GUM-Red-Line presents The Common Goal Philosophy project as part of the 7th Cosmoscow International Contemporary Art Fair that will be held at Gostiny Dvor on September 6-8, 2019. The project,
initiated by artist Gosha Ostretsov, unites more than 20 famous Russian contemporary artists:
Olga Bozhko, Ksenia Dranish Vladimir Dubossarsky, Oleg Yeliseyev and Evgeny Kukoverov (EliKuka group), Konstantin Zvezdochetov, Alisa Yoffe, Liudmila Konstantinova, Irina Korina, Oleg Kotelnikov, Olga Kroytor, Daria Krotova, Georgy Litichevsky, Misha Most, Gosha Ostretsov, Sergey Pakhomov (Pakhom), Pavel Pepperstein, Aleksandr Petrelli, Tanya Pioniker, Inal Savchenkov, Natalia Struchkova, Nikolay Filatov, Valery Chtak
This collective endeavor will be a large-scale 4-day session (including previews) that will bring the finest representatives of Russian contemporary art together to one place. DJ sets will be a perfect bonus to the main program.
The project is themed around space. To understand the cosmos, one must first accept it as a unified environment that is inherently connected to humanity while discarding the impression of cosmos as terrifying “uncharted waters”. The project demonstrates the importance of gaining understanding about our Universe through philosophy and art. It is a creative experiment, a metaphor of the cosmic expanse as a space for exchanges and communication. The title of the project relates to the work of Russian philosopher Nikolai Fyodorov who saw man as a part of nature, and each individual person – a part of the cosmos.
Inspired by these notions, Gosha Ostretsov asks his colleagues to unite for “a common goal”, inviting them to symbolically represent the unified fabric as a piece created by a team of artists in a single public space. Each author, utilizing his or her personal stylistic means, will take part in the collaboration. This will create a web of creative exchanges, as well as a paradigm of universal connections. Intersections and intertextuality – that is the main artistic principle of the project. The theme also relates to the name of the fair – Cosmoscow.
Remaining in constant dialogue, the artists will paint on a 140-meter canvas stretched on a 2-meter-high construction – a spiral made of two parts. This installation was envisioned by Gosha Ostretsov as a symbolic model of the Galaxy where stars form a spiral around the center. While working in the confines of this spiral, the artists will all be bound the same centrifugal force – the art which enables us to choose our own unique path. The installation is a metaphor of travels and a winding path. A spiral is the archetype of a space that is the birthplace of time. The paradoxical journey across the spiral is a movement with moments of arbitrary deceleration and a potential return to the beginning of the path.
During the first two days of Cosmoscow (the preview on September 5 and the first day open to the public – September 6), visitors will be able to follow the work of the artists in real-time on plasma screens on site and via the GUM-Red-Line site (all footage will be captured with a crane). On September 7-8, the final results of the project will be presented.
The Common Goal Philosophy Project brings together artists of different generations. This way each creator presents not only his or her art, but also demonstrates the wholesome body of the Russian contemporary art. The project will turn into a connection point where the individual becomes a part of the collective. It is similar to a living area where everybody involved – both the participants and the viewers – can feel themselves as a part of the whole, an element in the model of the Universe.
Upon the completion of the Cosmoscow fair, the painted 140-square meter canvas divided into conceptual fragments will be displayed at GUM-Red-Line on Red Square. Along with the display of group art elements, the Gallery will present individual artworks by the event participants. The works will be demonstrated on mobile stands as a symbolic Russian contemporary art archive fund.
The project will culminate with a charity auction in support of the Cosmoscow Foundation for Contemporary Art. The auction will take place on September 24, 2019.
Text – Elizaveta Shagina
Artists of The Common Goal Philosophy Project
Georgy Ostretsov
Vladimir Dubossarsky
Pavel Pepperstein
Irina Korina
Tanya Pioniker
Olga Bozhko
Ksenia Dranysh
EliKuka Art Group
Konstantin Zvezdochetov
Alisa Yoffe
Liudmila Konstantinova
Oleg Kotelnikov
Olga Kroytor
Daria Krotova
Georgy Litichevsky
Misha Most
Sergey Pakhomov (Pakhom)
Alexander Petrelli
Valery Chtak
Inal Savchenkov
Nikolay Filatov
Natalia Struchkova
