~OLGA CHERNYSHEVA/last week !!

OLGA CHERNYSHEVA – last week !!
SEPT 9 – OCT 10, 2008
FOXY PRODUCTION – 617 WEST 27th ST. – CHELSEA – NYC

last week to catch this rather enigmatic show – a documentary take – that has the feel of an artwork. It’s also interesting because it’s the rare Moscow-based artist – female – at that, that scores face time on 27th ST. – land of the (most) cutting edge !!

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OLGA CHERNYSHEVA, ‘ALLEY OF COSMONAUTS’, 2008, Silver-gelatin fiber prints.
Edition of 5 + 2AP. The silver gelatin process brings a soulful dimension to this scene – already strange in its natural state of deterioration – Moscow’s “famous avenue of statues dedicated to the heroes of Soviet space travel.” It’s really, at its most basic – photography ‘of the street’, in that it is just plain and simple, but deeply felt – photographic capture – of what is ironically just there – a very charged scene – in the right hands – for the taking !!

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the protectively covered cosmonaut statues flicker between aspects of dignified Buddhas, mysterious ancient totems, zombies, mummies, or even, upright & about to walk – living dead – body bags about to come to life – just in time for Halloween.

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on the opposite wall – a completely different series. ‘FROM THE DEPUTY’, 2008, Duraclear prints.
Edition of 5 + 2AP.
at first take – these seem to be actual black ‘sharpie’ & spray paint drawings on clear mylar. street art – inspired spontaneous gestures with bits of realist street underpinnings. but, no !! these are also photographs – large, beautifully ‘transparent’ in the most way-out definition – of actual, street murals made by local artists – in Russian bus shelters !! street-art photographs with a completely different feel.
. . . “FROM THE DEPUTY is a series of black and white transparencies of a municipal public art project in various stages of decay and erasure. Forlorn and vandalized murals have been overlaid with a stenciled statement from the city chief, announcing his benevolence in commissioning the project. Presenting tensions between social policy and artistic practice, the series memorializes the work of the original
artist while questioning whether autonomy is possible.” – press release.

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MICHAEL GILLESPIE paces the galley – it’s also – your last look at this space – FOXY PRODUCTION moves on up – to a bigger space – the old Clementine Gallery – a few doors over – on FRIDAY, the 17th of this month, OCT 2008 – the inaugural exhibit to feature new work by the young JIM BAKER.

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but let’s give the last word, to the artist at hand. on a 3rd wall – there is a loop screening of a brief street video that feels so unlike our own – as to cause a sensation of foreign time travel !!
OLGA CHERNSYHEVA’S video: ‘Untitled’ portrays a low-profile (friend of hers) pedestrian trying to peddle (?) a very young child’s version of etch-a-sketch doodles – that vanish into spatial infinity.

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iMAGE/OLGA CHERNYSHEVA VIDEO CLIP/COURTESY: MoMA

note: there will be a screening of a series of MS. CHERNYSHEVA’S videos in the new MODERN MONDAYS series at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) – on MONDAY OCT 20th, 2008 at 7pm. Although Ms. Chernysheva was not able to be present at the FOXY PRODUCTION opening – she will be present at this screening !!
for more info, see: MoMA/OLGA CHERNYSHEVA !!

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH/unless otherwise noted

FOXY PRODUCTION