Exhibition: Victoria Lomasko “On the Eve”

Pushkin House presents an exhibition by Victoria Lomasko, Russian artist and activist, who chronicles the daily lives of ordinary people. For Pushkin House she will be painting a set of murals directly on to the walls of the house, related to her graphic reportage work – the main media of her art. To make her work, Lomasko travels throughout the former Soviet Union and spends time with those who are rarely represented in the media – talking to them and drawing them. Marginal and yet important grassroots groups that appear in Lomasko’s work include: striking truck drivers camping on snowy roads, humble housewives campaigning against the building of a new church over a playground, Muscovites protesting mass demolitions, large demonstrations against the official politics of power, the invisible and voiceless slaves of the metropolitan bourgeoisie, a small LGBT community in a sleepy post-Soviet city – all the people whose humble existence is overlooked by the mainstream. For many years Lomasko has been organising art workshops for juveniles in detention centres, women in Caucasian mountain villages, everywhere using art as means of liberation and self expression.

‘There’s a wonderful immediacy to her portraits, which give colour and humanity to what is at times a grim read. When she shows energised gatherings of people, guitars, placards and balloons, streaks of light illuminate the darkness.’
The Guardian

‘Though her figures are rendered in broad, black-and-white strokes, Lomasko’s depictions of God-fearing old ladies, young skinheads, and striking truckers never fall into the traps of parody, contempt, or stereotype.’
The New Yorker

The narrative of the show, ’On the Eve’ has developed around the metaphor of a snowy landscape, that muffles and hinders ideas and movements. The exhibition follows the recent publication of Lomasko’s book ‘Other Russias’ by Penguin. The murals in the main room of Pushkin House refer to reportages that feature in the book, bringing them up to date. A collection of original drawings will also be exhibited as well as a slide-film projection.

The exhibition title is taken from the novel by 19th century Russian writer, Ivan Turgenev, which was perceived by Russian intelligentsia as prophetic of the enormous political and social upheavals to come. Written in 1860, the novel focused on the burgeoning educated middle-class in Russia and their striving for a ‘new life’ against the backdrop of the constraints of an absolutist political system. Lomasko’s work does not refer to that historical situation directly, but by documenting protests and dissenting voices this show is an attempt to explore social and political life in Russia today in all its complexity, and open debates on the future of its political movements.

Victoria Lomasko is an artist and activist. She graduated from Moscow State University of Printing Arts in 2003 with a degree in graphic art and book design. An artist and activist, she works as a graphic artist with a focus on graphic reportage. Her work has appeared in print publications in Russia and abroad, she exhibits extensively in Russia, Europe and US. Her book ‘Other Russias’ was published in the US by n+1 and the UK by Penguin. Lomasko has collaborated extensively with various non-profit human rights organisations. She is the co-curator of two long-term art and activism projects: ‘Drawing the Court’ (with Zlata Ponirovska) and ‘The Feminist Pencil’ (with Nadia Plungian).

Elena Zaytseva is a curator, writer and historian of art. She curated exhibitions at the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow and Pushkin House, London; special projects of the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary art and exhibitions in independent art spaces in Moscow and London. She holds a PhD from the Research Institute of Theory and History of Fine Arts, Moscow, and an MFA Curating from Goldsmiths. She is a co-editor of ‘Cosmic Shift: Russian Contemporary Art Writing’, published by ZED Books, London, in 2017.

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