Anastasia Patsey
WHAT IS NONCONFORM?
The project NONCONFORM is dedicated to researching and rethinking the phenomenon of nonconformism from different perspectives and fostering a dialog between art professionals based in Russia and the U.S
SIX ARTISTS FROM BOTH COUNTRIES WERE INVITED TO EXPLORE THE MEANINGS BEHIND THE TERM NONCONFORM
The audience — participants of public events and visitors of the exhibition on Mozilla Hubs — joins the search for answers about whether nonconformism is possible today and if yes, which forms it might take
During this search, one can walk through already-beaten tracks or step off and take a completely new direction
The routes and methods of their searches, our discussions and various new questions that arose along the way, became the most valuable outcome of this project
exhibition halls > exhibition halls
This space is connected to the history of nonconformism in St. Petersburg since it uses the architecture and aesthetics of the "Culture Houses" that used to host nonconformist exhibitions in the 1970s and 1980s.
Community art centres
// Entrance Zone
How to tell generations Y and Z about nonconformism?
Dictionary of nonconformism
// Central Hall
The project consists of 5 video interviews. All of the interviewees are eyewitnesses and participants of the processes that took place in the art of Leningrad–St.Petersburg in the late 80s, 90s and 00s. They are Marina Kaverzina, Marina Koldobskaya, Olesya Turkina, Ira Aktuganova, Dmitry Pilikin.
Memory upgrade
// Lyudmila Belova
The general theme around my work is architecture and sound- visualizing sound architecturally or structurally, giving structure to sound. And lately, I haven't been using actual sound in the work but I'm trying to come up with the ideas or visual concepts that allude to sound without having sound.
Thoughts on Non-Conformity
// Tom Kotik
The project consists of 6 drawings, looped in the timelapse format, the sounds of a working washing machine, iron, floor cleaning and washing dishes. This Dadaist symphony of machines immerses into the real world of the artist's life.
Bingo: Before Art
// Alena Levina
These works are informed by the trajectory and migration of the long 20th-century space race to the present and future. The train of thought that is referred to as Russian Cosmism, threads the ideas and concepts in my work together, and is based on space exploration, science fiction and Suprematism.
Red star
// Andréa Stanislav
Locations photographed by Yevgeniy Fiks in Washington-Moscow (Security Risk Diptychs) had been popular gay cruising sites in Moscow and Washington circa 1930s—1950s. Views of Moscow and those of Washington are paired based on formal visual similarity.
Washington-Moscow
// Yevgeniy Fiks
I think that you shouldn't be aggressive about new technologies until they encroach on pure authorship. It seems to me that it will be fatal if the process of creating a work is fully implemented by artificial intelligence. It is then that we can lose the meaning of the creative act for a person. But I believe in the synergy of technology and spirit.
NeuForm
// Ilia Symphocat
The project that I proposed for the virtual residency Nonconform is connected just with visiting the workshops, but only in virtual form. According to the idea, everyone will be able to visit the places where the artists work and dive into this atmosphere that exists between the creator and his works.
Spirit is a space for the Freedom
// Ilia Symphocat
In this project, the audio spectrum interacts with generative graphics. Visually it resembles digital threads, created and modified by an audio signal, broadcasting the data that we transmit online.
V-Spectrum
// Ilia Symphocat
Dmitri Pilikin
HOW TO TELL GENERATIONS Y AND Z ABOUT NONCONFORMISM?
While putting together this project, we thought about its target audience and decided that today it is most important to connect different eras and try to explain to the new generation of Russians who did not catch the Soviet era: what nonconformism is and how this phenomenon can be understood from today
Apartment exhibition on Bronnitskaya. Leningrad
1981
"The Bulldozer Exhibition" in Moscow. Margarita Tupitsyna, Vladimir Nemukhin, Viktor Tupitsyn, Sergey Bordachev
September 15, 1974
Group "Gnezdo". "Iron Curtain", sheet iron, 100x100 cm
1975
biographies > biographies
Ludmila Belova
Ludmila Belova is an artist and curator, specializing in video and audio art, painting, and photography. She researches the topics of memory, space and time; investigates the influence of new technologies on people in art practices; and engages viewers to the process. Ludmila Belova's art was exhibited in Europe, the USA, Russia and Asia. She was awarded the "50 Bestern" ZKM prize (Karlsruhe, Germany, 2000) and Sergei Kurekhin prize for the best curatorial project (St. Petersburg, Russia, 2017)
Yevgeniy Fiks
Yevgeniy Fiks has been living and working in New York since 1994. Fiks has produced many projects on the subject of the PostSoviet dialog in the West, among them: "Lenin for Your Library?" in which he mailed V.I. Lenin's text «Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism" to one hundred global corporations as a donation for their corporate libraries; "Communist Party USA," a series of portraits of current members of Communist Party USA, painted from life in the Party's national headquarters in New York City; and "Communist Guide to New York City," a series of photographs of buildings and public places in New York City that are connected to the history of the American Communist movement
Tom Kotik
Tom Kotik is an artist, curator and musician based in Brooklyn, New York. Tom's artwork often explores the intersection of sound and vision and is architectural in form, that he attributes to his life in New York, calling architecture the landscape he draws from. Since 1996 Tom has exhibited his work nationally and internationally including solo and group shows
Alyona Levina
Alyona Levina an artist, illustrator, independent curator, researcher and feminist activist, working on issues of disabled women. Alena has participated in a number of group shows in Russia and the USA, and in international scientific conferences. She paints portraits and nudes. She also researches the practice of self-presentation through a series of selfportraits
Andréa Stanislav
Andréa Stanislav is based in New York City, NY and splits her practice between St. Petersburg, Russia and Bloomington, IN, where she serves as an adjunct professor of sculpture and an affiliate of the Russian and East European Institute at Indiana University. Ms. Stanislav's hybrid practice spans sculpture, immersive multimedia installation, video and public art. Her artwork has been exhibited internationally and nationally at museums, contemporary art centers, galleries, biennials, art fairs and video festivals
Symphocat
Symphocat is a moniker of Ilia Pucheglazov, a musician, composer, curator, and sound engineer. Symphocat's style can be most closely associated with meditative Ambient, Drone, Experimental Music, Field Recordings, which intersect with styles hinting of Modern Classical music and minimalism
GREETING RSW
Opportunities for mutual exploration, partnership and creativity across borders–national, disciplinary, conceptual and ideological — are more vital today than ever
HUBS
HOW IT WORKS?
TRANSITION
The exhibition is divided into three types of areas: the entrance zone, central hall with and rooms where individual art projects are presented. To get into them, follow the links located in the stands
The exhibition is divided into three types of areas: the entrance zone, central hall with and rooms where individual art projects are presented. To get into them, follow the links located in the stands
INTERACTION
Use keyboard W(↑), S(↓), A(←), D(→) to navigate, and Q(↖︎), E(↘︎)to change view.
To turn on video controls or audio, hover over it and click the left mouse button or tap on mobile devices
Use keyboard W(↑), S(↓), A(←), D(→) to navigate, and Q(↖︎), E(↘︎)to change view.
To turn on video controls or audio, hover over it and click the left mouse button or tap on mobile devices
COMMUNICATION
You can use the microphone and camera streaming, chat, stickers or markers to communicate with other visitors
You can use the microphone and camera streaming, chat, stickers or markers to communicate with other visitors
RECONNECTION
In case of low internet traffic, video components may fail to work!
To fix this, just refresh the page
In case of low internet traffic, video components may fail to work!
To fix this, just refresh the page
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The exhibition is located in the virtual environment of Hubs Mozilla. Hubs service works from a computer, smartphone, and virtual reality devices
Using the Hubs is very simple. Instructions are shown for your device as soon as you get to the exhibition. Make sure you have the English layout turned on, this is important for moving around the museum
Using the Hubs is very simple. Instructions are shown for your device as soon as you get to the exhibition. Make sure you have the English layout turned on, this is important for moving around the museum
Acknowledgements
NONCONFORM 2021–2022
A collaboration between the Museum of Nonconformist Art, the Russian Studies Workshop, the Robert F. Byrnes Russian East European Institute and the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design at Indiana University.
With support of the «Free Culture Society» and other partners.
Project Team
Anastasia Patsey
Sarah D. Phillips
Andréa Stanislav
With support of the «Free Culture Society» and other partners.
Project Team
Anastasia Patsey
Sarah D. Phillips
Andréa Stanislav
Publication
Layout
Svetlana Nosova
Interviews scripts
and translations
Mikhail Mosur
Proofreading and editing
Julia Sitnikova,
Maria Yakovleva (Russian)
Anna Mulbach (English)
The project team
would like to thank:
Lora Kucher,
Elizaveta Ordinartceva,
Dmitry Shirokov, Maria Fokina,
Lisa Bidwell, and all colleagues
who supported the project activities
Layout
Svetlana Nosova
Interviews scripts
and translations
Mikhail Mosur
Proofreading and editing
Julia Sitnikova,
Maria Yakovleva (Russian)
Anna Mulbach (English)
The project team
would like to thank:
Lora Kucher,
Elizaveta Ordinartceva,
Dmitry Shirokov, Maria Fokina,
Lisa Bidwell, and all colleagues
who supported the project activities
Artists
Liudmila Belova
Yevgeniy Fiks
Tom Kotik
Alena Levina
Andréa Stanislav
Ilya Symphoca
Virtual exhibition curator
Dmitry Pilikin
Meta-architect &
technical support
Yevgeniy Lukuta
Financial director
Miron Muzhdaba
Project assistant
Kori Looker
Liudmila Belova
Yevgeniy Fiks
Tom Kotik
Alena Levina
Andréa Stanislav
Ilya Symphoca
Virtual exhibition curator
Dmitry Pilikin
Meta-architect &
technical support
Yevgeniy Lukuta
Financial director
Miron Muzhdaba
Project assistant
Kori Looker
LONG LIVE NONCONFORM!