Mahacheva Taus

Born in 1983 in Moscow. Studied at Goldsmiths University (London), the Moscow Institute of Contemporary Art, and the Royal College of Art (London). Participant of the 56th Venice Biennale (2017) and the European Biennial “Manifesta 12” (Palermo, 2018). Winner of the Innovation Prize (2011, “New Generation”) and the Kandinsky Prize (2016, “Young Artist. Project of the Year”).

Cloud Caught on a Mountain

The project consists of stories related to contemporary Dagestan.
These stories, picked up during a conversation or overheard, witnessed or furtively observed, gleaned from books, invented or brought out from oblivion, are gradually fleshed out with details, characters and connections coming out like clouds that at once assume a distinct object-like form.
By addressing local context the artist touches upon the themes related to the constructedness of his- tory and cultural legacy, the persistence of ethnic and national cliches in the global world, the reflection on and re-evaluation of the past which clashes with today’s realities. The artist renders these themes as zones of tension between various overlapping and intertwined realities – artistic, cultural, social, practical, and political. Bodily techniques and performances become a device for establishing relations with the outer world, which can be described in terms of movement as opposed to stasis, as well as proportionality. Both the movements and their sequence are the subject of research and at the same time the means by which it is carried out.
The muscular strain required to carry out these movements (real or symbolic) serves as a metaphor for the poignancy of some of the themes and issues raised in artist’s works. In her video works and performances the artist not only suggestively portrays these tension zones but also attempts to find ways of dealing with them. The artist believes that one may bring about change by trying to discern the heroic in the everyday life of people who resist being chained to feelings of impotence, apathy and indifference.

Alexey Maslyaev

The exhibition was held from 19 December 2017 to 4 February 2018 at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art

Curator: Alexey Maslyaev
Exhibition coordinator: Vera Shevel
Registrar: Marina Stravets
Graphic design: Lena Pogodina
Translation: Tatiana Ilyina

Production supported by Museum of Modern Art (Antwerp) and Shaltai Editions
Special thanks to Malika Alieva, Nadezhda Gorbushina and Kamila Kalaeva

Mock-up: Sergey Novoyavchev
Mock-up production: Veronika Smirnova
Video editing: Alina Sarancha
Video production: Alisa Bunkova