DRAWING: CONTEMPORARY
Press Release
NK Gallery is pleased to present DRAWING: CONTEMPORARY, the group exhibition of the works by Kirill Chelushkin, Marjolein Rothman, Didier Mahieu, Pavel Peperstein, Olga Gorokhova and Mirjam Abraas.
Drawing has significantly shifted in its role through the end of 20th and beginning of 21th century. Treated traditionally as a preparatory form, it has turned to an independent, self-sufficient method. Among multitude of contemporary art forms, in production of which software, technical equipment, industrial processes, outsourced labour or help of assistants are used, making of a drawing remains personal in its purest sense. No surprise, a revival of drawing - from exhibitions in MOMA, TATE Modern and world’s top galleries - is evident: it offers the most intimate experience. It is hugely inclusive. Everyone has practiced the act of drawing at some level, a participation, which affords even the most casual observer a sense of involvement in the medium. Engagement, which conceptual art forms often lack. Drawing is directed towards highly individual expression and demands intimate, personal and evident engagement from a viewer.
DRAWING: CONTEMPORARY shows the breadth of approach to drawing as a form of contemporary art, from small format to large-scale, from expressive and fast works to very slow ones, based on observation and months of painstaking execution. The content ranges from personal topics, like the boys by Marjolein Rothman and the nudes by Olga Gorokhova, from nature observation in meticulous pencil drawings by Mirjam Abraas to romantic stories in the delicate works by Didier Mahieu, from ironic cross-cultural references in the work by Pavel Peperstein to society portrait and political motiefs on the canvases by Kirill Chelushkin. Metal cut-out sculptures by Marjolein Rothman explore the possibilities of hand drawing gone beyond its traditional form. So does the video work by Kirill Chelushkin, projected on foam-plastic structure, combined with sound and texture, causing strong emotional impact.
Kirill Chelushkin (°1968, lives and works in Paris and Moscow) practices art, which is essentially visual, focused on the surrounding reality. A true Renaissance man, he reveals his numerous talents through his creative work. Gifted a brilliant graphic skill and distinguished for the outstanding technique in graphite large-scale works, he alongside works with sculptures and video-installations. The artist had numerous solo and group exhibitions in Europe and the USA. His works are included in leading public and private collections, such as The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow; Itabishi Art Museum, Tokio; Bolzano Art Museum, Bolzano, Italy; Hero Hermes Collection, France; Bernard Arnault collection, France; ‘Ekaterina’ Foundation, Russia.
Didier Mahieu (°1961, lives and works in Mons, BE) treats the medium of painting, according to the late curator Willy Van den Bussche, in a romantic way. Every work seem to be a chapter of a story, would it be of an imaginary departure on a sail journey or a fictional reality, reminiscent of subconscious or underwater world. Works of Didier Mahieu are held in numerous private and public collections in Belgium and abroad, amongst others in the collections of The National Bank of Belgium, the collection of French Community, Museum of Fine Arts in Mons, Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lille.
Marjolein Rothman (°1974, lives and works in Amsterdam) with her sober, in gray tones drawings stimulates the viewer to think about the impact that images have on the way he looks at himself and the world. She fragments and reduces till there is just enough left to still recognize a shadow of the original image. Rothman graduated from the Akademie voor Beeldende Kunsten in Enschede and was an artist in residency at the Rijksakademie voor Beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam. She has been granted the Dutch Royal Prize for Painting, had solo exhibitions in Amsterdam, Stockholm and Göteborg and participated at numerous group exhibitions amongst others at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam and the Vleeshal in Middelburg. Her works were presented at FIAC Paris, ARCO Madrid, Art Cologne and Art Miami.
Pavel Pepperstein (°1966, lives and works in Moscow, RU) belongs to Moscow Conceptual art movement and is known for this watercolor and ink drawings, which refer to the style of Russian avant-garde. His works capture attention by the witty humour and sharp criticism of contemporary society. Peperstein has represented Russia at Venice Biennale 2009, where his installation received outstanding review from critics. Peperstein’s works were widely exhibited around the world, including The Louvre. They are included in established public collections, among others Pompidou Centre, Tretyakov State Gallery, Russian State Museum, Albertina Museum in Vienna.
Olga Gorokhova (°1964, lives and works in Moscow and Gent) is an artist of abstract expressionism and minimalism. Member of Center of avant-garde art movement in Moscow since 1986. Her works are in private collections in Russia, Europe, and the USA, as well as in the permanent exhibition of the Center for Contemporary Art M’Ars (Moscow), in The Garage gallery (Moscow).
Mirjam Abraas (lives and works in Amsterdam) invests time and skill to produce highly detailed drawings using the properties of pencil and paper. Her meticulous, almost meditative process of making seems to slow down the pace at which a viewer encounters her work. The intense figurative observation of life is transformed into pencil strokes. The works of the artist have been shown at variety of art fairs.