GUM-Red-Line Gallery 23.12.2022 – 10.02.2023

Aristarkh Chernyshev. MetaConsumer

Aristarkh Chernyshev’s solo exhibition covers 5+ years of the artist’s work, offering a recap of important milestones on both the artist’s latest creative endeavors and social life in general. Chernyshev’s multimodal, versatile and paradoxical vision ensures that the artist remains in line with our time and sometimes even manages to outpace our time. Enthusiastically working on creating a new aesthetic, the artist delves into the paradigm of sci-fi, embodying through his project ideas that are yet to be developed by the progressive section of humanity.

Crises, ascents, and breakdowns of economic sys- tems, as well as the creation of breakthrough tech- nologies bordering on sci-fi — these are the themes that Aristarkh Chernyshev mediates on in his works. Since 1991 he works on media sculptures, interac- tive objects, and conceptual projects. The competition of the Electroboutique partnership established with Alexei Shulgin in 2004 can be seen as the starting point of the artist’s new creative period.

Chernyshev’s art is focused on the idea of information itself. Within his mind Aristarkh Chernyshev accumulates data on society, its progress and stagnation, passions and inevitable worries about the future, creating versions of smart gadgets and social services that entice consumers with promises of a better future.

The programmatic artwork of the entire exhibition is the project “MetaConsumer” which embodies the meta position of the artist. The unrestrained hyperconsumerism of regular people and the race for super-profits among corporations have brought humanity to the brink of destruction, believes the artist. However, the artist’s critique of reality is presented in a playful way, allowing us to consider the survival risks that our civilization faces while maintaining a consumer’s confidence and level of control even in times of crises.

Active viewer participation is an important part of the “MetaConsumer” exhibition project. Everyone can participate in the media art performance piece, try out various services created with AR technologies, and attain a protagonist’s prominence while considering the artworks presented at GUM-Red-Line Gallery.

Curator - Marina Fedorovskaya