Purposeful mystification of the boundaries between scientific history collections and religion – in this case with a deliberate focus on rituals. The sculptural objects on display are reminiscent of orthodox religious iconography. Yet, when presented in an idiomatic academic system of collection display, the significance of the work shifts from the objects themselves and their
AuthorIlya
THE MOTH AND THE BAT FLYING TO THE LIGHT
The Moth and the Bat Flying to the Light». The artist explores the subject of the “other” and the friend/foe limits. He is concerned to know how these statuses come to be in society – both in terms of social interaction and physical. As the name of the project implies, the starting points for the
The snake and the bat are girlfriends of the octopus
3 chanal video installation, 2019-2021 The artist explores the theme of the «Other,» self-identity, ecology, and foreignness, reflecting on the processes of distance production in society as well as in nature, gender, and body. Artist/Director — Ilya Fedotov-Fedorov Performers: Dmitriy Staev, Ivan Steindgud Camera: Pavel Ilillev, Ilya Fedotov-Fedorov. Sound: Alexey Kokhanov Editing: Rubeza Velkov Supported
Museum of rituals #15-#20
Purposeful mystification of the boundaries between scientific history collections and religion – in this case with a deliberate focus on rituals. The sculptural objects on display are reminiscent of orthodox religious iconography. Yet, when presented in an idiomatic academic system of collection display, the significance of the work shifts from the objects themselves and their
Trans-Siberia
Trans-Siberia 2019The artist researches manmade natural reservations; national parks, zoos, enclosures and aquariums. These repositories with their “live contents” represent a model of the human strife to dominate nature and have total control over it. In the completely transparent environment of an aquarium or a terrarium, its inhabitants have no opportunity to hide, with zoos
Exo-ark
Exo-ark, 2019 Video, 8′, mixed media installation. Dimensions variable. Ilya Fedotov-Fedorov studies the relationships between man and nature, science and ritual. The pursuit of immortality originated the practice of ritual mummification, the physical preservation of human bodies. In order to document knowledge about nature, humans invented the technique of taxidermy to preserve animal bodies. Fedotov-Fedorov
Empty museums
Artist collecting empty spaces in the vitrine of Natural History Museums around the world (Russia, France, UK, Netherlands, Slovenia and etc). He printed these photos at the size of real vitrines and put them in big frames witch looks like vitrine itself. For artists tried to deconstruct the colonial idea of Museums of Nature History
Centaurs of the War
Centaurs of the War 2019 Horseshoes welded on steel. This is story from my Grandma. During the World War II, 2-3 000 Russian soldiers enter to her small Russian village. At the time, the village was inhabited only by children and the elderly because everyone left to the war and also most of the animals
Museum of rituals #7-#14
Purposeful mystification of the boundaries between scientific history collections and religion – in this case with a deliberate focus on rituals. The sculptural objects on display are reminiscent of orthodox religious iconography. Yet, when presented in an idiomatic academic system of collection display, the significance of the work shifts from the objects themselves and their
Milkmaids
Milkmaids 2018-2019 These pictures I found in the archive of the museum of zoology in Moscow, were used for propaganda of the Soviet system’s agricultural prowess. Several exhibitions were created to celebrate the best milkmaids of the USSR. In this particular exhibition there was album composed of the best milkmaids that included their name, the
Museum of rituals
Purposeful mystification of the boundaries between scientific history collections and religion – in this case with a deliberate focus on rituals. The sculptural objects on display are reminiscent of orthodox religious iconography. Yet, when presented in an idiomatic academic system of collection display, the significance of the work shifts from the objects themselves and their
Museum of rituals #1 — #6
Purposeful mystification of the boundaries between scientific history collections and religion – in this case with a deliberate focus on rituals. The sculptural objects on display are reminiscent of orthodox religious iconography. Yet, when presented in an idiomatic academic system of collection display, the significance of the work shifts from the objects themselves and their
Poisons museum
Poisons Museum At the moment, I am very depressed about the situation in Russia, both political and scientific. The church is interferes with science more and more, HIV dissidence and pseudoscience are flourishing. Plunging into the Middle Ages, even educated people are affected by this influence. Poisons Museum is dedicated is about the problem of
Preservation instinct
The main motif of Fedotov-Fedorov’s art is the use of natural scientific knowledge. The artist adopts its main characteristics: the depiction of biological processes and forms from the cell to the habitat, linguistic features and ways of presenting knowledge (formulas, drawings, and so on), methodological principles and types of representation (entomological collections, card catalogues). With
7th Moscow International Biennale of Contemporary Art
The works of Ilya Fedotov-Fedorov were presented in the exposition of the Main Project of the 7th Moscow International Biennale of Contemporary Art «Clouds⇄Forests» Curator — Yuko Hasegawa. The project include works from diffrent periods but all of th works are about reletionship between nature and human and since and ritual.
Nonatu
The project Nonatu telling us about the relationship between people from different cultural patterns and nature. Living in the cities all over the world people transform urban flora and fauna. Ilya spent several time in the city exploring what people «left» after themselves. The process was much similar to archaeological study based on pottery
Whitestone
Whitestone Installetion + Digital prints Installation with 7 ant hills. In each of them he lodged ants with egg-laying queen: 3 types MYRMICA RUBRA and 4 types LASIUS NIGER. In the middle of this turned-out system he established a column to which of each ant hill he carried out a cable. On the place of
Collection of pink book
Collection of pink book Collection of Pink book is a direct reference to the IUCN Red List. But Pink book contains wide-known biological species and that’s the obvious difference. Pink book itself wouldn’t exist without the character of Explorer. The person of Explorer observed modern biological data and evaluated the risk of extinction of each
23 Sanatoriums
23 sanatoriums Threads, heracleums, 2014 In 2014 Ilya made an installation in thrown building of sanatorium of the XIX century in the village not far from New Riga highway. The room which many years ago was intended for people rest and treatment he filled in 23 dried-up heracleum plants of the giant size. Heracleum plant