Pavel Otdelnov

Born in 1979 in Dzershinsk (Gorky region; presently Nizhny Novgorod region). Graduated from the Moscow State Academic Art Institute and the Moscow Institute of Contemporary Art. Winner of the Innovation Prize (2020, “Artist of the Year”). Lives and works in Moscow.

Promzona
(Exhibition project)

The starting point for the project was our family history. Three generations of my ancestors had worked at chemical plants in Dzerzhinsk: in 1930s, they took part in the industrialisation and built workshops; during World War II, they produced chemical weapons, and later, in peacetime, they made raw materials for various economic sectors. In the 1990s, when the economic system was decentralised, plants were taken over by private owners. Some were found to be unprofitable, and many facilities were closed. The project features six sections: The Traces, The Honour Board, The Museum, The Sand, The Ruins, and The Cinema Hall. In preparing the project, I researched the territories of the chemical plants in their current state, archives, Soviet newspapers — and the personal stories of people who worked at the plants. Using different media — painting, photography, video, installation, text, and readymades — I propose to look at a bygone era in its historical and personal dimensions.

The exhibition was held from 30 January to 10 March, 2019 at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art
Courtesy of the artist and Gazprombank