The сцена/szena gallery presented a new project by Kirill Garshin, a young Russian artist from Voronezh –  Nocturnal Animals. Garshin has always worked in the techniques of painting and drawing: in early projects he was fond of methods of hyperrealism, today he goes beyond the Russian painting tradition and creates works close to the European image system. In the “Nocturnal Animals” series Garshin turns to the Renaissance of figurative painting, he entwines into his artistic language references to magical realism. Garshin combines new realism and imaginative spaces. The coloristic solution of his works reproduces film photography with a bright flash: sharply delineated figures shimmer in the darkness of the night forest, adding some mystery to the simple narrative.

In the new project Garshin reflects on the actual problems of the present and their possible impact on the social structure of the future. As a “human-centric” artist, Kirill introduces into his works a new character – cattle: cows and goats represent a human and his total inability to live in the “wild nature of the unknown tomorrow”. Accustomed to existence in the greenhouse conditions, pets have long lost contact with their once familiar environment, and, moreover, they have evolved into a different species which will not survive without their masters. The social problems of post-humanism raise the question for Garshin about the evolution of thinking and the diminishing role of the individual in society. Collective stables-open space are gradually transforming a human into a selective animal, unable to survive beyond the boundaries of today’s technological ecumenical order. The artist places people and animals in an aggressive environment, a dark forest symbolizing the unpredictability of the future. In the European folklore tradition, the night forest is considered to be the home of evil forces. Garshin leaves his heroes alone with the gloomy woodland, in an atmosphere of anxious waiting, in the uncomfortable uncertainty. This atmosphere is supported by the muted light in the secret room of the “Richter” mansion and the musical meditation accompanying the viewer in his wandering passage through the exposition (created by Egor Fedorichev specially for the project)

Paintings and drawings are compositionally reminiscent of shots where the ambiance or the photographer forced the characters to take uncomfortable poses, as if defending themselves against someone or something. A potentially dangerous environment hides a threat of violence, it turns heroes into victims. Images of hallowed sacrifice in the dark forest refer to ancient pagan rituals, mysteries and practices that are once again of interest. Rich in life in the metropolis, people are eager to go to the wilderness, but no one knows what awaits there after sunset.

Vera Trakhtenberg