A project in the form of a catalog “The Invisibility of Freedom”, the starting point of which was the exhibition “Dreams of Freedom. Romanticism in Russia and Germany” at the New Tretyakov Gallery. At the last exhibition the theme was revealed rather lopsidedly, only a few women artists - Marlene Dumas, Susan Phillips and Mathilde ter Heine - could be counted on, while women dreamed and strived for freedom most of all. The catalog has become a kind of our view of the problem, paying tribute to the Romantic women who have been forgotten and overlooked in the exhibition at the New Tretyakovka, as well as our contemporary view of some of the works presented there.
My work 'Star' (Julia) is a response to Philippe Feith's (1793-1877) 'Allegory of Russia' from the 1840s, which he depicts as a figure in the foreground with a white flag in his hand and the coat of arms of the Russian Empire embroidered on his chest. The background of the work is presented as a landscape with two fortresses linked by a bridge spanning the river, which symbolizes the unity of Russia and Europe.
My work 'Star' (Julia) is a completely different view. Julia is a bright representative of our society and it is her portrait, like no one else can reflect the power and strength of spirit that I would note when talking about Russia. The work is studded with inscriptions and symbolic images, which can be found by looking closely at the canvas. Only one of the inscriptions, namely 'Fuck the system', was not censored by the Tretyakov Gallery and had to be temporarily hidden for display, which can also be regarded as a kind of symbolism and indicator of Russian reality.
My work 'Star' (Julia) is a response to Philippe Feith's (1793-1877) 'Allegory of Russia' from the 1840s, which he depicts as a figure in the foreground with a white flag in his hand and the coat of arms of the Russian Empire embroidered on his chest. The background of the work is presented as a landscape with two fortresses linked by a bridge spanning the river, which symbolizes the unity of Russia and Europe.
My work 'Star' (Julia) is a completely different view. Julia is a bright representative of our society and it is her portrait, like no one else can reflect the power and strength of spirit that I would note when talking about Russia. The work is studded with inscriptions and symbolic images, which can be found by looking closely at the canvas. Only one of the inscriptions, namely 'Fuck the system', was not censored by the Tretyakov Gallery and had to be temporarily hidden for display, which can also be regarded as a kind of symbolism and indicator of Russian reality.
Credits
Head of the Freedom Lab project: Daria Pyrkina
Curator: Ekaterina Sinitsina
Master of the Laboratory: Mathilde ter Heijne
Participants of Mathilde ter Heijne's workshop:
PE PA, Anastasia Voronkova, Olga Gorodenskaya, Elizaveta Zalieva, Kristina Kalashnikova, Evgenia Markevich, Anna Pototskaya, Elena Soroka, Alyona Troitskaya, Aison Ower
Сatalog designer: Evgenia Markevich
Research team:
PE PA, Elena Soroka, Alyona Troitskaya
Exhibition History
"Dreams of Freedom. Post scriptum.", New Tretiakov Gallery, Moscow,
1 - 17.10.2021