Exhibition "Accumulated"

The Moscow School of Contemporary Art presents the exhibition "Accumulated" in its own exhibition space U contemporary at the Winzavod Center for Contemporary Art.

In the modern world, there are often various types of activities that, to one degree or another, are associated with the process of collecting. The very process of collecting something can reflect everyday life, personal interests, professional activities, or something necessary and very important for an individual. We often collect some items as a memory, as something important, associated with memories and references to the past. Also, we often collect something, because we have a special interest, passion and even obsession.

Collecting is a very important part of artistic practice, because the process itself involves building a special relationship with the things and objects that make up the collection, which sometimes becomes a kind of obsession. Throughout history, artists have collected objects for many reasons - as studio props, sources of inspiration, references to their work, personal souvenirs, and even as an investment. Unlike museums, artists do not always take a scientific approach to collecting and do not strive to amass comprehensive and representative collections. Their acquisitions reflect personal interests and obsessions, usually done in tandem with their own work, often for aesthetic reasons, and sometimes because they can’t stop collecting.

The process of gathering implies the use of a certain system, a kind of framework and boundaries. Often, everyone determines for himself what and how to collect, where and when this or that item becomes of particular importance. A systematized collection of objects, united according to some specific feature, has internal integrity and belongs to a specific owner - an individual, organization, state. It is obvious that gathering is characteristic not only for individuals, that is, this process is an integral part of existence. Is it connected with the desire to own and have at your disposal a conditional treasure, that is, to feel that you are surrounded by some kind of ’treasury’? Or is it more related to emotional attachment to things, which in turn cause a relationship with memory,feelings and personal experiences? What drives people and motivates them to surround themselves with objects that can sometimes be completely useless? Is this some kind of oddity or even a disease?

On the other hand, today we live in a shared economy of consuming services, not things. Phenomena such as crowdsourcing or rental services like Airbnb reflect the interests shown by millennials in temporary ownership of things, in applications, not objects. What then to do with objects and things? In a culture that is redefined by the way we consume, what about the people who collect and store things? What to do with personal archives, private universes that collectors create in their persistent attempt to leave a mark on eternity?

Curator: Mikhail Levin.