Contemporary artist Tatyana Podmarkova has returned to RuArts Gallery for the second time with a solo exhibition called "Lazarus."
The biblical story of Christ bringing Lazarus back from the dead is the central image of this exhibition. In the words of the show's curator, Anastasia Skvortsova, the artist tries to depict the "constant inner drama" of destruction and resurrection. "'Lazarus' continues the pursuit for the lost harmony of the old masters," she wrote.
A nude body is the central figure in Podmarkova's paintings, which convey the themes of destruction and resurrection through both images and the textured surface of the canvases. The canvases are wrapped in plaster-covered gauze, as if they'd been buried and revived along with their subject. The muted colors, predominantly white and gray, give the paintings an extra dimension.
When entering the gallery, visitors are confronted with Podmarkova's largest work of the exhibition: A naked man covered in a white sheet appearing to be dead and beginning to decompose. On the ground floor there is a smaller painting and one of Podmarkova's video installations. The exhibition continues on the second floor with smaller paintings and a second video installation. Although there are many paintings on display, the visitor is unlikely to feel overwhelmed by the exhibition. It is thematically whole and a familiar ancient theme, which the artist used as "an effective way to organize a fragmented chaos of the modern world." And the expanse of gray walls between the paintings let the canvases speak for themselves.
Podmarkova, who is based in St. Petersburg, has showed her works in several joint group exhibitions across the world and has had several solo exhibitions.
Lazarus will be on display at the RuArts Gallery until Oct 6. 10 1st Zachatyevsky Pereulok. 495-637-4475. ruarts.ru. Open Tues. through Sat. from noon to 8 p.m.
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