Press release_Vadim Kosmatschof. Breathing sculpture_FIN

Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation
Tretyakov Gallery
Austrian Cultural Forum Moscow
PRESS – RELEASE
Vadim Kosmatschof
Breathing Sculpture
May 17 – August 19
Russia, Moscow, The New Tretyakov Gallery, halls №80–82
© Eveline Tilley-Tietze
Exhibition content
Curators
Exposition
Exhibition Design
Scientific program
more than 60 works: sculpture, painting, graphics, porcelain
Kirill Svetlyakov, Anna Mapolis / Moscow, Peter Noever / Vienna
Kirill Svetlyakov, Nina Divova
Veech X Veech / Vienna
Georg Schölhammer / Vienna
Vadim Kosmatschof work addresses universal values of harmony, balance, dynamics and force, and has
evolved from rigid industrial modernism to an understanding of sculpture as a living organic form. By
interacting with both the urban landscape and elements of nature, his creations open a new perspective
on the role of sculpture in the 21 st century.
The exhibition at the New Tretyakov Gallery will be the first major solo show of Vadim Kosmatschof in
Russia.
The artist, who emigrated from the Soviet Union in 1979, made his reputation with a series of pioneering
works in industrial porcelain before becoming one of the main proponents of Modernism in Soviet
Monumental Art. Producing metal sculptures of unprecedented size and freedom, Kosmatschof’s aim was
always to overcome the static character of traditional sculpture. Over the years, he created more than 40
large-scaled sculptures for public spaces in Germany, Austria, Russia and the United States. In his recent
projects he is focusing on the mutual influence between art and science, and exploring the notion of
‘breathing forms’ and ‘solar sculptures’ that move through exposure to sunlight.
The display of over 60 works will cover all periods and aspects of the artist’s creative output – ranging
from porcelain works, metal reliefs, paintings, graphics, interior sculptures, models of public art objects
and sculptures, original layout, photo and video materials.
The exhibition is organized chronologically in two parts, Retrospective and Perspective; spread over two
floors of the New Tretyakov Gallery. Exemplary of Kosmatschof’s early work is the landmark 65-foot
abstract sculpture Konstrukta, installed in front of the Turkmenistan State Library in Ashkhabad in 1975.
In the exhibition original mock-ups, a video, and a series of photographs of its installation will be on view.
Furthermore a number of large-scale German commissions are featured in a film by Andreas Waldschütz
that explores the integration of Kosmatschof’s sculptures into urban and rural environments.
Highlights of the section showing Kosmatschof’s recent projects in Austria will be works such as Urban

Heart, Four Cylinders, Breathing Form and Unfolding Square. By interacting with the viewer, environment
and surrounding architecture, the works steer sculpture on a new course. Incorporating the latest energy
technology, they move according to changes in the weather or variations in sunlight – enabling us to feel
the energies of the universe on a new, different level, and to feel ourselves an integral part of it.
Kirill Svetlyakov, curator of the exhibition and a senior researcher at the New Tretyakov Gallery, states
that “Vadim Kosmatschof’s oeuvre is a discovery in the history of Russian and contemporary sculpture.
His creations back in the time of the USSR were an alternative to traditional monuments associated with
ideology. Kosmatschof’s contemporary works are interdisciplinary and combine different practices:
industrial aesthetics from the 20th century and bioengineering, which stimulates techno-organic ideas in
sculpture of ‚breathing forms“.
For Peter Noever, curator and designer, and director of MAK Vienna / Los Angeles from 1986 to 2011,
“this exhibition is a bold and significant step, marking a new discovery of Vadim Kosmatschof’s work,
which gained international recognition already. Therefore it’s time to represent his work in a large scale in
Russia”.
“The exhibition of my work at the New Tretyakov Gallery symbolizes the return of my name to the field of
Russian Culture – a sign both of fidelity to all participants in its unprecedented Avant-Garde scene, and of
hope for the revival of its spirit of discovery “, says Vadim Kosmatschof.
Vadim Kosmatschof: “Breathing Sculpture“ will be accompanied by an extensive publication by TATLIN
Publishers, covering all aspects and periods of the artist’s career. Released on the occasion of the
exhibition the publication includes contributions by Kirill Svetlyakov, Georg Schöllhammer, Peter Noever,
Markus Mittringer, Alexander Lavrentjev, Anna Māpolis and Vitaly Patsukov.
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Press contact:
Press Agency JMgroup, Moscow, tel. +7 (495) 620 36 06
Maria Grigorieva, m.grigorieva@jmgroup.ru tel. +7 917 533 71 44
Maria Jouk, m.jouk@jmgroup.ru tel. +7 925 517 42 60
Johannes Mak - Kommunikation & PR, Vienna, johannes.mak@mak-pr.at tel. +43 699 15909095
Detailed information and basic data:
• Biography of the artist Vadim Kosmatschof
VADIM KOSMATSCHOF (born Kaluga 1938) studied at the Moscow Art School before graduating from
the Stroganov Academy of Arts & Design in 1965. He made his reputation with a series of pioneering
works in industrial porcelain before becoming one of the main proponents of Modernism in Soviet
Monumental Art, realizing metal sculptures of unprecedented size and freedom – culminating in a
65-foot abstract sculpture “Konstrukta“ outside the National Library in Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan.
After taking part in the Unofficial Soviet Art exhibition at the 1978 Venice Biennale, he was invited to
lecture and exhibit in the West and emigrated to Vienna, where he lived from 1979-83. In 1984 he
settled in Germany, winning several competitions for a string of large-scale public art commissions.
In 2007 Kosmatschof visited Russia for the first time since 1979, to participate in the Russian
Museum’s exhibition Adventure of the Black Square – where his project “Unfolding Square“ was set
in a spatial dialogue with Malevich’s Black Square. Since 2010 Kosmatschof has again lived in Austria,
focusing on the mutual influence between Art and Science.
• About the New Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow
The State Tretyakov Gallery, with its 1 350 000 visitors per year, is not only the most important
national treasury of Russian Art, but also one of the most renown Museums in the World. The
Gallery´s collection encompasses over 130 000 artworks, including major masterpieces of the Russian
avant-garde by Marc Chagall, Vasily Kandinsky, El Lissitzky, Kazimir Malevich, Alexander Rodchenko
to name just few.
The Tretyakov Gallery was grounded in 1856 and has developed into one of the most successful and
popular museums in Russia, reflecting the unique symbiosis of a great historic tradition and a
modern museum. While the Art Works, ranging in date from the 11th to the early 20th century, are
on the show in Gallery's historic building, the New Tretyakov Gallery at Krymskiy Val houses a unique
collection of national 20th century, Modern Art and Contemporary Art Exhibitions.
For more information: www.tretyakovgallery.ru
• Detailed key data on the exhibition at a glance:
Сurators:
Kirill Svetlyakov - Chief Curator State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Anna Mapolis - art historian and curator, Moscow
Peter Noever - designer and curator-at-large art /architecture /media. 1986 – 2011 CEO and Artistic
Director of the MAK, Vienna / Los Angeles

Scientific Framework Program:
Georg Schöllhammer - editor, author and curator, head of tranzit.at and editor in chief of the art
magazine Springerin based in Vienna
Exhibition design and Exhibition coordination:
Mascha Veech-Kosmatschof and Stuart A. Veech
VEECH X VEECH DESIGN GmbH, Rudolfsplatz 6/2, 1010 Vienna
office@veechxveech.com