EliKuka

The Power of Art. Overdue Anniversary

EliKuka art group
The Power of Art. Overdue Anniversary

Curator: Anna Zaitseva 

The Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow presents ‘The Power of Art. Overdue Anniversary’, a personal exhibition by the EliKuka art group. This year, on the museum’s 25th anniversary, MAMM’s old friends have also decided to celebrate their anniversary (Oleg Eliseev and Evgeny Kukoverov both turned 70) along with us, although actually their seventieth birthday happened last year. The desire to celebrate birthdays together is not accidental — we are connected by not just one, but a whole series of endlessly witty exhibitions, some of them created specifically for MAMM. Our combined luggage includes the exhibitions ‘Revolt of World Order Training Simulators’ (2012), ‘Propaganda of Photographing’ (2014) and ‘Rough Route’ (2016). And now, as a gift for this significant date, the EliKuka art group has prepared a new project where the main idea, let’s not be afraid of the word, is to measure the power of art by visualising and interpreting this metaphorical expression quite literally.

With the invariable irony characteristic of the authors and permeating all the exhibitions shown in our museum without exception, they immediately bamboozle the viewer with a dozen questions, for example: ‘Is it possible to measure the power of art in newtons?’, ‘How much is that in horsepower?’, ‘How does the force applied to art affect its value?’, ‘Maybe art could be more accurately compared to electricity and the power measured in amperes?’

To help the public answer these questions, the EliKuka art duet have invented simulators specially for the exhibition: on one, for example, you can train your muscles using canvases as weights, on another you can check the impact force and follow the dynamics of any ‘growth’ or ‘fall’ in the conditional value of art. But you will have to use the power of your intellect too — to correctly make use of these new inventions, you have to join the game in all seriousness and ‘use your brains’.

‘How material is the power of art? Under the influence of this force your nose may end up at the back of your head, people do strange things, the Stendhal syndrome could develop, your temperature rises, dizziness and involuntary urination occur. Are there methods and devices for measuring this force? Is it related to the force of attraction, the force of friction, the force of elasticity and other physical forces? Or is the power of art more related to the power of stupidity, the power of hopelessness, the power of madness? The ‘successful modern world’ is scientific and sporty, and it requires the same from art: accuracy in measurements and avoiding consumption of anything fried, sweet or salty. As far as possible, we will try to meet this requirement.’ (EliKuka art group).

______________

Oleg Eliseev was born in 1985 in Moscow, Evgeny Kukoverov in 1984 in Kirovo-Chepetsk. They live and work in Moscow. From 2005 to 2007 they were part of the art group Nalivka-Zapekanka (together with Maxim Roganov), and from 2005 they became members of the Zianida performance group (together with Georgy Litichevsky) and the musical collective I.H.N.A.B.T.B.

The EliKuka group made their debut on the Moscow art scene in 2007. Since then they have presented personal projects in Moscow, London and Paris, as well as participating in important projects such as ‘Russian Lettrism’ (Central House of Artists, Moscow) and ‘Relative Connections’ (Etagi, St. Petersburg)

Selected solo exhibitions: ‘Rough Route’ (Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow, 2016); ‘Propaganda of Photographing’ (Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow, 2014); ‘Revolt of World Order Training Simulators’ (Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow, 2012; Regina Gallery, Moscow, 2012); ‘Bacteria mon amour!’ (Galerie Stanislas Bourgain, Paris, 2009); ‘Fat Exhibition’ (Ravenscourt Gallery, Moscow, 2008); ‘Boring Exhibition’ (Reflex Gallery, Moscow, 2008).

Exhibition prepared by: Alexander Chentsov, Alexei Gureev, Yuri Nalbandyan, Vladimir Denisenko, Viktor Basov, Maxim Voldaev, Tatiana Efimova, Dmitri Kalashnikov, Denis Komarov, Kirill Kosenko, Vyacheslav Novik, Alexei Novikov, Vladimir Kavtaradze, Alexei Kulakov, Vadim Peganov, Vasilisa Topal, Ilya Flyarkovsky and Yulia Naumenko.