Phantom story - a new solo exhibition by Elena and Viktor Vorobyovs’

Seven years have passed since the last solo exhibition of Elena and Viktor Vorobyovs’ "The Artist Sleeps". Then the duo exhibited in 2015 at the Kasteev Museum of Art, and then, in 2017, went to the 57th Venice Biennale in the main part of the exhibition. The lingering 7 years of anticipation were reinforced by new global events in the world and the country: the resignation of Kazakhstan's first president, the coronavirus epidemic, the tragic events of January, the war in Ukraine, the emigration of Russians, and the condemnation of Russian colonial and post-colonial policies.

The artistic duo raise themes of meaning and understanding of the post-Soviet era in their works. They accurately focus on those meanings and objects that we overlook. That is why the new solo exhibition of Elena and Viktor Vorobyovs’ was expected. Times have changed too much, people's thinking has changed, accents have appeared, and the exact border between black and white is becoming clear.

The solo exhibition "Phantom story" includes new and well-known works of the artists, in which they continue to reflect on the theme of the post-Soviet in the Soviet. The very title of the exhibition comes from a series of photographs taken in 2013 with the same name.

"They keep trying to tell us that the Soviet is here and we have to go back. In fact, of course, this is absolutely some kind of fantasy notion. Still, the world is developing. We used to create works under the general theme of 'the post-Soviet in the Soviet'. Now, in times of new conflicts, our project remains relevant," said Elena Vorobyova.

"Take Kyrgyzstan as an example, all the Ilyich monuments are standing, they affect society. If someone doesn't want to remove them, they have a purpose," added Viktor Vorobyov.

In their works, the artists have depicted their family life through the TV screen turned off. This is pure photo-documentary; it is through the camera that the artists are trying to convey this post-Soviet reality. In this way, Elena and Viktor Vorobyov abandon their own subjective, trusting the reality of the photograph rather than traditional painting.

"The exhibition is about human psychology, about how these phantoms need to be seen, need to be understood. Ideology permeates us, whether you want it or not, people come back to it," shared Elena Vorobyova.

Interestingly, the exhibition runs in parallel in two spaces that are located in different parts of the city: HOUSE 36 and Aspan Gallery. The two locations present different works by the artists, and despite the fact that each of the exhibitions is independent, it is one story called "Phantom story”.

"Initially we had planned to exhibit only in the Aspan Gallery, but we matured into the Estelik project, which involves a large space with high ceilings. We could not have placed this work in the Aspan Gallery. That's why we asked for the DOM 36, but we decided to add other works to support the independent exhibition," said Viktor Vorobyov.

As the artists themselves say, it would be better for viewers to visit the exhibition in the HOUSE 36 space first, and then go to the Aspan Gallery.

"In HOUSE 36 we address the viewer in a broader way. At Aspan Gallery we have a more chamber work, a project about private life. From birth to death. Both exhibitions are connected with each other," said Elena Vorobyova.

Personal exhibition of Elena and Viktor Vorobyov’s "Phantom story" will last in DOM36 till December 1, 2022, in Aspan Gallery till January 22, 2023.

Address: HOUSE36 (36 Baribaeva str.), Aspan Gallery (140a/3 Al-Farabi avenue, minus 1st floor).

Working schedule: HOUSE36 (Tuesday-Sunday from 12:00 to 20:00), Aspan Gallery (Tuesday-Saturday from 11:00 to 19:00, Sunday from 12:00 to 18:00).

Admission is free.

Elena and Viktor Vorobyov’s have been working together since the 1990s. They use different techniques and genres, and the result is multi-layered and often ironic works. The artists capture ephemeral and inconspicuous details of everyday life, private characteristics, and things and phenomena that sometimes go unnoticed. Using a very light and ironic approach, the Vorobyov’s present the surrounding reality in a new way, exposing its social and cultural background.

The artists' works are in the collections of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Pompidou Center in Paris, the Sharjah Art Foundation in Sharjah, the MuHKA in Antwerp, the Centro per l'arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci in Prato, the Nevzorov Museum of Fine Arts in Semey, the Novosibirsk State Picture Gallery, the Pavlodar Regional Art Museum, the State Center for Contemporary Art in Moscow, and the A. Kasteev Art Museum in Almaty.