Kuzma Vostrikov & Ajuan Song: Absolutely Augmented Reality
Exhibition runs: 5th -27th June 2021, Tue-Sat 12-6pm
Preview: 3rd & 4th June 3-9pm Press Release | Essay by Chelsea Pettitt and Anna Jimenez Absolutely Augmented Reality - Film Screening + Q&A - 26th June | Watch Q&A video
HOXTON 253 is delighted to invite you to the screening of Absolutely Augmented Reality film on Saturday 26th June from 6pm. On the occasion of the finissage the main gallery space will be transformed into a theatre for this special screening followed by a performative panel discussion with artists Kuzma Vostrikov and Ajuan Song, chaired by exhibition producer Halime Özdemir and curator Chelsea Pettitt. After having made the decision to postpone the show for the third time; I asked Kuzma and Ajuan to not only reflect upon the Absolutely Augmented Reality of a year in which we all found ourselves (2020); but to take this as an opportunity to portray a very poignant dimension of their craft- thus breaking down the third wall and allowing the spectator to indulge in their dialogues. So now here we find ourselves, catapulted into their reality, through the animation of their thought processes. Halime Özdemir, Exhibition Producer - Absolutely Augmented Reality. Screening followed by a panel discussion: 26th June 2021, 6.30pm |
If Magritte and David Lynch were to conceive a lovechild on a bed of Chinese kitsch this would be Absolutely Augmented Reality.
Halime Özdemir (Exhibition Producer)
New York-based international artists Kuzma Vostrikov and Ajuan Song will stage their first major photography exhibition in the UK at HOXTON 253 between 3-27 June 2021.
For the exhibition, the duo has worked with international arts producer Halime Özdemir (founder of Producer 360°, projects include The British Museum, The Royal Academy of Arts, White Cube) and curator Chelsea Pettitt (former curator of Hayward Touring now Head of Arts for the Bagri Foundation) to select 20 of their favourite works from fine-art-meets-photography book of the same name published by Scheidegger-Spiess earlier this year. This exuberant, colourful and super-charged poetic ensemble of an exhibition is pure indulgence for the senses after such an exhaustive and grey year.
Through Absolutely Augmented Reality, American filmmaker, writer and artist Kuzma Vostrikov together with Chinese multimedia artist Ajuan Song explore the intersection of fine art and photography through a series of saturated theatrical and symbolic images. Their photography presents a dream world of strange and alluring portraiture, accompanied by a host of archetypal images, hybrid creatures, quirky motifs, canonical postures, as well as inversions of iconic art historic references including Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Rene Magritte, Wilhelm Shenrok, Tom Wesselmann, Fernando Botero, Yayoi Kusama and other artistic greats.
While Song’s widely exhibited work examines the lyricism of the human body, Vostrikov has a special interest in the interface of psychology, technology, and social media. Together their vision invites dialogue about ideas of contemporary art, authorship, technology and offers a newly subjective and visually intense view of the modern world.
Absolutely Augmented Reality is their largest collaborative body of work using costume, character, and allegory to create a new and intense view of the modern world within the visual culture of the twenty-first century as anything becomes possible. This physical exhibition allows us to further delve into the curious and enigmatic world of the dynamic artistic duo. To create this series, Kuzma and Ajuan created sketches for each concept, followed by a highly refined orchestration of the imagined narrative scene, using models, costumes, and props. The stunning photographs were taken using a medium format film camera Hasselblad H1 and or 35mm film camera Canon EOS1V with Kodak Professional Ektar 100 colour negative film.
Kuzma Vostrikov and Ajuan Song said: “We are prisoners of our imagination and our circumstances. The work selected for this exhibition in its own way an image of our quarantine. Absolutely Augmented Reality is an investigation into metaphysics which creates a sense of exploration and melancholic intrigue. More than just photography, our work for this exhibition is aligned with a particular space and concentrated point in time in which it arose. In the language of modern art, it could be called “performance” but we would like to give a broader definition. Absolutely Augmented Reality is more like an existential experiment, a collection of visually poetic statistics on the subject reflecting on the circumstances of the observed object. We’re photo-existentialists practicing anthropological symbolism. Existential truth has to be lived; it can’t be proven. That’s Søren Kierkegaard.”
Chelsea Pettitt, Curator of Absolutely Augmented Reality said: "It is a joy to see such dream-like, handcrafted images by Kuzma Vostrikov & Ajuan Song as part of Absolutely Augmented Reality. Saturated in vibrant colours, they offer a carnival for the visual senses, referencing pop culture, surrealism, fashion, philosophy, and film, forcing us to question what does 'Absolute' really mean? Vostrikov & Song create these metaphysical lands and characters from a place of urgency, full of imagination; their words echo revolution. As rebellious figures, longing for freedom, they've found themselves in New York; the city where anything can happen. No wonder they view their life, their reality, as surreal - one and the same. I look forward to presenting news ways of looking at their augmented reality in this exhibition, for both the artists, and the visitor.”
The photographs in Absolutely Augmented Reality will be complemented by an essay written by Chelsea Pettitt and Anna Jimenez which will be organised into three distinct parts, each one examines the ways in which the symbolism and imagery are used in their work, within the context of certain historic or cultural canons. These include Symbolic Anthropology, Pop Culture and counterculture of their early years, and Ways of seeing in metaphysical time and space.
For the exhibition, the duo has worked with international arts producer Halime Özdemir (founder of Producer 360°, projects include The British Museum, The Royal Academy of Arts, White Cube) and curator Chelsea Pettitt (former curator of Hayward Touring now Head of Arts for the Bagri Foundation) to select 20 of their favourite works from fine-art-meets-photography book of the same name published by Scheidegger-Spiess earlier this year. This exuberant, colourful and super-charged poetic ensemble of an exhibition is pure indulgence for the senses after such an exhaustive and grey year.
Through Absolutely Augmented Reality, American filmmaker, writer and artist Kuzma Vostrikov together with Chinese multimedia artist Ajuan Song explore the intersection of fine art and photography through a series of saturated theatrical and symbolic images. Their photography presents a dream world of strange and alluring portraiture, accompanied by a host of archetypal images, hybrid creatures, quirky motifs, canonical postures, as well as inversions of iconic art historic references including Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Rene Magritte, Wilhelm Shenrok, Tom Wesselmann, Fernando Botero, Yayoi Kusama and other artistic greats.
While Song’s widely exhibited work examines the lyricism of the human body, Vostrikov has a special interest in the interface of psychology, technology, and social media. Together their vision invites dialogue about ideas of contemporary art, authorship, technology and offers a newly subjective and visually intense view of the modern world.
Absolutely Augmented Reality is their largest collaborative body of work using costume, character, and allegory to create a new and intense view of the modern world within the visual culture of the twenty-first century as anything becomes possible. This physical exhibition allows us to further delve into the curious and enigmatic world of the dynamic artistic duo. To create this series, Kuzma and Ajuan created sketches for each concept, followed by a highly refined orchestration of the imagined narrative scene, using models, costumes, and props. The stunning photographs were taken using a medium format film camera Hasselblad H1 and or 35mm film camera Canon EOS1V with Kodak Professional Ektar 100 colour negative film.
Kuzma Vostrikov and Ajuan Song said: “We are prisoners of our imagination and our circumstances. The work selected for this exhibition in its own way an image of our quarantine. Absolutely Augmented Reality is an investigation into metaphysics which creates a sense of exploration and melancholic intrigue. More than just photography, our work for this exhibition is aligned with a particular space and concentrated point in time in which it arose. In the language of modern art, it could be called “performance” but we would like to give a broader definition. Absolutely Augmented Reality is more like an existential experiment, a collection of visually poetic statistics on the subject reflecting on the circumstances of the observed object. We’re photo-existentialists practicing anthropological symbolism. Existential truth has to be lived; it can’t be proven. That’s Søren Kierkegaard.”
Chelsea Pettitt, Curator of Absolutely Augmented Reality said: "It is a joy to see such dream-like, handcrafted images by Kuzma Vostrikov & Ajuan Song as part of Absolutely Augmented Reality. Saturated in vibrant colours, they offer a carnival for the visual senses, referencing pop culture, surrealism, fashion, philosophy, and film, forcing us to question what does 'Absolute' really mean? Vostrikov & Song create these metaphysical lands and characters from a place of urgency, full of imagination; their words echo revolution. As rebellious figures, longing for freedom, they've found themselves in New York; the city where anything can happen. No wonder they view their life, their reality, as surreal - one and the same. I look forward to presenting news ways of looking at their augmented reality in this exhibition, for both the artists, and the visitor.”
The photographs in Absolutely Augmented Reality will be complemented by an essay written by Chelsea Pettitt and Anna Jimenez which will be organised into three distinct parts, each one examines the ways in which the symbolism and imagery are used in their work, within the context of certain historic or cultural canons. These include Symbolic Anthropology, Pop Culture and counterculture of their early years, and Ways of seeing in metaphysical time and space.
Photographs by Mirko Boffelli
All works on exhibition are archival pigment prints on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Ultra Smooth paper, mounted on sintra board. Year of creaton 2018. Dimensions 28x51cm
Photographs by Mirko Boffelli
Photographs by Mirko Boffelli
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Kuzma Vostrikov
Award winning filmmaker and artist Kuzma Vostrikov’s visionary and cerebral artistic practice reflects his diverse interests including the role of technology in contemporary society, psychology, history, portraiture, photography and film. He has established a stellar reputation for innovative filmmaking and experimental and conceptual photography projects both independently and in collaboration with the artist Ajuan Song.
Vostrikov’s work can be found in international collections including the CICA Museum, Korea, The Yokyung Art Museum, Korea and The Museum of Russian Art, New Jersey. In addition to features at international art fairs, Vostrikov has participated in over twenty-five group exhibitions such as Blank Wall Gallery, Athens, Greece, 2017; CICA Museum, Korea, 2016; and Galleria De Marchi, Bologna, Italy, 2015. Select solo shows include Orange Art Foundation, New York, 2019; CICA Museum, Korea, 2018; Tenri Cultural Institute, New York, 2018; K & P Gallery, New York, 2017; The Museum of Russian Art, New Jersey, 2017; Ward-Nasse Gallery, New York, 2015; Mars Gallery, Moscow, Russia, 2012; and the National Center for Contemporary Arts, Moscow, Russia, 2012.
Ajuan Song
Contemporary artist Ajuan Song is known for her innovative practice that includes analog and digital photography and multimedia works distinguished by an experimental yet lyrical sensibility. Song also collaborates with artist Kuzma Vostrikov on large-scale film and photography projects that marry conceptual art and painting in an imaginative trajectory.
Song has exhibited widely, including in over twenty group exhibits. Select solo shows include Bushniwa, New York, 2018; CICA MUSEUM, Korea, 2018; Tenri Culture Center, New York, 2018; Manhattan Graphic Center, New York, 2017; K & P Gallery, New York, 2017; and the Museum of Russian Art, New Jersey, 2017. Select group exhibits include Jankossen Gallery, New York, 2019; Orange Art Projects, New York, 2018; Barret Art Center, New York; Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton University, 2018; Highline Loft Gallery, New York, 2018; Fusion Art, New York; CICA Museum, Korea, 2017; Arte Ponte Gallery, New York, 2017; Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, New York and the GreenPoint Gallery, New York, 2016.
Absolutely Augmented Reality - contact details:
Press & exhibition enquiries: Halime Özdemir at Producer 360° on [email protected] / 07739 508 088
Gallery enquiries: [email protected]
Kuzma Vostrikov
Award winning filmmaker and artist Kuzma Vostrikov’s visionary and cerebral artistic practice reflects his diverse interests including the role of technology in contemporary society, psychology, history, portraiture, photography and film. He has established a stellar reputation for innovative filmmaking and experimental and conceptual photography projects both independently and in collaboration with the artist Ajuan Song.
Vostrikov’s work can be found in international collections including the CICA Museum, Korea, The Yokyung Art Museum, Korea and The Museum of Russian Art, New Jersey. In addition to features at international art fairs, Vostrikov has participated in over twenty-five group exhibitions such as Blank Wall Gallery, Athens, Greece, 2017; CICA Museum, Korea, 2016; and Galleria De Marchi, Bologna, Italy, 2015. Select solo shows include Orange Art Foundation, New York, 2019; CICA Museum, Korea, 2018; Tenri Cultural Institute, New York, 2018; K & P Gallery, New York, 2017; The Museum of Russian Art, New Jersey, 2017; Ward-Nasse Gallery, New York, 2015; Mars Gallery, Moscow, Russia, 2012; and the National Center for Contemporary Arts, Moscow, Russia, 2012.
Ajuan Song
Contemporary artist Ajuan Song is known for her innovative practice that includes analog and digital photography and multimedia works distinguished by an experimental yet lyrical sensibility. Song also collaborates with artist Kuzma Vostrikov on large-scale film and photography projects that marry conceptual art and painting in an imaginative trajectory.
Song has exhibited widely, including in over twenty group exhibits. Select solo shows include Bushniwa, New York, 2018; CICA MUSEUM, Korea, 2018; Tenri Culture Center, New York, 2018; Manhattan Graphic Center, New York, 2017; K & P Gallery, New York, 2017; and the Museum of Russian Art, New Jersey, 2017. Select group exhibits include Jankossen Gallery, New York, 2019; Orange Art Projects, New York, 2018; Barret Art Center, New York; Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton University, 2018; Highline Loft Gallery, New York, 2018; Fusion Art, New York; CICA Museum, Korea, 2017; Arte Ponte Gallery, New York, 2017; Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, New York and the GreenPoint Gallery, New York, 2016.
Absolutely Augmented Reality - contact details:
Press & exhibition enquiries: Halime Özdemir at Producer 360° on [email protected] / 07739 508 088
Gallery enquiries: [email protected]