ESCAPE program Valeriy Ayzenberg, Liza Morozova, Anton Litvin, Bogdan Mamonov
Biographical information
Ayzenberg Valeriy
Was born in 1947, Ukraine
1981 - First time take part in exhibition.
Since 1988 - member of Moscow Artist Union.
1993-1996 - lived in New-York.
Now is living in Moscow, New-York and Jaffa.
Had made more than 60 solo exhibition projects, took part in 90.
Creative field: painting, installation, photography, video, performance and writing.
In 1999 founded ESCAPE program (former ESPACE program, 1998-1999).
Liza Morozova
1973- born in Moscow.
1990-1995- Moscow Teachers State University.
1994-2000- International School of the Theater of Synthesis and Animation INTERSTUDIO, branch of the Saint-Peterburgian State Academy of Theatrical Arts (Tsarskoye Selo).
Since 1995- member of Emergency Exit Group ( Jury Sobolev Art School)
Since 1996- member of International Society A-ß, probationer of Workshop of Paratheatrical Forms, INTERSTUDIO.
Since 1997- Curator School (Center of Contemporary Art, S-Petersburg), senior teacher in INTERSTUDIO, aspirant of Psychological Institute (Educational Academy of Russia, Moscow),"Psychology of artistic anti-behavior" thematic, curator of Emergency Exit Group.
1999- student of the course "New Art Strategies", (Institute of Contemporary Art, Soros Foundation, Moscow).
Since 2000- collaboration with gallery "Escape", the member of program Escape together with V. Ayzenberg, Bogdan Mamonov and Anton Litvin.
2000-2005 - editor of Moscow Art Magazin.
Since 2001- member of "Leto" group.
Lives in Moscow.
Anton Litvin
Born in 1967, Moscow
Graduated of Moscow Financial institute (1983-1990)
Graduated from New Art Strategies course, 1999-2000, ICA, SCCA, Moscow
1993-95 - a member of Group without Name
Since 1999 - a member of ESCAPE Program
The Initiator of the Moscow Festival of Urban performances Pyat (Five)
Since 2000 - a member of Leto group
Live in Moscow, Russia
Bogdan Mamonov
Born 1964, Moscow.
Graduated Moscow Polygraphic Institute in 1987.
Artist, curator, art-critic. Works in painting, installation, performance, video, and book illustration.
Curator of the Gallery of the Russian Embassy in Tallinn.
2007
"The Wet", "The Absolute Success", "The Scheme", actions. Art-Moscow Fair, Central Artist`s House, Moscow;
"4/4", video installation. "Video Exhibition: between Europe and Asia. Videoart programm", The State University of Samara, Samara;
"Dolbo...", audio installation. V Biennale in Shiryaevo, s. Shiryaevo;
"Red dance", video. International Video Festival "Out Video" in Public Spaces, Ekaterinburg;
Stem by stem", "Red dance", video. VI Outdoor festival of video art "Pusto-2", Moscow;
"Triangle", video installation. "Artist`s Diary" exhibition, Central House of Artists,Moscow;
"Salon des Refuses", project. Central House of Artists, Moscow;
2006
"Quartette", video installation.Exhibition "Voices of Silence", Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, Israel;
"Stem by stem", video. International Video Festival "Out Video" in Public Spaces, Ekaterinburg, Moscow;
"Stem by stem", multimedia project. Ravenscourt Galleries, Art-Moscow Fair. Central Artist’s House, Moscow;
"Fingers", multimedia project. Exhibition of “Black Square” Reward laureates, "Na Brestskoj" ñlub, Moscow;
2005
"Quartette", video installation. "Moscow Breakthrough" exhibition, Bargehouse, London;
"Quartette", video. "Progress". Festival of Russian art. Vooruit geluid festival, Gent, Belgium;
"4/4", objects (polystirol, arocal). "Portret of a face" exhibition, MARS gallery, Moscow;
"Flat art", objects (polystirol, arocal). "Collector`s Club" Gallery, Art-Strelka, Moscow;
"ESCAPE Travel agency", video. Exhibition on www.tank.tv, London;
"Chorus", video. "Europalia" festival, Brussel;
"Chorus", video. "Pusto" video festival, Moscow, Ekaterinburg;
"Too long to escape", interactive slide installation. "Ours in Venice" party, Arsenal, Kremlin, Nizhny Novgorod;
"Chorus", video. Exhibition "We", Forum of Art Initiatives, New Manege, Moscow;
"4/4", video. Exhibition dedicated to Jury.Sobolev, "Platforma" club, S-Petersburg;
"Too long to escape", Interactive slide installation. 51 Venice Biennale, Russian pavilion, Gardini, Venice;
"Attension-1", photo installation. Exhibition "The Trinity", Russian Gallery, Òallinn, Estonia;
"Quartette", video. Exhibition "Sharp Technologies", Taimyr Cactus Festival, Museum of history and developing of Taimyr Region, Norilsk;
"Quartette", video installation. Exhibition "Beyond the red horizon. New art from Poland and Russia". Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw, Poland;
"Quartette", video installation. "Collective Creativity" exhibition, Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel, Germany;
"Quartette", video. EXPO-2005, AICHI, Japan;
"ESCAPE Travel Agency-5", performance, installation. Exhibition "Accomplices. Collective and Interactive Works in Russian Art of the 1960s-2000s", The State Tretyakov Gallery, 1 Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, Moscow;
"Dizziness-1", video installation. Exhibition "Human project". 1 Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, Central Artist`s House, Moscow;
"Attension-1", photo installation. Exhibition "Hope-stop". 1 Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, Zverevsky Center of Contemporary Art, Moscow;
"Blindness-1", light boxes. International Fair "ARCO", Madrid, Spain;
2004
"4/4-1", video installation. Exhibition "7 sins". The Museum of Modern Art/Moderna galerija, Lublyana, Slovenia;
"4/4", multimedia project. National Center for Contemporary Arts, Moscow;
"Blindness", multimedia project. Gallery "Ruarts", Ìoscow;
"Fingers", multimedia project. Art-Moscow Workshop. Central Artist’s House, Moscow;
"Salute!", project. One Work Gallery, Moscow;
"Quartette-3", video installation. Exhibition ”Orient inn”. Palañå Pesaro Papafava, Venice, Italy;
"Dizziness", video installation. Exhibition "Slipping/Vertigo". Arsenal, Kremlin, Nizhnó Novgorod;
"Monstruation-1", installation. Exhibition "Paradise". Forum of Art Initiatives. New Manege, Moscow;
"Monstruation", video. Exhibition "Mimicry". Kolomyagi, T. Nazarenko’s studio, St-Petersburg;
"Quartette", video. "Electric Visions". Recent video art of Russia and the Nordic Countries festival. "Na Brestskoj" ñlub, Moscow;
"Attension", photo installation. Exhibition "OK, America!" Gallery "APEXart", New-York, USA;
"The Artist, perished because of explosion on the eve of the vernisage", total installation. Non-profit program. Art-Moscow Fair. Central Artist’s House, Moscow;
"Monstruation", installation. Exhibition "Na kurort! Russian art now". Staatliche Kunsthalle, Baden-Baden, Germany;
"Untitled" (together with father Ioan Okhlobistin), installation. Exhibition "Design and advertisement", Central Artist’s House, Moscow.
2003
"Pirates", photo. Exhibition "Art-Constitution", The Museum of Modern Art, Moscow;
"Quartette", video. "Electric Visions". Recent video art of Russia and the Nordic Countries festival. Cinema House, St.-Petersburg;
"Quarteronka", installation. Exhibition "Viewing pad". Central Artist’s House, Moscow;
"Quartette-2", installation. Exhibition "Paradise in bunker". Bunker under Alexanderplatz, Berlin, Germany;
"Win/lose", photo video installation, Liza Morozova. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"Quartette", video. Outdoor festival of video art "Pusto-2", Moscow;
"Where the wind blows", outdoor installation, performance. Festival "Art-Klyazma". "Klyazminskoye Vodokhranilishche" Pansionat, Bay of Joy, Moscow region;
"Untitled", photo. Exhibition “Return Berlin”, Goethe Institute, Moscow;
"Archives", multimedia project, Ludmila Belova. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"Quartette - 1", installation. Exhibition "Overcoming alienation", Praguebiennale 1. National Gallery/Veletrizni Palaz, Prague, Chehia;
"Quartette", video installation. Art-Moscow Workshop. Central Artist’s House, Moscow;
"Pirates", installation, performance. Art-Moscow Fair. Central Artist’s House, Moscow.
"Child`s things", installation, Polina Kulik (France). Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"Hudson reflects New-York", installation, Valeriy Ayzenberg. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
2002
"Wall music", performance, Konstantin Adjer. Together with E-69 group. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"Latvija : Russia", performance, Zane Matule (Latvia).Together with Max Ilukhin. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"History of art", drawing, Bogdan Mamonov. Festival of Young Art "Halt! Who is that?", Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"Milky Way", video installation. Exhibition "Motherland/Fatherland", Moscow International Forum of Art Initiatives, New Manege, Moscow;
"Òhe official album. Eurovision song contest - 2001", Exhibition "EURO". Andrey Sakharov Museum and Public Center, Moscow;
"ESCAPE boutique", video. Festival of Contemporary Art in public spaces ”À_REAL 001". Ekaterinburg;
"ESCAPE Travel Agency- 3", installation, performance. Exhibition "Speak to a man on the street", IV Biennale in Cetinje. Cetinje, Montenegro;
"ESCAPE Travel Agency - 2", installation, performance. "Davaj! New Russian Art" exhibition. MAK, Vienna, Austria;
"Motherland exchange", multimedia installation, performance. Project "Curator’s choice", Art-Frankfurt Messe. Frankfurt-on-Main, Germany;
"We find peace only in dream", installation. Art-Moscow Workshop. Central Artist’s House, Moscow;
"Dangers are lurking", "Just Escape", "Grandma, the TV-set broke", "An Invisible Abuse", "About Religion", "Electric eye", objects. Exhibition "Instead of art". Zverevsky Center of Modern art, Moscow;
"Traces of middle class", installation. Exhibition "Expectation". Art-Moscow Fair. Central Artist’s House, Moscow;
"… Know and Love", installation. Art-Moscow Fair. Central Artist’s House, Moscow;
"Beauty Free", installation. Exhibition "Fair". Royal College of Art, London, UK;
"XI.IX", multimedia project. L-gallery, Moscow;
"1270919", performance, Bogdan Mamonov. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"ESCAPE Travel Agency- 1", installation, performance. Exhibition "Davaj! New Russian Art now". Postfuramt, Berlin, Germany;
2001
"The Information banquet-performance", action, Anatoly Osmolovsky (together with ESCAPE Program). Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"Interview", action. Art-Manege Fair, Moscow;
"House", video installation, Galina Ledentsova. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"ESCAPE Travel Agency-1", installation, performance. 3 International Travel exhibition. "UralTourismSport" Center, Ekaterinburg;
"Last temptation", project, Konstantin Adjer. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"Village season", video installation, Vladimir Bystrov. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"ESCAPE Travel Agency", installation, performance. Exhibition "Art as tourism". Moscow International Forum of Art Initiatives, New Manege, Moscow;
"Four projects", Festival "Kukart", Zapasnoj Palace, Tsarskoe Selo;
"Opposites", video performance, video installation, Elena Kovylina, Anna Abazieva. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"ESCAPE boutique", installation, performance. Art-Moscow Fair, Central Artist’s House, Moscow;
"…in old times cavalier those madam… said thus, but she didn`t reply…", video installation, video performance, Galina Ledentsova, Vladimir Bystrov. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"Amateur photography", group exhibition. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
2000
"Appropriation of artist Faibisovitch exhibition "Dead&Alive", action. Vernisages, Internet; Moscow;
"The point", project, Dmitry Demsky. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"Liza and the Dead - 1", installation, performance. Art-Manege Fair, Moscow;
"Zverev and Chirik", Bogdan Mamonov, installation, performance. Zverevsky Center of Modern Art, Moscow;
"The waltz for POLAROID", performance, installation, Konstantin Adjer. By the participation of Marina Bebick. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"Data banks", photo installation, Tatiana Arazyan. 2 International Biennale Gumri. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"Right to escape", Bogdan Mamonov, action. Exhibition "Wall newspaper", Andrey Sakharov Museum and Public Center, Moscow;
"Everything You Saw, but Couldn’t Come to a Halt", Anton Litvin, installation, performance. Zverevsky Center of Modern Art, Moscow;
"Emptiness for beloved", multimedia project, Vladimir Bystrov. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"Liza and the Dead", installation. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"Disappearance", performance. Festival "Kukart". Zapasnoj Palace, Tsarskoe Selo.
"Yellow butterfly", installation, Valeriy Ayzenberg; "Night butterfly&Wagner", performance, Valeriy Ayzenberg. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
1999
"The Dead and Alive", group exhibition. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"Beware of kids! or Bivis and Butthad are Here Already", objects, video, Anton Litvin. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"Moskvichka", group exhibition, Festival "Unofficial Moscow". Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
"Visual Manipulation #21", documentation of performance, Valeriy Ayzenberg. Gallery "Escape", Moscow;
1998
Actions of ESPACE Program:
"Documentation", presentation of documents and artifacts of ESCAPE Program. Art-Manege Fair, Manege, Moscow;
"Three camera men on the roof", performance, Valeriy Ayzenberg, Natasha Turnova, Alex Panov. Roof, Moscow;
"Splash of happiness", installation, Natasha Turnova; "Rain", video, Valeriy Ayzenberg. Natasha Turnova` s studio, Moscow;
"Point-blank: RLAEZ!!!", out door installation, performance, German Vinogradov. Roof, Moscow;
"Canadacana", photos. George Kisewalter. Institute of Contemporary Art, Moscow;
" … I looked back and sow nothing…", out door installation, Valeriy Ayzenberg; "Svans", video, Valeriy Ayzenberg; "Eden Corner", objects, Natasha Turnova. Roof, Moscow;
"Presentation of "Fantom" Drama", Valeriy Ayzenberg. "Good things", exhibition of Segrey Bazilev. Galleró "Manege", Moscow;
In ESCAPE program" actions took part:
Nataliya Abalakova, Anna Abazieva, Jury Avvakumov, Konstantin Adjer, Valeriy Ayzenberg, Tatiana Arazyan, Yury Babich, Sergey Bazilev, Oleg Baluev, Svetlana Baskova, Konstantin Batinkov, Marina Bebik, Marina Belova, Mihail Bode, Ekaterina Burova, Vladimir Bystrov, Irina Valdron, Marina Gertsovskaja, Dmitry Gutov, German Vinogradov, Dmitry Vrubel,Ignat Daniltsev, Dmitry Demsky, Irina Dubrovskaja, Anatoly Zhigalov, Konstantin Zvezdotchetov, Narine Zolyan, Artur Zulumyan, Igor Joganson, Georgy Kizevalter, Elena Kovilina, Vitaly Komar, Nina Kotel, Vasily Kravchuk, Vadim Kruglikov, Anna Kuznetsova, Galina Ledentsova, Jury Leiderman, Anton Litvin, Georgy Litichevsky, Feodor Lobanov, Bogdan Mamonov, Jury Matskin, Alexander Melamid, Alexandra Mitlyanskaya, Mihail Molochnikov, Liza Morozova, Ekaterina Nesterova, Nataliya Nesterova, Valeriy Orlov, Anatoly osmolovsky, Georgy Ostretsov, Julia Ostrovskaya, Alexander Panov, Marina Perchikhina, Karl Petjun, Marija Pozharitskaya, Nikolai Polissky, Alexander Politov, Alena Romanova, Àandre Rudet, Vladimir Salnikov, Arkady Semenov, Òàiêî, Viktory Timofeeva, Natasha Turnova, Dmitry Tsvetkov, Jury Horovsky, Eduard Shteinberg, Daniil Fillipov, Vasily Florensky, Anni Halgman, Nadin Heller.
Since 1998 23 catalogues with texts by G. Kizevalter, V. Ayzenberg, M. Bode, B. Mamonov, V. Levashov, J. Sobolev were published by gallery Escape.
Autobiographical notes
ESCAPE programme (used to be called ESPACE till 1999) was created by an artist Valeriy Ayzenberg in 1999. In the same year the artists Bogdan Mamonov, Anton Litvin and Liza Morozova joined him.
In the activity process the programme structure was defined, it included joint projects of the programme members (ESCAPE group) and ESCAPE gallery (exhibitions and performances of the group members and some invited artists arranged within the gallery area or on some other grounds).
In typological terms the gallery activity can be attributed to the international practice "artists run spaces", and besides it sort of revives in a new context the Moscow tradition of Apt-Art (Apartment Art). All the four programme members are curators of gallery exhibitions.
The gallery ESCAPE is located in the studio apartment of Valeriy Ayzenberg (Nagornaya St., building 23 / 2). This is the place where the first programme actions were held. Over five years there were arranged 25 exhibitions altogether. With few exceptions these are mostly experimental individual exhibitions of invited artists.
ESCAPE was originated as a response to monopolization of the present-day art by a particular narrow circle of gallery owners, curators and critics: new ways of competition inevitably encourage development of new strategies. In this case the activity of an artistic group proves to be more effective than an individual work of one artist. But it should be mentioned that to the same extent the programme was caused by the need for collective creative work experienced by each group member.
The programme status allows to ESCAPE members to present themselves irrespective of any institutions, to be a mobile unit and exhibit their projects simultaneously in different areas.
The progamme strategy is based not on the search for an unoccupied niche in the completely filled territory of post-modernist art, but on closing up gaps between the existing niches. The aim is to commit sort of communication "acts of terrorism" on the area of Art, such meta-activity is similar to a computer virus operating in the network.
The programme performance illustrating its name became "Escape" (B. Mamonov, V. Ayzenberg, 2000). The performance was built on an emphatic rejection of any contacts and consisted of a number of "escapes" thus encouraging the spectators to more intimate communication.
In August 2000 the ESCAPE gallery presented a new exhibition called "Liza and the Dead" which initiated a new trend - none-spectacular art. This practice as the last spark of Russian 20th century avant-garde was a response to the art of 1990s which was seized hostage by "mass media invocatory and indecent patency". While denying visual and spectacle characteristics ESCAPE doesn`t deny figurativeness and shape. The task of the programme is not to criticize the mechanisms of capitalistic society but to escape to the maximum the representation as a type of faschizoid activity.
The programme members regard the Artist and his life as the only value of the Art world, that`s why favorite ESCAPE genre is a performance as "The Art of Life", and one of main themes of their creative work is an analysis of programme members` roles within the group and in the society, their images and relationships ("XI.IX", "Beauty Free"). The analysis is full of serious content but at the same time has sort of a self-mocking character.
One of ESCAPE aims is to achieve new and very personal relations between the artist and the spectator. Such relations are being achieved by having tea together with a spectator (project "Liza and Dead"), playing football with him ("Zverev and Chirik"), driving a spectator in a trolley around the exhibition hall ("Everything you saw, but could not stop") or leading him by his hand with his eyes blindfolded ("Motherland Exchange"). Here the form of an artist existence almost merges with the reality.
The most important ESCAPE peculiarity consists in constant changing of social function. Over 5 years it has performed not only as a non-profit gallery, but as a store, a travel agency, a repair shop and even as a Motherland acquiring office (" Motherland Exchang"). For example at the International Art Fair "Art Manege 2000" the programme members launched the stand repairing straight in public. And at the fair "Art Moscow 2001" they exhibited their personal belongings as works of art. In the project "ESCAPE Travel Agency" the artists were selling real tours to various parts of the world during these tours they having taken the role of guides together with the spectator-tourists held initiation performances opening a hidden reality thus trying to turn a spectator into an artist.
The programme strategy keeps on developing. The variety of themes is rather wide thus on one hand there are projects containing some provocative elements (the projects "Interview" 2001, " "They Know and They Like", 2002, "Pirates", 2003), but on the other hand there are projects that can be called lyrical they center round the themes of human values and their place in present-day society and culture (projects "Peace is but a Dream", 2002 and "Quartett", 2003 shown at "Art Moscow").
Today ESCAPE is one of the most active forces operating at the Moscow art scene. The acknowledgement of its ascendancy has manifested itself in a form of award "For achievements in the field of present-day art". The award was presented to the programme at the Workshops "Art Moscow 2003".
Thus success was attained by the group which has never worked with any Moscow gallery, which has not enjoyed support of any large institution and has not had any significant financial possibilities. Nevertheless the programme participants have proved that today an artist is able to attain success while remaining independent. Probably this is the major ESCAPE achievement over the 5 years of its activity.
What the critics say
Another Russian project at the Biennale is an interactive video installation called "Too Long To Escape." The authors are a group of Moscow artists who call themselves The Escape Program. They say their preferred strategy is art sabotage. The gist is simple: the artists move towards the public at a speed proportional to the number of visitors entering the room. The Russian avant-garde, particularly Kazimir Malevich`s Red Cavalry, inspired its creation. They had originally considered staging dialog between an artist and a spectator, but decided the idea wouldn`t work.
