The Game

Unique artistry, art to create an own world that differs from the others. Each of them could transform the daily life into the piece of art, moving through life with the sense of beauty, liberty and independence.   

"The artists played their own game by their rules both in live and art," — says the curator of the project and art director of the AZ Museum Polina Lobachevskaya, — "Handsome man of a distinguished appearance with sky-blue eyes — Dmitry Krasnopevtsev who lived surrounded by countless number of ancient vessels, jars, shatters that were dug out from long-gone towns and settlements. He was the keeper of the antiques, playing with potsherds, contemplating papyrus and compiling fantastical still-lives from these artifacts. The man-made, abandoned subjects live their own life, reminding us of eternal, of our inevitable metaphysical loneliness."  

Memoirs were written, legends and myths were created about the theatre of one artist — Anatoly Zverev. He adored playing Chapaev, football, checkers…. And wrote a treatise on playing checkers that consists of 57 huge notebooks… But his life’s credo was a game with bottles —this passion was like the wine theme in Omar Khayam’s poetry. He was engaged with writing poetry and verbal gymnastics, played with symbols and semiotics of artists of the first Russian avant-guard in his abstract painting. Zverev played heatedly and airily on the territory of his predecessors, claiming playfully: "I’m giving you a head start!" 

Stately, cunning Vladimir Nemukhin once in a soviet trolleybus saw a playing card lying on the floor, and decided that it’s the sign of destiny. Since then, he painted a huge amount of cards in numerous combinations. The artist considered that life game to be inexhaustible and beautiful, what widely admired him and art public of Russia and Europe. But unexpectedly, on the field of fine arts we discern a new player. The name of this 21st century artist is Platon Infante, and his "game" could not be imagined even by such persistent and acquisitive minds as Krasnopevtsev, Nemukhin and Zverev. He plays in unknown space for the 20th century artists — in the virtual world. In the artworks, Infante integrates the virtual world with the real one, and this merging is so remarkable and extraordinary that it becomes obvious: stemming from the new form of the author’s consciousness, it motivates us, viewers, for the discovery of a new consciousness, method of perception and thinking, for creating new rules of the game. "Where the game concludes, love also comes to an end," — Russian writer Valery Zalotukha said once. "And I will reformulate, — "Where the game concludes, there art comes to an end." 

Starting from May 20, at the exhibition "The Game" you would see still-lives and abstractions by Anatoly Zverev, Vladimir Nemukhin and Dmitry Krasnopevtsev. Platon Infante takes the game over in the 21st century, playing within the virtual world — space unknown for artists of the 20th century. 

AZ Museum expresses gratitude to the Foundation AVC CHARITY for providing for the AZ Museum exhibition 3 works by Vladimir Nemuthin from his private collection.