Transformatio. Contemporary art of Dagestan. 16+ Automatic translate

The exhibition at the Erarta Museum will show Dagestan art, in which contemporary world trends are refracted, passing through the prism of national philosophy.

Exposition “Transformatio. The contemporary art of Dagestan ”will unite a narrow circle of contemporary artists working in Makhachkala, Moscow and London: Magomed Kazhlaev, Aladdin Garunov, Ibragimkhalil Supyanov, Apandi Magomedov, Eduard Puterbrot, Taus Makhacheva, Natalia Mali, Murad Halilov. Their work has developed as a real alternative to official art, it exists in an atmosphere of free competition of artistic ideas, a lively variety of style manners.

To a greater or lesser degree, the work of each master is intonationally connected with Dagestan. We are not talking about a direct ethnic group, but what is called the "genius of the place", in different ways, manifests itself in the works of all artists. This may be an appeal to the traditions of the peoples of Dagestan, to decorative and applied art (motifs of stone and wood carving), landscape, characters, a special philosophy that distinguishes the inhabitants of Dagestan from other peoples. It is not so important whether the artist works in his homeland, or ended up in another country - the Dagestan “style” is still preserved in his work.

In the works of the masters, there is a balance between ethnic identity and inner freedom, between aesthetic norms that have developed over the centuries and new demands that have arisen under the influence of world culture of the twentieth century. In the art of Dagestanis there is a unifying principle and at the same time diversity.

The abstractions of Magomed Kazhlaev (painting), Ibragimkhalil Supyanova (painting, graphics, sculpture), Apandi Magomedova (painting, three-dimensional objects) act as a single block. The late artist and philosopher Edward Puterbrot became their spiritual teacher. Each of these masters has its own unique style, but at the same time there is a spiritual community between the artists, as if they only know their secret language, in which attention to symbols and signs, restraint and laconicism of images play an important role.

Aladdina Garunova, in addition to the spiritual component, is deeply touched by the problems of the modern world with globalization, the erasure of national and religious features. The mass culture of pop art and ethnic tradition are largely incompatible concepts. The artist turns to this “borderline”, the struggle of opposites, bringing the images to a pure metaphor. Aladdin’s works are monumental. He is an experimenter who turns in his work to the most unexpected materials for painting, uses fragments of carpets and fur, rubber, plastic, etc.

Taus Makhacheva, who was educated in Moscow and London, is a bright representative of not only Dagestan, but also the world of contemporary art, the winner of many international competitions, whose works are acquired by major museums. In his video works and performances, Taus constantly addresses the theme of Dagestan, linking ancient history, culture and modernity.

Natalia Mali lives and works in London. She graduated from the Department of Cinema and Contemporary Photography at Yale University, USA. Exhibited since 2000, Natalia gained fame in such areas as production photography, video art, installation, collage and performance. Mali creates collective images based on years of study of the history and culture of its people.

The painting of the youngest participant of the exhibition - Murad Khalilov - is characterized by incredible expression, and his video art is reflections on reality surrounding the artist, modern realities and echoes of the past.

Until recently, a custom existed in mountain villages in Dagestan: during the construction of a new house, the family transfers birth pillars from the old walls. These pillars, decorated with whimsical carvings, solar symbols, ancient signs, except for utilitarian purposes - they serve as backups for the roof - carry sacred functions: they protect the family from misfortunes. Generic pillars represent the genetic memory and connection of time. Ancient customs gradually recede into the past, but their echoes, like tribal pillars, we find in the works of modern Dagestan artists.

Exhibition "Transformatio. Contemporary Art of Dagestan ”is a joint project of the Erart Museum and the Marjani Foundation.

The exhibition presents works from the collections of the Mardzhani Foundation (Moscow), the Museum of the History of the city of Makhachkala (Makhachkala), as well as from the collections of artists participating in the exhibition.