Contemporary Art Exhibition ‘Forced Relationships’

From November 10 to December 6, 2020, a long-awaited project for the gallery of the HSE School of Art and Design will be held. HSE ART GALLERY will exhibit the works of ‘Contemporary Art’ students.

Programme Supervisor Vladimir Dubosarsky has worked with the students for a year, choosing an individual approach to each of them, working out various methodologies, immersing the artists in the context of contemporary art. The exhibition idea went through a vague quarantine period (that deprived the participants of their workshop), a lot of discussions, experiences, and a move to a new workspace. Finally, the result of the students’ collective work will be displayed for the public beginning November 10.

Specially for the project, the artists collaborated with musicians—students of the bachelor's programme in Sound Art and Sound Studies—who created their own audio environment for the exhibition, complementing and developing each visual work.

The project poster was created by the students of Yuri Gulitov's ‘Poster Lab’, and the design of the gallery hall and displays was developed by Ekaterina Altukhova, a designer of the School.

Trying to understand how to work together, and how cultural environment and relations between people with different interests and beliefs work, the artists chose ‘Forced Relationships’ as the theme for their project. Being forced here doesn't necessarily have a negative connotation, it means that none of us can be absolutely free to choose.

We live under the pressure of gender and racial stereotypes, popular opinions, propaganda of different political forces, experience gained and structured before and without us. Fashion, religion, social media algorithms, modern philosophy, conspiracy theories - there are a lot of options of ‘normal’  that are accepted today. There is no single correct or even constant version of it.

Every day we come into contact with many ways of perceiving reality, which affects us in one way or another. We maneuver in a continuous event flow, creating our own route and identity. This process is absolutely synonymous with the path that a young artist takes in search of their own language, as well as concepts that excite them and the viewer. This exhibition expresses the desire not only to document the noisy and intense world, but also the desire to show a person's co-dependence on it, forcing them to make certain decisions, even when it seems that they are absolutely voluntary, personal, and not dictated by anything.

‘The idea, title, and text for the exhibition and the concept of each picture were all created by the students, and they will also participate in the development of the exhibition and installation. This is an important experience that can only be obtained in practice, competing with high-quality, professional exhibitions held at the HSE ART GALLERY. This kind of event serves as a catalyst for any artist, especially for a young one. Participation in the exhibition gives them an opportunity to prove themselves, test their capabilities, reflect on their professional growth, and even reach a new level of work and a conscious approach to it,’ says Vladimir Dubosarsky.

Date: November 10-December 6

Opening hours: 12:00-20:00 (Wednesday-Sunday)

Address: 12 Malaya Pionerskaya Ulitsa, HSE ART Gallery

Entry to the exhibition is free. Stay safe and don't forget to wear a mask and gloves.

November 12, 2020