Aleksander Petlura, Thanks for Your Help, from the series the empire of things, 2000, C-print, 100 x 140 cm.

Hilger Contemporary
Dorotheergasse 5
Vienna
+43-1-512 53 15
moscow – sputnik
August 30-September 27, 2007

Sputnik means wayfaring companion in Russian and is the name of the first Soviet satellite generation to succeed in orbiting the Earth. Like a Sputnik to the turbulent developments of Russian society and art scene, Curator Bernard Wolf's orbit has crossed those of the participating artists since 1992 in numerous working visits to Moscow.

Artists include: AES+F, photography, Aristarkh Chernyshev, media installation, Bronislava Dubner, drawings, Vladislav Efimov, photography, Aleksander Petlura, photography, Maria Pogorzhelskaja, paintings, and Kyril Rubcov, paintings.

The Exhibition is curated by Bernhard Wolf, Director of Forum Stadtpark Graz.

AES+F began with three Moscow-born artists, Tatiana Arzamasova, Lev Evzovich, and Evgeny Svyatsky, when they formed the group AES in 1987. Their first exhibition abroad was in 1989 at Howard Yezersky Gallery in Boston. Since that time, works by AES have been shown in Russia and Europe at festivals, museums, and galleries.

Photographer Vladimir Fridkes joined the group in 1995, and the name changed to AES+F. AES+F focuses on photo- and computer-based and video art, as well as other traditional media, such as drawing, painting, and sculpture. AES/AES+F have exhibited widely at several biennials and in a large number of important group and solo shows worldwide; their work is in the collections of major Russian national museums as well as museums in Europe, including the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow; State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg; Moscow House of Photography; Moderna Museet, Stockholm; La Maison Europ éenne de la Photographie, Paris; les Abattoirs, Toulouse, France; FNAC, Paris; and Centre national d’art et de culture Georges Pompidou, Paris.

Aristarkh Chernyshev, Moscow, was born in 1968 in Voroshilovgrad, USSR (now Lugansk, Ukraine) and in 1991 graduated from Moscow State Technical University. He is a 1995 Grant holder at The Academy of Arts, Berlin, a 2001 Grand Prix for Video (with V. Efimov). Extra Short Film Festival (ESF – 2001), Novossibirsk. In 2004 he won the Grand Prix for Animation (with V. Efimov). Extra Short Film Festival (ESF – 2004), Novossibirsk. He lives and works in Moscow.

Vladislav Efimov was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1964. In 1985 he graduated from The Moscow Automechanical Academy. From 1995-1996 was a grant holder at The Academy of Arts, Berlin, Germany. He lives and works in Moscow.

Vladislav Efimov, Radiotochki, 2006, C-print, 50 x 69 cm.

Maria Pogorzhelskaja, Masks, 2007, Oil on canvas, 130 x 170 cm.