Association "Art or Death": Ter-Oganyan, Koshlyakov, Shabel'nikov and other

[Vladimir]

Prior to October 25 in the Moscow Museum of Modern Art on Gogol Boulevard, Building 10 will continue the creative exhibition of the Association of Art or Death "» (http://artinvestment.ru/news/exhibit...h_artists.html). Kollektiv - original phenomenon of the 1980's, a group of like-minded, established in Rostov. One of its leaders was Avdey Ter-Oganyan, now granted political asylum in the Czech Republic because of the well-known absurd coincidences. The band played a Russian modern art such first names as Valery Koshlyakov and Yuri Shabelnikov.

Honestly, if we continue in the same spirit, the words are put into some pathos design that does not correspond to real people and the mood of creativity. Yesterday was a meeting with Koshlyakov and Shabelnikova. Impressions strong.

Both are started in the mid-1980's, it seems quite recent. We somehow out of habit are among them to contemporary art. And thinks - a journey of nearly thirty years. We have before us - the essence of modern classics, the work which, incidentally, already forbidding road (picture Koshlyakov are in the range 35 - 70 thousand dollars). Successful, not so young (the case for half a ruble), but at the same time without losing simplicity. On the other current artists look - you can not tell whether the creator before you, or employer-impresario. Eyes of fire, collectors of the sleeves are pulled - very much doubt whether they have time to think about art? Koshlyakov and Shabelnikov produce the very opposite impression. Dressed simply, even casually, speak well, their doubts are not ashamed. No, all the same artist, a man immersed in himself, you can tell.

The story about youth, about the foreign albums, imported from Bulgaria Avdeev, curious about the exhibition in a public toilet, about the defeat of the Komsomol non-formals from the arts, about a breakthrough in Moscow, about the squat, where the pictures flew off to foreigners at 200-300 dollars. How recently, and as all the same a long time all this happened.

About. This "collection" with a significant number of things early 1980's. That and valuable. However, and surprisingly. Surprised all. And Koshlyakov not always been immersed in scotch and "antiquity" of gigantic dimensions (pause in his "Red Landscape" of 1988). Ter-Oganyan - is not only a "dialogue" with the classics. Another Basil Slepchanka. But most of all personally I was surprised by the work Shabelnikova, its strong original abstract expressionism.

Those who are in Moscow - must watch. Curator Olga Golovanova made a great and important work.