay away from the subject environment. Objects of furniture, ceramic sculptures, the experience of the artists of the "arte-povera" movement with theater and cinema - all this will be shown by the Heritage gallery as part of the upcoming exhibition. As a gallery that develops the theme of collection design in Russia, Heritage will also present “poor” furniture, which has now become an object of functional art. The curators of the exhibition paid special attention to such a narrow and rare topic as the design of "arte-povera". Thus, the exposition will feature furniture objects by the sculptor and designer Urano Palma, whose sculptures adorn museum collections in Italy and Korea, and furniture objects are in international collections; functional objects of the architect, designer and poet Riccardo Dalizi, who played an active role in the "anti-design" debate,denying consumerism and functional value in design in the name of the act of creativity; unique furniture by Mario Cerolli "mobile della valle", created especially for the films of Pier Paolo Pasolini in 1967/1977, ceramic objects by the ingenious sculptor and ceramist Alfonso Leone of the 1970s, who made a great contribution to preservation in the 1960s and 1970s traditional techniques through an experimental, innovative approach in sculpture and ceramics and the work of Carlo Zauli, known under the pseudonym "Bianco Zauli" for his monochrome or "sculptor of vases" for the monumentality he imparted to such materials as ceramics.ceramic objects by the genius sculptor and ceramist Alfonso Leone of the 1970s, who in the 1960s and 1970s contributed greatly to the preservation of traditional techniques through an experimental, innovative approach to sculpture and ceramics and the work of Carlo Zauli, known as "Bianco Zauli" for his monochrome or as a "vase sculptor" for the monumentality that he gave to such a material as ceramics.ceramic objects by the genius sculptor and ceramist Alfonso Leone of the 1970s, who in the 1960s and 1970s contributed greatly to the preservation of traditional techniques through an experimental, innovative approach to sculpture and ceramics and the work of Carlo Zauli, known as "Bianco Zauli" for his monochrome or as a "vase sculptor" for the monumentality that he gave to such a material as ceramics.

The term “Russian poor”, by analogy with the Italian “arte-povera”, was coined by the famous curator Marat Gelman in 2008. Under this name, an exhibition opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Perm, and this term was immediately assigned to the artists of this circle. At that time, there were 38 participants, among them were Valery Koshlyakov, Alexander Brodsky, Dmitry Gutov, Alexander Kosolapov, Haim Sokol, Nikolai Polissky and many others. “The Russian Poor exhibition in Perm, the beginning of the first real museum of contemporary art in Russia, was a real breakthrough,” the press wrote after the opening. Like the Italians, Russian artists did not have a common manifesto and hardly worked collectively. Unlike the Italian radical art of the second half of the 1960s, which reacted sharply to the political, economic and social course in the country,The Russian Poor is an unofficial art that came out of hiding after the collapse of the Soviet Union. If in Italy “arte povera” is a protest, the emphasized disregard of the masters of the external representativeness of their works was thought of as a tool that allows art to be removed from the sphere of influence of power structures and market laws, then the “Russian poor” felt like a very organic art in the underground environment, where something on the knee from scrap materials, sitting in the kitchen. The artists, with little choice, worked with "poor materials" to create truly conceptual art. “The Russian poor” is also always a laconic art, the so-called allusion to minimalism due to the limited materials used, which gives the association of the “Russian poor” with the purity of the statement.Like their Italian colleagues, artists use what consumerism has "worked through" and civilization has discarded, referring to materials that have been thrown into landfills: scotch tape, corrugated cardboard, iron, old objects and things.

The "Russian poor" today certainly belongs to the anti-glamorous culture, which unites him with Italian art, and sharpens the social conflict within. And “Russian poor” is an art that is very consonant with the true Russian character.. “I can see how sloppy a Russian person is in a loose state - he will take a healthy hammer, ax, sledgehammer and blurt out…. On the whole, we are still poor people, what kind of art can we still pursue.. "- says one of the main ideologists and artists of this direction Nikolai Polissky. For the project in the Heritage Gallery, Polissky will present trees-columns created especially for the exhibition, symbolizing a reference to classical, grandiose Italian architecture through natural materials. Haim Sokol will present unique objects for Belgian collectors,again turning to the theme of disappearance and loss of connections between people, he will create "dead letters" - objects in the form of letters with real texts of the Belgian soldiers during the First World War. Sergei Shekhovtsov, another prominent representative of the "Russian poor", reformulated sculpture in his work, depriving it of its patrimonial pathos. He creates architectural masterpieces from foam rubber, showing the world as a synthetic illusion and a total readiness for mutation. For the exhibition in Heritage, he will create a pack of stray dogs, rejected by society, but still an integral part of it.He creates architectural masterpieces from foam rubber, showing the world as a synthetic illusion and a total readiness for mutation. For the exhibition in Heritage, he will create a pack of stray dogs, rejected by society, but still an integral part of it.He creates architectural masterpieces from foam rubber, showing the world as a synthetic illusion and a total readiness for mutation. For the exhibition in Heritage, he will create a pack of stray dogs, rejected by society, but still an integral part of it.

“This exhibition is more relevant than ever, turning each of us, as it were,“ inward, ”inward, of the common social problems facing the world community today. And nevertheless forcing them to solve these problems in their own way.. The exhibition is conceptual, multi-layered and multi-meaning. This is a story about the authenticity of Russian "poor art", about its own cultural code and at the same time about the penetration of artistic and philosophical ideas and currents of the 20th century into Russia.. And it is also surprisingly subtle and refined, laconic, aesthetic works of Italian representatives of "arte Povera ”, which conquered the world art market and for which, I think, our collectors are ready. "- says the curator and owner of the gallery Kristina Krasnyanskaya. In the exhibition Anthology of the Poor in Fine Arts and Design.Dialogue between Russia and Italy ”will also take part in the works of such prominent representatives of the“ Russian poor ”of different generations as Valery Koshlyakov, Sergey Shekhovtsov, Nikolai Polissky, Alexander Brodsky, Andrey Kuzkin, Ivan Lungin and others.

“Thanks to the BRAFA in the galleries project, in this difficult time, when we are cut off from foreign clients and colleagues, we have a unique opportunity to acquaint the international public with the exhibition“ Anthology of the Poor in Fine Arts and Design. Dialogue between Russia and Italy ”, which will open in our Moscow gallery,” says the gallery founder and curator Kristina Krasnyanskaya.

The idea of the BRAFA in the galleries project was born from the organizers of the fair, when, after the announcement of its postponement from 2021 to 2022, participants, partners and visitors of the event rushed to express their support and sympathy to them, prompting them to search for an alternative option. So, BRAFA will still take place in 2021, but not at the Tour & Taxis exhibition center, but in a tour format! Each participant is invited to arrange an exhibition, including works selected for BRAFA, in his gallery or at home - the main thing is that everything happens at the same time, from January 27 to January 31, 2021, that is, on the days for which the fair was originally scheduled… The participant, for his part, must record and submit a short video about his project. All videos and photos will appear on the BRAFA website (www.brafa.art) to present this event to the public as vividly as possible.The fair takes over the coordination and promotion and no fees are required from the participants. All galleries from the 2021 list of confirmed exhibitors were invited to join. 126 galleries from 13 countries supported the initiative.