We visited this young Moscow gallery earlier this year and got to talk to its inspiring founders Ksenia Podoynitsyna and Stas Uyba. During our interview Ksenia and Stas talked about the work of a contemporary Russian photographer Natalia Zintsova who created her images on convex glass from the old television sets as a way to “reflect” the vantage point of the viewer. Zintsova thereby presented a novel way of considering the contemporary society and the means through which it gathers and records information about its members. These are Frottage-like transfers that depict the environment as if seen from within the TV. In essence you are being watched by what you’re watching.
From Natalia Zintsova’s artist statement:
“If I try to find the key words, then among them, side by side one finds «thing» and «escape», «touch» and «transparency», «concreteness» and «absence». If I try to generalize, then appears the basic Bergsonian semantic couple «matter and memory». It is important that both possess feeling, sensuality, sensitivity. ”
The duo: Ksenia Podoynitsyna and Stas Uyba established Gallery 21, now one of the rising stars of the Moscow art scene, in 2011 with the primary focus on the works of contemporary Russian artists and initiating the dialogue between artists and their audience. The gallery space, located in a historical townhouse on a quiet Moscow street, is host to engaging panel discussions and now a series of Artist Talks.
Excerpt: “…it’s about being watched…you see worlds that may no longer exist…”
Interview © galleryIntell | Image courtesy of Gallery 21 | Artwork © Natalia Zintsova