Modernikon - Casa dei Tre Oci

The Art of Being Contemporary foundation, Moscow, in collaboration with Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, are delighted to present a major exhibition of Russian contemporary art entitled Modernikon, curated by Francesco Bonami and Irene Calderoni.

Modernikon explores Russia’s young and still-evolving art scene of today, presenting the public with the newest artistic research from a country that has only recently presented itself on the international art scene.

The contemporary art system in Russia was formed in the Nineties, concurrent with the extreme political and social upheaval following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Many artists at that time considered art to be an instrument of social reform, a means with which to directly address the reality that had come out of the great traditions of their avant-garde history. The new art had political connotations and a radical aesthetic, characterised by a taste for provocation and scandal.

Contemporary art in Russia today has entered a new phase, as stated by one of Russia’s most interesting and influential artists Anatoly Osmolovsky. The idea of artistic practice as a form of direct action has paved the way for a more reflective approach that focuses more on the work of art itself, reconsidering its modernist inheritance and ambitions of social and aesthetic reform.

The title of the exhibition, Modernikon, merges its reference to modern with the most classical of Russian art forms; it is a word that is suspended between the present and the past, between the idea of an image that aims to transmit all things new and, at the same time, the mythology of an outdated cultural trend. Modernikon features the work of 20 artists, some of whom are already established on the international art scene and others who are still emerging.

All the artists work with a wide range of media, from painting and sculpture to video, photography and installation. As well as existing works, many new pieces have also been especially commissioned for the exhibition.

The exhibition will be presented at La Casa dei Tre Oci, an architecturallandmark in Venice built in the early 20th century and characterised by itsarchi-acuti (the three eyes) windows.

The palazzo was designed by the artist Mario De Maria (Marius Pictor) in 1913, as his home and studio space. La Casa dei Tre Oci reopens with this exhibition, following a lengthy restoration period.

Information.

Until November 27th - Casa dei Tre Oci - Giudecca Island