For the first time at its venue the pop/off/art gallery presents Angelina Merenkova’s solo exhibition «Sign Horizon». The exposition includes new artworks that were created especially for the space of the Gallery: metal objects and works made on fabric in the artist’s recognisable style. .
The gallery space is divided by metal structures which symbolise the methods of repression used by the State. Giving structure to the exposition, «barriers» control the movement through it and imitate an everyday urban environment. The fifteen red, sewn cloths are, on the one hand, a kind of calendar of the main official holidays and, on the other, they hark back to Soviet history, referring to the symbols of the Republics of the Soviet Union. Conveying her ideas through the aesthetics and the form of the flag, the artist works with a poignantly modern and, at the same time, traditional form, which is, moreover, associated with the problematics of gender.
«Sign Horizon» reflects the contradictory events and issues of today, which have their roots in the past. Being aware of these historical parallels, Merenkova reinterprets the signs and symbols of power, endowing them with different meaning. Examining the collective unconscious, the artist regards society as a single organism, which does not sublimate its energy into a peaceful course. Here, hidden aggression is transformed into sexuality and serves as the main motif of the exhibition. Merenkova’s works unite the images of Eros and Thanatos, the two main chthonic forces, to whom Man is hostage.
Angelina Merenkova (born 1988) is one of the prominent artists of the younger generation. In her artwork, she uses a wide range of techniques – from painting, installations and photography, to embroidery and sewing. She graduated from the Bauman MSTU, then studied at the Free Workshops of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art and at the «Baza» Institute of Contemporary Art in Moscow. The artist’s first solo exhibition – «Free Time» – was held in «Elektrozavod» gallery in May 2017. Merenkova has taken part in numerous group projects (also as the curator). Among them, it is worth mentioning the exhibition «Make an Increment» (in collaboration with Evgeniya Nozhkina), shown at the venue «Untitled» as part of the Parallel programme of the Moscow Youth Biennale of Contemporary Art (2016), which was supported by the pop/off/art gallery. The artist lives and works in Moscow.
