ART / BUSINESS

Art / Business

Exhibition of Alexey Parygin's project
Curator: Dana Makaridina
Organizer: "Aesthetics: Art Business" student association
Dates: September 12 - October 22, 2022
Location: Space on Malaya Posadskaya
Address: Institute of Human Philosophy, Herzen State Pedagogical University,
ul. Malaya Posadskaya St., 26, aud. 101

september 12 the artist Alexey Parygin's exhibition "Art / Business" will open at the Space on Malaya Posadskaya. These are five laconic 150x120 cm canvases: five rectangles of different colors, framed with a stencil inscription in Russian, English and German: "Art is business, business is art.

This project, first exhibited in 2015, is one link in the artist's long-standing reflections on money in art and society.

"Art is a business, but by becoming utilitarian and flat, commercial and applied, it is capable, like a self-destructive phoenix by fire, of rising from the ashes, melting and rebirth into something entirely different, filled with new, living energy."
- Alexey Parygin

In 1996-1998, Parygin worked on a series of canvases entitled "Contemplation of Money," with applications of real money in circulation at the time, and an artist's book in a single copy. In 2000, the concept of "Art is Business/Business is Art" was born, which was realized in the performance "312/20," first shown publicly in January 2021 at the Manezh Central Exhibition Hall. Finally, in June-July 2015, the exhibition "Art is Business/Business is Art" was held in the exposition space at Nevsky 20 (Rotunda).

This year's Art/Business exhibition is a new occasion for reflection and discussion on the problems of the art business and the category of money in art in today's realities.

Alexey Parygin sees culture as an alternative future for both the art world and humanity as a whole posturbanismbased on an organic coexistence with the outside world. Posturbanism is his authorial socio-philosophical concept in the spirit of neo-futurism, based on the idea of life outside modern civilization, born from a series of projects about money and art as a business. In the manifesto of posturbanism the artist urges his colleagues to forget "about their stupid and greedy dealers and galleries" and to enter the natural eco-environment, which can be an article for them at the same time home, workshop, exhibition space and museum.

Program of open events for the exhibition (admission by registration):

september 12 19:00 - opening registration
september 14 19:00 - artist talk registration
october 1 17:00 - round table "The Artist and Money registration

The round table will discuss the following questions: is art trade permissible, and if not, what are the alternative ways to distribute art? Why are artworks so expensive and to what extent does the price reflect their aesthetic qualities, what is behind the term "art of investment quality", does the high price of works of art mean abandoning high ideals, should the artist be poor and why (the historical and cultural roots of the myth of the poor artist), the problem of pricing in the contemporary art market. Philosophers and theorists as well as art business practitioners will be invited to participate.

VISITING THE EXHIBITION IS POSSIBLE DURING THE HOURS OF OPEN EVENTS.
OR BY PRIOR ARRANGEMENT WITH THE ORGANIZERS.

Contacts:
For questions about the work of the Space and the Aesthetics: Art Business Association:
Tatiana Valentinovna Sholomova
d. in Philosophy, Associate Professor of the Department
the A.I. Gertsen Russian State Pedagogical University
+ 7 981 1401203
tatyanasholomova@yandex.ru

On other matters:
Dana Makaridina, independent curator
+7 965 080 64 09
linocutwoodcut@gmail.com