Concept
Mirrors and icons—two objects that both symbolize or facilitate a connection to other forms and levels of being. Neither mirrors nor icons in the conventional sense are present in the exhibition. However, the works offered to the viewer are inextricably linked to the Russian iconographic tradition. The visual characteristics of the renditions allow for the discovery of common ground between traditional genres and contemporary art.
The works of Maxim Demyan and Victoria Smirnova utilize a Christian iconographic system, yet they are not objects of religious veneration. The preliminary sketches, being an integral part of creating an icon and the «life cycle» of the image, were not conceived by the authors as a tool for dialogue with higher powers. This exhibition invites viewers to consider them precisely in this manner—as autonomous works of art alongside contemporary art. Works from the 19th and 21st centuries are presented equally as reflections or traces of attempts to establish contact with the heavenly realm.