Jouyful noises and happy toys
2024
Materials: Unreal engine for the simulation, recycled 3d-printed plastic, hard wood, uv-resin, earthware, resin, automotive paint, metal, aluminium, strings, carpet, pigment, acrylic, light reflective fabric, ply wood, loam, electronics,
Photo by @documentommy
Additional text for the exhibition by Katerina Sidorova: The myth makers, Baba vanga vs the Simpsons
Joyful_Noises_and_Happy_Toys is a choreographed collision of dissonant worlds. Drawing on Baba Vanga’s cryptic role in contemporary Russian mythology, the exhibition operates as a networked system of contradictions—where the mystical, digital, and physical vie for narrative authority.
Selo(village)
The project draws inspiration from Byung-Chul Han’s comparison of contemporary society to the medieval period, where magic and superstition prevailed over reason and scientific inquiry. Han argues that we are experiencing a return to these "magical" times, where anxiety, confusion, and disorientation drive people to adopt simplistic and often irrational beliefs. As in the medieval era, today's proliferation of contradictory information and the erosion of shared reality give rise to a "post-truth" environment, where feelings take precedence over facts, and social bonds are increasingly defined by faith rather than reason.
This simulation serves as a critical reflection on this cultural regression by creating a digital microcosm where autonomous characters, each with unique ideologies and belief systems, interact and clash. As their needs and desires shift, so too does the narrative of the simulation, highlighting how volatile and unstable these worldviews can be. Through this dynamic, the work depicts the entanglement of belief, power, and control, revealing the underlying forces that shape our contemporary landscape of ideas.
Veiled Prophecies
These paintings depict Baba Vanga, a popular mystic who has been co-opted by Russian propaganda. Many of the claims attributed to her are likely fabricated, but the cryptic nature of these clairvoyants' messages aligns perfectly with the confusing and fragmented rhetoric of Russian propaganda, where nothing seems traceable, and everything appears convoluted.
" Since my childhood, mystics, fortune tellers, and astrologers have seen a surge in popularity in Russia. While they have always held a place in the collective imagination, they were typically relegated to the realms of trashy magazines or late-night TV spectacles. However, in recent times, these mystics have been mobilized as tools in the dissemination of propaganda and misinformation. State-sponsored TV channels and various online media platforms are now promoting predictions from these mystics as legitimate sources of information, particularly in tightly controlled political debate shows.
The reality of these political debate shows is already bizarre, characterized by primitive and pseudo-intellectual discussions that often stray from reality and facts. However, the inclusion of psychics in these forums adds another layer of absurdity, as their predictions are used to forecast war outcomes or inform decisions made on the battlefield."
2024
Materials: Unreal engine for the simulation, recycled 3d-printed plastic, hard wood, uv-resin, earthware, resin, automotive paint, metal, aluminium, strings, carpet, pigment, acrylic, light reflective fabric, ply wood, loam, electronics,
Photo by @documentommy
Additional text for the exhibition by Katerina Sidorova: The myth makers, Baba vanga vs the Simpsons
Joyful_Noises_and_Happy_Toys is a choreographed collision of dissonant worlds. Drawing on Baba Vanga’s cryptic role in contemporary Russian mythology, the exhibition operates as a networked system of contradictions—where the mystical, digital, and physical vie for narrative authority.
Selo(village)
The project draws inspiration from Byung-Chul Han’s comparison of contemporary society to the medieval period, where magic and superstition prevailed over reason and scientific inquiry. Han argues that we are experiencing a return to these "magical" times, where anxiety, confusion, and disorientation drive people to adopt simplistic and often irrational beliefs. As in the medieval era, today's proliferation of contradictory information and the erosion of shared reality give rise to a "post-truth" environment, where feelings take precedence over facts, and social bonds are increasingly defined by faith rather than reason.
This simulation serves as a critical reflection on this cultural regression by creating a digital microcosm where autonomous characters, each with unique ideologies and belief systems, interact and clash. As their needs and desires shift, so too does the narrative of the simulation, highlighting how volatile and unstable these worldviews can be. Through this dynamic, the work depicts the entanglement of belief, power, and control, revealing the underlying forces that shape our contemporary landscape of ideas.
Veiled Prophecies
These paintings depict Baba Vanga, a popular mystic who has been co-opted by Russian propaganda. Many of the claims attributed to her are likely fabricated, but the cryptic nature of these clairvoyants' messages aligns perfectly with the confusing and fragmented rhetoric of Russian propaganda, where nothing seems traceable, and everything appears convoluted.
" Since my childhood, mystics, fortune tellers, and astrologers have seen a surge in popularity in Russia. While they have always held a place in the collective imagination, they were typically relegated to the realms of trashy magazines or late-night TV spectacles. However, in recent times, these mystics have been mobilized as tools in the dissemination of propaganda and misinformation. State-sponsored TV channels and various online media platforms are now promoting predictions from these mystics as legitimate sources of information, particularly in tightly controlled political debate shows.
The reality of these political debate shows is already bizarre, characterized by primitive and pseudo-intellectual discussions that often stray from reality and facts. However, the inclusion of psychics in these forums adds another layer of absurdity, as their predictions are used to forecast war outcomes or inform decisions made on the battlefield."
