Spiritual Combat

[Кирилл Сызранский]

September 20 at 18:00 in room Gelman Gallery at 4 Syromyatnicheskiy lane on one page 9, pavilion № 23 will open the exhibition Eugene Maltseva « Spiritual Combat » with the support of promoting national reconciliation" Russia for All ».

Idea: Victor Bondarenko

icon has always been a visible embodiment of the Christian doctrine. Changing era - updated images. However, for most of the XX century Russian icon painting - for obvious reasons - there is nothing new. Was even thought that the highest values ​​of the New Testament are museums monuments, rigid rituals, ethnographic archaic. Why and where to develop Christian art, if the best has already taken place in the past? His new project, we say, is an illusion. In Christian art has a future, if only because the icons of the past is not ideally the sacred tenets. Also, if the ecclesiastical art ceases to be relevant, it loses contact with the wealth of experience that has been accumulated in the past. To prevent this spiritual disaster, the largest collector of icons Victor Bondarenko and artist Eugene Maltsev, decided to create a live, is in the spirit of the time, the images of Christianity, the Holy Trinity, the Saviour, the Virgin, the characters of the Apocalypse ... They accumulated the ideas and concepts that were broadcast Orthodox icons for centuries. However, this is not only a sequel, but the disclosure of the content, which has never received visual expression. We want to bring back the spirit of creativity in the field of sacred art. Creating actual icons in accordance with the dogmatic teaching of the Church, we show that Christian art can not be reduced to copying monuments of the past and can develop infinitely.


The icon must be freed from the old "loop", which carries the vestiges of the slave system, feudalism, despotism, patriarchy, bigotry, ignorance, oppression of the individual. That is why the starting point adopted by the participating images feminist group Pussy Riot, which became a symbol of the struggle for spiritual freedom, for a living religious feeling against all attempts to usurp him, hiding behind "traditional religions", "public morals", "spiritual foundations of statehood" and similar simulacra. The project is the opening of spiritual warfare dictum of St. Paul: "... we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principles, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). This new image of Christianity, which came in the XXI century and is still a revolutionary ideology.


Roman Bagdasarov

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September 20 Winery presents "Spiritual Combat". This is a joint project of the collector of ancient paintings of Victor Bondarenko and young artist Eugene Maltsev. They do not hide the fact that their action inspired punk band Pussy Riot at Christ the Savior Cathedral. The New Times understood it - "new icons" antiikony or paintings of modern masters, just use the sacred images.

Russian Orthodox priest Father NN *:
"His works look Contrary to religious tradition, denying it - and familiar aesthetics, and Christian ethics. No explanation of this painting is seen as antiikona, icon demonic. That's right, I suppose, it will be regarded outside of gallery space - the "negative" technological methods of the artist rather straightforward: the icon board, known iconographical subjects, but written in a "negative" light. To say that the painting Maltseva - is an icon, "new icon", can only with the necessary qualifications. Even if we agree that there is one in the paintings of the essential features of the icon - the phenomenon of the highest means of the earth (a "negative" search for evangelical ethics), this does not mean that before this "new icon" you can pray. Here his word to say time and assume that it is not on the side of the artist. Too local, in many ways, I feel inspired Maltsev story Pussy Riot. Even despite the fact that this story reveals the global eruption humdrum religiosity. This painting ideologically closer to the actual poster, with all its pathos, just search for truth, rather than the icon, in addition to reflecting the truth even eternity. "

*NN decided not to sign his real name comment, citing The New Times: «Such time now, especially after the transfer of Arkady Mamontov" provocateurs-2 "on the channel" Russia 1 ».