Anton Shchablykin. THEY Automatic translate

The exhibition will feature paintings and graphic works from the "Aliens" series, created by the author in 2011 - 2021.

From the author

The source of my interest in drawing Asian proletarius is in themselves. My main concern is what happens to a person when he finds himself on the border of cultures. How the personality is preserved and changed, torn out like a sprout from its native soil and planted in a place alien to it. Trying to view these people, meeting, communicating and collaborating with them, I often feel as if I were meeting with an alien, alien mind. And the understanding of how different we are, arouses my interest even more. This is a natural artistic curiosity, the desire to look beyond the border of our familiar world, into a different cultural space, which inevitably coexists and actively invades our space. Therefore, the well-established term "aliens" seems to me quite organic to name this direction of my art work.

They live among us, and have long since become our own. We have entrusted our lives, our children, our health to them. They drive minibuses, sit with our kids, build houses, dig gardens, do any simple and necessary work. They live, love, marry, miss their distant world, send money that was ours there. They get used to it easily. To us, to our way of life. Convenient. Unpretentious. They tolerate modest living conditions and hard work well. They are not afraid of the language barrier, arrogant treatment. They have a high ability to survive in a new unfriendly environment. They change their names for us. Jamshid - Johnny. Ali - Alik. Ramadan - Roma. Ilmetdin - Igor. Mukhietdin - Misha. But this, alas, does not bring them closer. We grumble: “How long! Yes, this is the Eastern expansion! Come in large numbers, they don’t know our language, culture! They overwhelmed everything. " We grumble and tolerate.How can you not tolerate it? Otherwise, who will build? Who will vengeance your yards? Sitting with a child, cleaning the office? Wash cars? It has become humiliating for us to “hump for a pittance” at a construction site, cleaning or in a supermarket. They are now absolutely necessary. This is their strength.

They give us a pleasant opportunity to feel smarter and more beautiful. Eastern migrants are the characters of anecdotes. There used to be "Chukchi". Now they are the heroes of television sketches and funny stories about stupid and incomprehensible Asians. Against their background, each one looks quite well and advantageously. Not so clumsy and ridiculous.

They are the heirs of a vast ancient culture. And in this they are very similar to us. First of all, the fact that most of them do not know and do not remember their inheritance. Who are these Ibn Sina, Ferdowsi, Rudaki, Rumi, Khayyam, Nizami, Jami? Perhaps, Ali knows - a graduate of the Tashkent Theater Institute, he was doing repairs in my apartment. Rashid will remember something, he went to school in the days of the empire. But the bulk of Asian youth is rapidly absorbing the accessible versions of pop culture. But purely outwardly, showing amazing internal stability and firmness.

They came and have long shared with us the air we breathe and the land we walk on. The relationship between us is complex and the balance in this relationship is expensive. We can no longer do without them. And they still cannot do without us. But just for now…