Georgy Ostretsov opened in Vladivostok a new chapter of his famous project "New Government"

October 3 at the Center for Contemporary Art ZARYA (Vladivostok) opened a personal exhibition of Georgy Ostretsov "Autotrans" NP ". The exposition includes elements of one of the artist’s most famous projects “New Government” (“NP”) and the development of this topic in a new series of works created in Vladivostok, the central part of which is the fantastic car “NP”.

President mobile on the background of the Golden Bridge

“While working on the exposition, we decided to transfer the entire production of the exhibition to Vladivostok, including the workshop for the creation of its flagship facility. Such a move not only inspired the author to create a new series of works and a new episode of the NP project, but also made it possible to focus on the local context and shift the emphasis from Central Russia to the Far East , ”said Alisa Bagdonayte, curator of the Center for Social Studies of Zarya.

Gosha Ostretsov and Alice Bagdonayte

Like any government, NP needed a vehicle that would broadcast its strength, power and high technology. That is why the president-mobile of NP became the central exhibit of the exhibition. This fantastic concept car, Georgy Ostretsov, together with his team assembled in Vladivostok for almost three months.

“Vladivostok is one of the country’s automobile centers. And the roads and bridges built for the APEC Summit can be perceived as a government highway, a kind of “president’s golden road”. This topic inspired me to create a concept car for the first person of the state, which could move around and at the same time be a work of art, ”said Georgy Ostretsov about the project.

On the way to the exhibition space, the president-mobile “NP”, working on environmentally friendly alcoholic fuel, managed to run on the Golden Bridge in Vladivostok. “The Golden Bridge in Vladivostok is the beginning of an art march in our homeland. More art - more culture! ”- the artist commented on the action.

The creation of the car and the people who took part in this process were reflected in a new series of works prepared by Georgy Ostretsov. Thus, a new chapter was opened in the “New Government” project.

The utopia of art “The New Government” is a demonstration of utopian political power, realized in easy-to-read and vivid images of political, social and aesthetic phenomena. The new government is devoid of human passions and desires, the faces of impartial rulers are hidden under masks that embody a new effective and exclusive mechanism of power with its levers of manipulation of the mass consciousness.

In the mid-2000s, when the NP project was implemented, this witty social criticism was accurate and relevant as never before, but at the same time extremely ironic and inventive. In the plastic embodiment of the project, Ostretsov uses a comic book aesthetic that reformatts the pathos of the totalitarian message into a meaningful and emotional statement.

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Georgy Ostretsov is one of the most sought after and outstanding artists of modern Russia. He became known almost thirty years ago by participating in the non-conformist exhibitions of the art groups “Kindergarten” (1985-86) and “George & George” (George Ostretsov and George Litichevsky) (1985).

In 1989, the artist left for Paris, where he works in art and fashion projects, collaborates with Luke Besson - makes latex masks for his films, works with Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and Jean-Paul Gaultier.

In Paris, Ostretsov creates the main plastic elements of his future mega-project “New Government” (NP), the concept of which is formulated upon his return to Russia.

C 1998 lives and works in Moscow.

In 2007, his personal exhibition “REPAIR” was held at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art.

In 2009, he represents Russia at the 53rd Venice Biennale.

In 2012, his project “The Criminal Government” was presented at the Saatchi Gallery in London as part of the project “Fun is the Most Outstanding Feature of the Soviet Union: Art from Russia”

The works of George Ostretsov are in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Center for Contemporary Art and the Russian Museum.

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The Zarya Center for Contemporary Art is a non-profit institution created to promote the best achievements of modern culture in Russia and the world in Vladivostok, and to support local young artists. The center is intended to become an independent platform for the development of local creative ideas in the process of effective dialogue with leading world professionals in the field of contemporary art, design, architecture, cinema, literature, theater, music and new media.