Power Station of Art, Shanghai
Cosmism - the artistic movement in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century with ramifications in the scientific, political, literary and artistic world - had at its core the pursuits of immortality for the living, the material resurrection of the dead, travel and ultimately the conquest of space. The principles of Cosmism combining the Western Enlightenment and technology inspired many key Soviet thinkers until they fell victim to Stalinist repression and the movement was largely forgotten. Based on the above foundations, 48 works from the internationally renowned Costakis Collection of MOMus-Museum of Modern Art are exhibited in Shanghai, at the Power Station of Art (PSA), the first public museum of contemporary art in China, in the main exhibition of the 14th Biennale with the general title “Cosmos Cinema”, from November 9, 2023 to March 31, 2024, making another international stop on the journey of this collection.
Along with the works of over 80 international artists, artists from the era of the Russian Avant-Garde - Vasily Chekrygin, Xenia Eder, Maria Eder, Gustav Klutsis, Ivan Kliun, Alexei Krutsonich, Ivan Kudryashov, Kazimir Malevich, Solomon Nikritin, Kliment Redko, Olga Rozanova and Alexander Rodchenko - focus their explorations on the relationship between art and cinema and space exploration, as is the theme of this year's event.
Vasily Chekrygin, Resurrection, 1918, Oil on canvas, 79.4x89.1 cm. © MOMus-Museum of Modern Art-Costakis Collection
The Shanghai Biennale is one of the most important art events in China and has an international impact. The chief curator of the 14th Shanghai Biennale is Anton Vidokl, while the section with the works of the Costakis Collection is curated by Boris Gross in collaboration with Maria Tsantsanoglou, Director of the MOMus-Museum of Modern Art and Angeliki Charistou, Curator and Head of the Costakis collection, at the same museum.