In her works, Sasha Yakutina uses the collage method, building complex epic and cinematic scenes that refer to the staged photographs of Bernard Faucon, Ryan Shude. The plots are based on the irony of modern society with its endless material and emotional consumption – the overabundance of things and impressions is reflected in the works literally. Sasha Yakutina creates photo and video collages based on user-generated and advertising Internet content of the 2010-2020s, images found in various sources, ranging from popular public pages to abandoned forums – the artist uses traces of modern culture.

At the heart of her method of hysterical concentration of plots in combination with pseudo-documentary is the principle of “clickbait” – this is a manipulative influence on a wide audience, the purpose of which is to attract and hold attention with the help of dubious, but promising information. The name of the presented project, which was taken from a random forum, also refers to this principle: “31 Images That Are 100% Real Not Photoshopped at All”.

The exhibition presents a diorama sculpture “Lunch”, which was created based on a fragment from the video work “Breakfast” – the artist brings the plot of “dipping a face into a cake” from digital to real space, adding an observer with a camera. Typically, dioramas are used in paleontological museums as “a special way of presenting documentary material, supported by figurative emotionality” – this fits into the artist’s work method. The sculpture uses mannequins of people, which is supposed to create the effect of the “uncanny valley” – the anxiety that arises from something that appears almost human, but not quite.

Collecting even the most absurd stories, Sasha Yakutina strives to leave in them a sense of the reality of what is happening, this encourages the viewer to get involved, look at many details. The “clickbaitness” of her works and their emotional richness – the psychosis of society as a stream of all at once desires that cannot be satisfied. As the artist herself says: “Tired of a constant holiday, but do not have the courage to leave it.”

Address: Moscow, Bobrov lane, 4, building 3 (1st floor)
Opening hours of the gallery: every day, 11:00 – 20:00.
Free entrance.