The Smallest Gallery in Soho is delighted to present a new installation by Vienna-based artist Asya Marakulina, "Uprooted."
The site-specific installation deals with questions of belonging and the search for safe space. Its parts are made from fabric, faux fur, and polyester, and resemble amplified stuffed children's toys. The child-like and soft shapes of the installation pieces, with a dominating primary color palette, evoke the sense of security that people usually associate with childhood. On the other hand, the use of toy skulls and worms creates a sense of unease in the otherwise idyllic landscape.
Having faced the need to rethink her relationship with her motherland, Asya largely lost her sense of connection to her roots and the places she used to call home. "Uprooted" continues to work with the theme of the 60th Venice Biennale, "Foreigners Everywhere," speaking to people who find themselves in similar situations of disconnect and displacement.
Around 40% of London's population was born outside of the United Kingdom, which illustrates how important the subject matter is to the city. The exhibition conveys emotions that many of these immigrants and expats experience to a broader audience.
About the artist:
Asya Marakulina graduated from St. Petersburg State University with a degree in Animated Film Design. Right after her graduation, she received a fellowship from Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, which helped to kick off her career as a contemporary artist.
Asya’s practice revolves around her understanding of the world as an interconnected organism. She is interested in finding poetic and aesthetic connections between different phenomena and revealing them to her audience.
Asya works in a wide range of media, including graphics, textiles, sculpture, animation and installation. In 2018, she won the Credit Suisse Award for Young Russian Artists.
Currently, Asya is based in Vienna, where she is studying Sculpture and Spatial Strategies at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.
@asya_marakulina
About the Curator:
Anna Filonenko is a New York-based art curator and filmmaker dedicated to the promotion of contemporary Russian art internationally.
Anna received a B.A. in Art History from New York University. She worked in a number of leading art institutions including Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Sotheby's. She then moved to Russia to become an expert and art curator of art from her country of origin. She has curated exhibitions across the country, and most recently made a film about Russian artists in the current climate as well as their response to the war.
Anna has been admitted to an MA in Curatorial Studies at Columbia University, where she plans to continue her efforts in raising awareness about Russian artists.
@af_chronicles
Friend of the Gallery interview by London Art Roundup
Find interview with the artist and about the show via this link: https://www.londonartroundup.com/reviews/artist-interview-asya-marakulina
As a Friend of the Gallery, London Art Roundup is provided with advance and behind-the-scenes access to interview the artists that exhibit at The Smallest Gallery in Soho. All contributions are voluntary. Neither the artist, gallery or London Art Roundup received any financial compensation for this interview.
Other supporters of this show from:
Animated Ecologies
The exhibition supporters:
Vivienne Dai Shi, Xin Lewis, Alexandra Stasovskaya, Diana Vartumyan, 정승기, @dm_matv, Tom Chung
