Selfie Madness By Recycle Group

Text: Ümmühan Kazanç

I have privilidge to met art works by Recycle Group at Suzanne Tarasieve Gallery (Paris) Stand. Recycle Group who have awarded Kandinsky Prize, (2010 Best Young Artist), Innovation Prize exhibition (2009, NCCA Moscow, Russia) and Kandinsky Prize (2009, London) were in Istanbul for ArtInternational Fair and exhibited their works titled as “Selfies”, “Selfie 1” and “Selfie 2”. These works were among most visited art works in ArtInternational Fair. “Selfies” and “Selfie Sticks” are part of our lives and Recycle Group interpreted this social media madness throught using classical sculptures handling selfie sticks. Everybody is Greek or Roman Gods/Goddess or Kings/Queens! As the name of the Group suggests Recycle Group use recycled material to create their art works and they have used thermoshaped plastic mesch in Selfie Group.

Recycle Group also opened an important exhibition called “Conversion”, at SantʼAntonin Church in 56th Venice Biennale, Venice in 2015.

Recycle Group live and work in Krasnodar, Russia. Recycle Group consists of Andrey Blokhin (b. 1987) and Georgy Kuznetsov (b. 1985), two contemporary Russian artists who work primarily with industrial mediums such as acrylic, plastic mesh, and polyurethane rubber to examine contemporary culture through a quasi-archaeological lens.

As their name suggests, the duo is concerned about the rising level of material waste as a byproduct of widespread consumerism. The wall sculpture “Car Skeleton” (2014) partially entombs miscellaneous electronic parts and machinery in a way that evokes fossilized remains of ancient civilizations, questioning whether the aspects of today’s throwaway, technology-obsessed society will be worth immortalizing in history later. Their works also draw upon classical Western traditions such as narrative relief carving and Christian iconography to compare contemporary times with other histories – social media with religion, corporate leaders with kings, and online existence with mausoleums.

FOR MORE INFO:
SUZANNE TARASIEVE PARIS
7, rue Pastourelle F-75003 Paris + LOFT19 Passage de lʼAtlas / 5, Villa Marcel Lods F-75019 Paris
www.suzanne-tarasieve.com info@suzanne-tarasieve.com

RECYCLE GROUP
Andrey Blokhin
Born in 1987 in Krasnodar, Russia
2004 Graduated from the lyceum of the Academy of Industrial Art in Krasnodar
2010 Graduated from the Academy of Industrial Art in Krasnodar

Georgy Kuznetsov
Born in 1985 in Stavropol, Russia
2005 Graduated from Stavropol Art College, Stavropol, Russia
2011 Graduated from the Academy of Industrial Art in Krasnodar, Russia

SOLO SHOWS (Selection)
2015
Conversion, SantʼAntonin Church, 56th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy (Curator: James Putnam)
Heaven Carrier, Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York, USA
Manezh Central Exhibition Hall, Moscow, Russia

2014
Final sale, London School of Economics, London, UK
Art14, Triumph gallery, Olympia Grand Hall, London, UK
RECYCLE, Triumph Gallery, Moscow, Russia

2013
Holy ID, Galerie Suzanne Tarasieve – LOFT 19, Paris, France
Part Of The Moment, Triumph gallery, Moscow, Russia
Taittinger Art Salon, New York, USA

2012 – 2013
Paradise Network, Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow, Russia (Curator: Anna Zaitseva)

2012
Recycle, PERMM museum, Perm, Russia
HIAP, Kaapelin galleria, Helsinki, Finland
Future archeology, Mironova Gallery, Kiev, Ukraine

2011
Miracle Proof, Contemporary Art Museum TverCA, Tver, Russia

2010
Reverse, M&J Guelman Gallery – Winzavod Center for Contemporary Art, Moscow , Russia
Layers, Triumph-gallery, Moscow, Russia

2009
Blister, M&J Guelman Gallery – Winzavod Center for Contemporary Art, Winzavod Moscow, Russia
M!ARS Centre for Contemporary Arts, Moscow, Russia

2008
Recycle project, M!ARS Centre for Contemporary Arts, Moscow, Russia

PRIX / AWARDS
2010 Kandinsky Prize, Best Young Artist / Project of the Year, Moscow, Russia
2009 Innovation Prize exhibition NCCA Moscow, Russia
2009 Kandinsky Prize in London, Louise Blouin Foundation, London, United Kingdom

Ümmühan Kazanç