Oksana Afanasyeva. Dazzling White and Coal Black

About the exhibition

The Moscow Museum of Modern Art and the Free Workshops School of Contemporary Art present Oksana Afanasyeva’s exhibition Dazzling White and Coal Black. It is about a personal journey into the world of the artist's childhood memories. The exhibition is part of the MMOMA Young Art Support Programme.

The exposition is a journey into the world of childhood, where light and dark memories intertwine to create a personality. The space is divided into two parts symbolising the opposite sides of experience: the kind and cruel worlds.

The first room is a bright world of love, joy and family traditions, where the central object is a round table that brings people together and stands for closeness, care and unity. Ceramic objects and embroidery create an atmosphere of warmth and tenderness, referring to children's carelessness, fantasies, games and desires. This world reminds of the traditions of shared meals, where communication, support, love and kindness are more important than food, and embroidery on the tablecloth and tableware acts as a metaphor for dialogue, exchange of love and support. In contrast, the second room reveals more complex and contradictory aspects of memories, creating a multifaceted tunnel of memory where childhood experiences take on a new depth. The installation and textile panels visualise deeply hidden experiences: fear of the dark, loneliness, disapproval and uncertainty, fear of being wrong or not being loved. Through images such as a canopy cot with a spider or embroidered scarecrows, the author invites the viewer to come face to face with their own fears in order to make sense of them and free themselves from their influence.

The exhibition turns into a tunnel of memory, where light and dark emotions intertwine to create a holistic portrait of the human soul. Through personal memories transformed into art objects, the author opens the corners of her memory, inviting the viewer to immerse themselves in their own memories and emotions. The artist invites viewers not only to recall the lightness and simplicity of childhood, but also to encounter its shadows in order to move on, gaining inner wholeness. In total, the exhibition will feature more than 40 works: installations, ceramics and photo collages.

About the artist

Oksana Afanasyeva is a multimedia artist. She works with installation, objects, ceramics, textiles and other materials. Graduated from Tver Art College, majoring in arts and pedagogy, Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Industry, Faculty of Monumental and Decorative Art, Department of Ceramics and Glass, graduate of the Free Workshops School. In 2022 Oksana Afanasyeva was named the discovery of the year by VLADEY. Her works are in private collections in Russia and abroad. Born in 1987 in Tver, she lives and works in Moscow.

About the school

About the Free Workshops School of Contemporary Art The School of Contemporary Art Free Workshops is an educational platform of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art for young artists and curators. It was founded in 1992 by a group of artists and art historians, including Alexander Ponomarev, Vladimir Kupriyanov, Vladimir Nasedkin, and Moscow State University professors Vera Dazhina and Valery Turchin. Students attend workshops of the best speakers, successful cultural leaders, well-known philosophers, and theorists of contemporary art. Through the educational programme, young artists and curators immerse themselves in the art world, participate in workshops, group exhibitions and festivals. Being part of the Museum, Free Workshops offer their audience a unique opportunity to study theoretical and practical aspects of contemporary art while being in its epicentre. At every stage of their journey the artists are supported by the Museum and the School. They are encouraged to take part in group exhibitions (annual exhibitions of young art, group projects by young curators) and to have solo exhibitions (MMOMA Young Art Support Programme).