Alexander Savko
Has had solo exhibitions in Moscow, Berlin (2002) and Vienna (2004). Participated in the Cetinje Biennale (1997) and “Dialogue,” an exhibition of Russian artists in Paris (1989).
Alexander Savko’s latest works contain a collision between the aesthetic of Western television shows and the concept of the “everyday heroism of Soviet man”, an idea used widely in ideological constructions during the Soviet era. According to this concept, every Soviet citizen accomplishes a daily feat of labor by fulfilling his quota or even just by going to work. While mass culture introduced Superman, a man with special abilities, Soviet paintings offer a counterpoint in the heroic, yet run-of-the-mill Everyman. The Soviet aesthetic fought against molds, but more often than not was unsuccessful. Even the highest-ranking nomenclature-pushers were subject to criticism in art for depicting people who were too similar to one another. America’s internationally exported mass culture, on the other hand, is built on the reproduction of molds. The absurdity in Savko’s art hinges on a character from a television series or comic book falling into an isolated and unrepeatable event from a historical painting. In these visions of the past, characters like Superman and Spiderman, who are fixed permanently in the present, create dissonance by their very presence. Savko’s paintings emphasize the contrast between two ideological spheres. He smoothes out the texture and deprives the space of depth. He did the same a few years ago with masterpieces of world painting, replacing Picasso’s visions and Socialist Realist workers with characters from The Simpsons. The past becomes a rich source of scenery for the eternally lasting present. Cartoons never grow old.
Valentin Dyakonov
“Знамя”. Из серии “Демоны моей мечты”. 2007. Холст, акрил, 110х200. Courtesy Айдан-галерея Flag. From the series Demons of my Dreams. 2007. Oil on canvas. 110 х 200 cm. Courtesy of the Aidan
“Письмо”. Из серии “Демоны моей мечты”. 2007. Холст, акрил, 120х200. Courtesy Айдан-галерея Letter. From the series Demons of my Dreams. 2007. Oil on canvas. 120 х 200 cm. Courtesy of the Aidan Gallery
“Сестра”. Из серии “Просто Венера”. 2005. Холст, акрил, 170х220. Courtesy Айдан-галерея Sister. From the series Simply Venus. 2005. Acrylic on canvas. 170 х 220 cm. Courtesy of the Aidan Gallery
“Рождение Венеры”. Из серии “Просто Венера”. 2005. Холст, акрил, 170х295. Courtesy Айдан-галерея Birth of Venus. From the series Simply Venus. 2005. Acrylic on canvas. 170 х 295 cm. Courtesy of the Aidan Gallery