Erarta Museum presented an exhibition by Ivan Korshunov exploring the values and symbols of the consumerist society that has traded reality for its surrogates
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20 large-scale canvases painted in the traditional three-layer technique
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Meticulously orchestrated compositions in which every detail is laden with meaning
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Ambiguity of the modern world expressed through visual imagery
Ivan Korshunov is one of the artists who use their painting practice to tap into the current reality. His new Surrogates project sees him explore the impact of virtual reality on the various aspects of human experience, zooming in on the all-pervasive spoofing of meanings and images in the modern information-driven world, and seemingly trying to visualise the prevailing notion of a simulacrum.
According to such French philosophers as Georges Bataille, Gilles Deleuze, and Jean Baudrillard, we have long been living in a time of total simulation, in a world of substituted concepts and meanings. The world around us is full of surrogates and simulacra and keeps changing on a daily basis. An endless stream of scenarios continues to condition our perception of reality. The global events of the recent years affect interpersonal and international relations, forcing us to reconceptualise our communication patterns and changing our habitual lifestyle. While we have adapted to many recent developments, others we still find difficult to digest.
Visually and technically, Ivan Korshunov’s project is divided into two clusters: the cheerful irony of the ‘golden background’ paintings is juxtaposed against the austerity of the ‘dark background’ ones, outwardly reflecting the ambiguity and fluidity of the modern world. The semantic space of some of the canvases painted two years ago is enriched with new, currently relevant meanings and is bound to find new interpretations.
