In part of the Sixth Moscow Biennale, the project Peripheral Visions is a solo exhibition of the internationally celebrated, Moscow-based artist Olga Chernysheva. A figure in the artistic generation of the 1990s Moscow, Olga Chernysheva documents the interactions of people and objects within the structures and spaces of contemporary Russia. In a solo exhibition at GRAD, Chernysheva focusses particularly on the experience of the individual in the neglected institutional spaces of abandoned museums and offices, transforming the gallery to mimic that of a forgotten museum with carefully constructed cases, display cabinets and a range of work in a variety of media. Moscow is permeated with the relics and sentiments of its Soviet history, and Chernysheva’s scenes appear as if they are from another time, like artefacts of a contemporary era. Included in the exhibition are thirty new and unseen drawings and sculptural objects, interspersed with the videos and photographs that have brought Chernysheva international recognition in recent years.
Chernysheva’s practice developed in parallel with the seismic changes brought on by the decline of the Soviet Union. Eschewing social criticism or judgement, she continues to document the people and objects that she feels are ignored by mainstream narratives, and her powerful images record strangers unselfconsciously navigating the practices of everyday life. This exhibition highlights the power of an artistic ‘peripheral’ vision to broaden perception and bring attention to issues relegated to the margins of our everyday thought processes.
