The art of Egor Koshelev tries to avoid the use of generally accepted in the local community creative strategies, what helps him to stand out from the actual Russian art life. Koshelev purposefully moving towards a creation of special synthetic art space, regardless of the used forms, whether it is easel or monumental painting, graphics, objects or installations. This art space in other cultural and historical situation could be the temple, a palace or even factory center of culture, but today it is limited by the resources of the exhibition hall.
Artistic outlook of Koshelev was formed at the intersection of «high» and «low» styles, the palace and the yard culture. His art works are influenced by the soviet neoclassicism and graffiti and his manner reflects narrative constructing methods, which are close to the modern graphic novel and extensive use of auxiliary characters, which is close to the Moscow conceptual school. In recent years, the artist created quite big amount of works, where the basis of contemporary Russian art such as academic pictorial tradition, conceptualism in all its forms and the actionism of the 90s undergone a radical rethinking. For him, the space of the painting becomes the territory of new opportunities. It can be a field of stylistic confrontation, gathering place for the lost images, crime scene of a «good taste», hidden shelter for the partisan painter or a luxurious mansion of the all-powerful dictator- aesthete.
Exaltation and decoration of Palazzo Koshelev is the most effective way to form a complete notion about the artist, who acts in this case as the architect, decorator and owner. This palace is created with a full understanding of the phantom nature of this palazzo- building - it cannot gain stability and durability while its ambitious customer remains alive. But at the same time, during the work on this massive building appears an artist’s chance to understand something important about himself before the halls and corridors that hold the retrospective exhibition would not become what they should eventually turn out to be - a ruin.
Location: Contemporary Art Center «Winzavod», White Hall
The exhibition is curated by Mikhail Ovcharenko
The exhibition is held within the framework of the "Farewell to Eternal Youth" cycle of the jubilee program of "Winzavod".
