May a lucky star shine upon you

“May a lucky star shine upon you.” It is said that the Chinese wish each other good fortune in the coming year this way. The theme of the new GUM-Red-Line exhibition is quite lighthearted: it is about the Eastern Horoscope. For curator Elena Krylova it was a lucky chance and a challenge at the same time, as well as a test for the participating artists in their ability to be self-deprecating and to utilize their artistic language.

The exhibition curator Elena Krylova gathered a constellation of artists of her generation; she considers them to be both the present and the future of Russian contemporary art: Lyudmila Baronina, Katya Belyavskaya, Alina Glazoun, Ivan Gorshkov, Ksenia Dranysh, EliKuka Art Group, Yulia Kartoshkina, Olga Kroytor, Roman Manikhin, Victoria Marchenkova, Rostan Tavasiev, Ivan Tuzov, Sasha Frolova, Nika Chernyaeva, Valery Chtak. Some of them can still be considered “young” (according to the current classification, an artist under the age of 35 is referred to as a young artist), some of them have reached the midpoint of their careers. They are all united by the fact that they are confidently winning over the world. One of the most eloquent artists of our time, Pakhom, a true master and sage, was asked to compile the horoscope for 2020, Year of the Metal Rat.

During the past year, the whole world and, in particular, artists talked about global problems and the complicated solutions to them. As the holidays approach, we are entitled to a bit of rest and an opportunity to dream. An exhibition about the horoscope offers us a perfect chance to consider the present from a new viewpoint and to marvel at our future with optimism.