Conquerors of the Sun are the heroes of the new myth created by Gosha Ostretsov. The exhibition at GUM-Red-Line displays a visual representation of a unique world with its own people, ecosystem, and technologies that was conceived by the artist.
A hundred years after the premiere of the Russian futurist opera Victory over the Sun, Ostretsov – a man of the epoch that was once envisioned by the Futurists – creates a personal epic that goes against common sense. Inspired by the classic Greek and Roman myths, the artist redefines the Avant-Garde theme of surmounting the established order.
By interpreting the names of the eight planets that constitute the Solar System, Gosha Ostretsov establishes an alternative prehistoric timeline where anthropomorphized heroes bearing the names of the main planets are battling against the Sun – a symbolic Medusa the Gorgon who defends the passageways to other spaces and timelines. The Sun represents the axle which holds in place the fundamental order and acts as a guarantee of the main laws of physics. Just like Medusa the Gorgon, it emits deadly rays that force everything in its path to be bound by the established system. Medusa’s gaze turned the eight heroes who wished to transcend the Great Sun and pass beyond the border that it guards into stony planets. With the passage of time, the heroes were deformed and transformed into round spheres. However, their life energy has not been completely drained and gave life to a new world of micro-heroes on one of the planets – humanity. Humans, just as Perseus, are trying to triumph over Medusa and invent a superweapon that will help them master the energy of the Sun, revive the petrified heroes, and go beyond the borders of the Solar System. The attempts of humanity to attain fusion power as of yet did not bear fruit. Humans have only learned to destroy and, thus, have followed in the footsteps of the Sun. Still, the artist’s myth envisions a new epoch during which humanity will be able to recreate the power of the Sun and surmount all borders.
The mythmaking of Gosha Ostretsov synthesizes the heritage of Russian Avant-Garde and science fiction in the artist’s signature manner. The myth, inspired by ancient epics, incorporates images action comics, blasters, and well-dressed hotties. The artist presents the Sun/Medusa the Gorgon as a dominating force holding its subjects in chains. The Futuristic creation of Ostretsov is a classic narrative of a Utopia where new superhumans desire to change the established order.
Text: Elizaveta Shagina
The exhibition is part of the Parallel Program of the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art.
Gosha Ostretsov.
Conquerors of the Sun
22 october — 17 november 2019
