Olga & Oleg Tatarintsev. Drowning by Numbers. ILONA–K artspace, Moscow

The gallery’s first major exhibit is a large-scale retrospective show entitled “Drowning by Numbers,” featuring the work of the celebrated artistic duo of Olga and Oleg Tatarintsev. The perestroika years in Russia were the catalyst for the Tatarintsevs’ career path and you can see the significance of social issues in their work, as well as a profound exploration of the relationship between art and power. The Tatarintsevs tend to lean towards conceptualism in their artistic practice, but they are also evidently fascinated by the plasticity of form. This duality enables the artists to transfer pressing social problems from the political sphere and project them onto one dominated by artistic form. It may be important to note that in the works of this duo you can sense a dialogue with the non-objective artists of the early Soviet avant-garde. Moreover, it is clear that the Tatarintsevs are also conversing with a number of different literary and historical traditions in the 19th and 20th centuries. Whatever the theme or medium they have chosen, the Tatarintsevs’ work has a singular style and exceptional aesthetic quality. The “Drowning by Numbers” exhibits encompasses two separate spaces, a topography which gives the artists a unique opportunity to tie together the autonomous and yet interconnected parts of the exhibition. The gigantic exhibition space on the 2nd floor will showcase projects that the artists have created over the last 10 years, allowing visitors a view of the artists’ stylistic evolution as well as a definitive array of the themes that have been central to the Tatarintsevs’ oeuvre over time. At the very start of the exhibit, visitors will encounter “Beyond Borders” (2018), a complex but balanced combination of text, type and color. Further along, there are multicolored sculptural objects, including “The Persistence of Memory” (2014), “Burden” (2018) and “Camouflage” (2018). “The Nature of Silence” (2017) and “The Gene of Altruism” (2018-20) are largely perceived as more elaborate installations, dedicated to people who fearlessly fought for their ideas and beliefs under totalitarianism. Similarly, “Instead of Music” (2015) draws inspiration from the ideological manifestos of the Stalinist era and a point in time that marked the beginning of the revolt against formalism in the Soviet Union. It may be important to point out that the exhibition will also feature works on canvas, included a series by Olga Tatarintseva entitled “Line of Sound” (2010). This series is devoted to Wassily Kandinsky, who served as inspiration for the artist. Notably in these pieces, Olga quotes the text of Richard Wagner’s libretto “Lohengrin,” and superimposes bits of it onto the rhythm of a visual melody. The artist uses the same approach for paintings in a second series called “I Am Not Just Saying This” (2020). In order to 07.09.2020 – press release пресс-релиз _ pg 1 of 2 – 07.09.2020 – press release пресс-релиз _ pg 2 of 2 – – avoid direct parallels between their previous work and their current creations, the Tatarintsevs intend to display only new pieces realized specifically for this exhibition

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