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| Slava Mogutin, Sticks and Stoned (Brian), 2010 |
IN THE NAME OF LOVE
Slava Mogutin and Brian Kenny
Curated by Karla Romero
August 2-September 21
Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art
(from the press release)
iMOCA is proud to present In The Name Of Love, a solo exhibition by Slava Mogutin, showcasing a series of 24 recent medium format portraits produced by the artist as traditional analog C-prints.
“For over a decade Slava Mogutin, a New York-based Russian artist and author, has been known for a photographic body of work that ranges from highly stylized, iconographic images to portraits that blend the boldness and honesty of police mug shots with the fantasy and desire of vintage pornography.
While still inviting voyeurism, his recent work hinders the viewer’s ability to see and decipher an image. He merges landscape backgrounds, which seem to be based on vernacular conventions and snapshot photography of people in front of scenic landscapes, with human forms. Nuanced explorations of changes in atmosphere are obtained by transforming a simple observation—a deer skull on a chair—into a complex photographic experience describing perception and the passage of time. It is as if the artist has carefully stitched together different moments in time.
Lushly colored images test connections between the descriptive clarity of photography and the haze of memory. Layered shots of people and nature come together and seem to blend into or grow out of nature itself. The work has become more optical and doesn’t have a static composition. It implies movement both by the camera and whatever activity that is motivating the image.
Throughout the exploration of the formal aspect of his work, Mogutin continues to look for other ways to use the camera as a voyeuristic tool. He explores the character and emotion of his subjects and simultaneously exposes their insecurities and vulnerabilities. The pictures’ success lies in the fact that Mogutin continues to tell stories of real people and real experiences and that, throughout his work, he remains a true poet.” –Jimi Dams
Also part of the exhibit is Entropy Parade, a collaboration with Brian Kenny. Mogutin and Kenny created a series of multi-layered collages based on photographs, drawings and text. Kenny says on the series, “An ‘entropy parade’ is like a parade that just degenerates into more and more chaos. I feel like this idea goes well with the series because it’s a parade of beautiful boys in ever more ridiculous outfits (no pants, thongs, and crazy props on their heads), with chaotic drawings and collages that further degenerate any sense of order into a more chaotic (and thus exciting) vision.”
August 2-September 21
Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art
(from the press release)
iMOCA is proud to present In The Name Of Love, a solo exhibition by Slava Mogutin, showcasing a series of 24 recent medium format portraits produced by the artist as traditional analog C-prints.
“For over a decade Slava Mogutin, a New York-based Russian artist and author, has been known for a photographic body of work that ranges from highly stylized, iconographic images to portraits that blend the boldness and honesty of police mug shots with the fantasy and desire of vintage pornography.
While still inviting voyeurism, his recent work hinders the viewer’s ability to see and decipher an image. He merges landscape backgrounds, which seem to be based on vernacular conventions and snapshot photography of people in front of scenic landscapes, with human forms. Nuanced explorations of changes in atmosphere are obtained by transforming a simple observation—a deer skull on a chair—into a complex photographic experience describing perception and the passage of time. It is as if the artist has carefully stitched together different moments in time.
Lushly colored images test connections between the descriptive clarity of photography and the haze of memory. Layered shots of people and nature come together and seem to blend into or grow out of nature itself. The work has become more optical and doesn’t have a static composition. It implies movement both by the camera and whatever activity that is motivating the image.
Throughout the exploration of the formal aspect of his work, Mogutin continues to look for other ways to use the camera as a voyeuristic tool. He explores the character and emotion of his subjects and simultaneously exposes their insecurities and vulnerabilities. The pictures’ success lies in the fact that Mogutin continues to tell stories of real people and real experiences and that, throughout his work, he remains a true poet.” –Jimi Dams
Also part of the exhibit is Entropy Parade, a collaboration with Brian Kenny. Mogutin and Kenny created a series of multi-layered collages based on photographs, drawings and text. Kenny says on the series, “An ‘entropy parade’ is like a parade that just degenerates into more and more chaos. I feel like this idea goes well with the series because it’s a parade of beautiful boys in ever more ridiculous outfits (no pants, thongs, and crazy props on their heads), with chaotic drawings and collages that further degenerate any sense of order into a more chaotic (and thus exciting) vision.”
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| Crocodile Tears, 2011 Entropy Parade: collaborative portfolio with Slava Mogutin C-print, 16" x 20" image on 20" x 24" sheet Edition of 10 |
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| Explain Yourself, 2011 Entropy Parade: collaborative portfolio with Slava Mogutin C-print, 16" x 20" image on 20" x 24" sheet Edition of 10 |
More info HERE
See Slava's entire 'Suddenly Last Summer' series HERE
See our Entropy Parade series HERE
