Inner Connections is a multimedia project created by artists from the Russian Federation which encompasses the work of visual artists and musicians who are connected both professionally and personally. The title Inner Connections refers to the work’s character which is the result of their close collaboration and their (spontaneous) relationship to the surroundings and new situations. Such principle of work, which is based on close collaboration of artists and art groups, is a tradition in Russian art, often caused by the political situation. In this case it does not imply consolidation and solidarization with the aim of effectively achieving cultural goals, but continuous construction of new relationships within the group of collaborators and participants, which in turn results in new situations, events and experiences, leading to the creation of shared ideas that are turned into an instrument of general cultural work. From this perspective, the dimension of the space of honest and selfless relationships as a basis for creating artworks can be seen as a political act, taking into account the contemporary art scene and its internal relations and phenomena not just in Russia, but globally. Against the processes of individualization, self-sufficiency and finally alienation of man within the dominant contemporary social and cultural models, this concerns love as the basis of social interaction and the connective tissue of interpersonal action.
The exhibition is conceived as a presentation and expansion of two previous projects, The Return of a Curonian Pilot and Arctic 1 by Petr Zhukov, realized in collaboration with Kirill Shirokov (composer), Nikita Pavlov (photography director), Luisa Nobrega (performer), Daniil Zinchenko, Anton Kuryshev, Alexey Akimov and WOLFFX (music).
The previous two projects and related exhibitions were conceived as ‘structures’ open to the layering of meaning depending on the context in which they are performed. They were created as a result of research and interaction with specific places where the artists had resided and presented the work. In addition to the existing places, namely, Nida in Latvia and the Siberian peninsula Taimyr, Zagreb is going to be the third of the total of four imaginary spaces in which this project is finalized. The access to each space includes the interaction between the subjective, sensory experience, mythology created through cultural history, and personal mythologies of people who are ‘creating’ this space (by living and working in it). The works are presented in the so-called live cinema form, which represents a relatively new genre in media art. It refers to a non-traditional way of projecting films that does not entail linear narration, but an interactive performance that gives the artist the freedom to experiment and improvise within different, previously selected media and materials.
Presentation of the project consists of several parts:
Performances of video films in live cinema form by the author Petr Zhukov: The Return of a Curonian Pilot (performed by Kirill Shirokov), Arctic 1 (performed by Kirill Shirokov, Sasha Elina, Daniil Pilchen and Darya Zvezdina).
The presentation of the documentary series of concerts created by a group of musicians: The same (Kirill Shirokov and Sasha Elina), Deka (Kirill Shirokov, Daniil Pilchen, Darya Zvezdina), Thank you, I love you (Sasha Elina, Daniil Pilchen), The last mason (Kirill Shirokov, Daniil Pilchen), Chthonic loss (Kirill Shirokov, Vladimir Gorlinsky), and Meow (Sasha Elina, Vladimir Gorlinsky).
The screening of a new film by Petr Zhukov Tomorrow will be the same.
Curator: Karla Lebhaft
The exhibition was possible by the support of Grad Zagreb.
Work of the Miroslav Kraljević Gallery is supported by Zaklada Kultura Nova.
