For Viennacontemporary-2018 Anna Nova Gallery is delighted to present new works by Aljoscha (b.1974), a Ukrainian artist based in Düsseldorf, and multidisciplinary artist Egor Kraft (b.1986), based in Vienna and Berlin. Viennacontamporary is the international art fair, that takes place from 27 to 30 September 2019 in Marx Halle, Vienna (Austria).
This presentation will debut a large-scale installation ‘Panspermia’ by Aljoscha, whose work spans many forms, all of which manifest a fascination with ideas of bioism, biofuturism and bioethical abolitionism. Bioism is a way to develop art objects which express visual possibilities of synthetical biology; an effort to produce art based on vitality, multiplicity, and complexity. According to the artist ‘Panspermia’ is an interesting hypothesis proposing that life on Earth didn’t begin because of evolution, but was brought here by meteorites from space. The artist’s stunning installations have been shown worldwide in various public and private institutions and are a part of many art collections. The artist is famous for his site-specific works and installations in churches, cathedrals, and public places all over the world.
Aljoscha’s biomorphic installation acutely contrasts the marble sculptures and monochrome video works from the ongoing research project ‘Content Aware Studies’ by Egor Kraft, produced specially for the art fair. Interdisciplinary artist & researcher Egor Kraft creates work that spans across media, science, critical research, philosophy & art.
The ongoing research project ‘Content Aware Studies’ by Egor Kraft explores the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to reconstruct and generate lost historical artifacts from Greek and Roman history. In the era of ubiquitous computation, this process constitutes quasi-archeological knowledge production and interpretations of history and culture. Along with new works from the ‘Content Aware Studies’, the gallery is excited to present one of the most significant early works by the artist ‘URL Stone’, which aims to study the various properties and longevity of media carriers that we assign the function of storing, transmitting, and preserving knowledge, data, and information. A finalist of several prestigious art awards and participant of numerous museum shows, festivals, talks, and discussions dedicated to technology, research, and digital art, Egor Kraft is considered one of the most promising young artists working in this field.
With the booth divided into two sections, the gallery curators aim to set exhibited artists’ works into a dialogue, inviting the viewer to consider their differences and similarities. Beautiful hand-made paintings, drawings, and large-scale installation created by Aljoscha are juxtaposed with Egor Kraft's mysterious videos and sculptures created with the help of AI and machine learning. At the same time, both artists’ works explore and engage with pressing notions and questions of the future. The artworks span a range of media, presenting not only two different concepts but also the sheer diversity of art forms.
Anna Nova booth presentation was curated by Elena Strygina.
