Close your eyes, look at the sunlight

«Close eyes, look at the sunlight» is a personal two-part project of the artist Petr Kirusha. United by the concept exhibitions take place in two spaces: in the gallery «Luda» and in the gallery «Saray». The exhibitions show several series of works of the artist and each has its own name: «The Light» and «The Dark».

Curator Peter Belyi about the project:

«The aesthetic of Petr Kirusha’s work is a sort of optional gesture. His works include built-in lightness, watercolor spill and tactful plastic optional. These elements show the viewer the territory of simplicity and accessibility. Petr Kirusha is an artist out of time. He combines a classical figure of «a real artist» and a fashionista of the pre-war era. Visual products arise as a by-product of the Kirusha’s life. He is busy with other things in life such as walking, drinking or collecting mushrooms. The main character of his paintings is the color diary. It allows him to create a space with infinite duration and absence of the main. White paper literally crowds out reality and takes on more power. A blank paper lit by the sun is the ideal statement to which Petr Kirusha aspires».

«The Dark»  is a complex story about the elusive, about what art has always done and about what is totally opposed to reality. The exposition is built around color clouds which are a coordinate system. Some non-politicism is the strategy of the artist. It fools and keeps away from the complexity of the works. In his paintings, Petr Kirusha uses picturesque glaze, shimmering plane of acrylic, abstraction and its deconstruction. It all adds up to a dream or a vague memory.

«The Light»  is a form of resistance to reality. The desire to make the world better and color it in brighter colors. The gaps between the color spots absorb the colors themselves. The meaning of the series is an internal turn, which recites the rejection of proven formulas and the emergence of new ones instead. The magnetic force of the void is expressed through decaying mosaics, overflows and white paper. The atmosphere of fun, circus and volatile elements that run away from the artist turn Petr Kirusha into an illusionist. The illusionist poured out of the blue cylinder red, yellow and green balls, stars and glitter.

Anastasia Kovalchuk took a short interview from Petr Kirusha. Petr spoke about the exhexhibition, its connection to the museum as a place of memory and what it means to be a modern artist.

Photo: Press Service Anna Akhmatova Museum, Press Service Luda Gallery