Alexander Savko. Look out, Venus! 2014. Print and acrylic on canvas. 120х190. Courtesy of the author. Tanya Badanina. Reverse Perspective. 2011. Wood, plexiglas, light, mirror. 120х30х60. Courtesy of the author. Georgy Ostretsov. Porfiry Ivanov on the Moon. 2014. Oak, copper, epoxy resin. Courtesy of the author. Igor Gusev. Alexander the Great. 2013. Oil on canvas. 130х100. Courtesy of the author. Dmitry Shorin. Luna-1. 2013. Oil on canvas. 95х147. Courtesy of the author. Maksim Bashev «Infanta». 2014. Acrylic on canvas.100x200. Courtesy of the author.

Curated by Dmitry Butkevich, Valeria Gallai, Lusine Petrosyan

Moscow Museum of Modern art presents a project titled “Are you ready to fly?”, devoted to transformation and rethink of the images of the cosmonaut and the outer space in works of contemporary artists. The project contains works of more than 40 celebrated modern artists. There are art objects, installations, paintings, sculptures, photos, video art. All of them have been created strictly in the 21st century.

The project reveals that the space topic is still relevant, though the attitude towards it has significantly transformed in the society, as well as in the contemporary art. It has changed from the rampant romantic appeal during the period of the first space flights, through the indifference of the late-Soviet period to the current ironically philosophical perception. For the artists of the first quarter of the XXI century, the Sky, the Space and the Universe, as well as the Cosmonaut as a personified object and subject of the Universe, are still a source of inspiration. These topics are no longer considered popular mythologems, but radicalize the notion of responsibility of the message, obligatoriness of comprehension of the scale of the idea.

The exhibition is remarkable for artworks of diverse styles, genres and techniques. Paintings on canvas and wood (S.Bazilev “Gagarin on the Beach”, V.Pushnitsky “Waiting”, D.Shorin “Luna-1”, A.Roitburd “Portrait of Yuri Gagarin…”, T.Korotkova “From the Technology series”) adjoin corrugated sheets by D.Muratov and soil on canvas by V.Nasedkin. Sculptures can be naturalistic (K.Khudyakov) or constructivist (I.Shelkovsky). Reliefs can be abstract (B.Kocheishvili) or post-pop art (G.Ostretsov). Light compositions (stereo light panels by K.Khudyakov and acrylic resin cubes by T.Badanina) go with kinetic wooden objects (K.Koleichuk) and metal installations (M.Zvyagintseva, V.Tryamkin, V.Marin, S.Chernov). And finally, there are photos (O.Kulik, I.Mikhailov, Z.Sokol) and video art (S.Shutov, I.Chichkan, M.Shubina, A. Nasonov).

The title of the exhibition appeared from the question “Are you ready to fly?”, constantly asked by Mark Gallai, a test pilot, a cosmonaut trainer of the first group of cosmonauts, who would celebrate his 100th birthday in 2014. After the answer “Ready” the legendary “Let’s go!” sounded each time.

Sound project by Dima Savrasov (Dj Dima Cramp).

The project is carried out on Grant of the President of Russian Federation for supporting of the creative projects of national value in the field of culture and arts.

Exhibition participants: Yuri Avvakumov, Kirill Alexandrov, Tatiana Badanina, Sergei Bazilev, Konstantin Batynkov, Maksim Bashev, Rinat Voligamsi, Anatoly Gankevich, Igor Gusev, Vladislav Efimov, Anastasia Zaborovskaya, Marina Zvyagintseva, Ilya Isupov, Sergei Katran, Vyacheslav Koleichuk, Taisiya Korotkova, Boris Kocheishvili, Bob Koshelokhov, Oleg Kulik, Vladimir Marin, Ivan Mikhailov, Damir Muratov, Vladimir Nasedkin, Arkadiy Nasonov, Georgiy Ostretsov, Vitaly Pushnitsky, Alexander Roitburd, Alexander Savko, Zoya Sokol, Olga Soldatova, Leonid Tishkov, Vladimir Tryamkin, Konstantin Khudyakov, Sergei Chernov, Ilya Chichkan, Igor Shelkovskiy, Dmitry Shorin, Maria Shubina, Sergei Shutov.