Sasha Puchkova’s “Kingdom” combines fantasy images of the Middle Ages and modern times, if earlier their source was biblical stories, now it is mass culture. The artist refers to the characters whose appearance or temper is not fully described, therefore they are open to interpretation. It is known that the discrepancies in the images of creatures and some phenomena of Christian scriptures are present. These discrepancies can be found in Catholic medieval book miniatures. The interpretations of monk artists gave rise to pagan monsters with stars and eyes on the body or mystical images of plots, an example is the work of the 12th-century nun Hildegard of Bingen.

The fabulousness of the Middle Ages has become a source of ideas and images for modern visual culture – films, series, cartoons, video games in the fantasy and science fiction genre. Therefore, Sasha Puchkova’s “medieval” engravings feature characters that we are already accustomed to seeing from the screens: Maleficent, Snow White, even the princess from the game “Mario Brothers” and other popular heroes. Sasha Puchkova also interprets the characters of our time, mostly female, in her own way, transforming not only the appearance, but also the character, giving them more individuality: each “evil” heroine has her own backstory. This is a kind of fanfiction, the destruction of stereotypes. In general, this is a new trend: to rethink old stories in the ethics of the 21st century with the priority of the values of the individual and his characteristics. Combining the images of different eras, the artist shows the equivalence and simultaneity of their existence in modern culture and our consciousness, their transformation and adaptation – so the “inhabitants of the kingdom” may well be Snow White – Super Sonic or Fire Serpent – Goofy.

Frame-objects are also multi-valued and give the works an additional dimension. On the one hand, the shapes of the frames refer to Catholic altars and frames of manuscripts, on the other hand, they wrap around the engravings like extraterrestrial beings, reminiscent of science fiction films. Such confusion, symbolism, inherent in mass culture, is compared with medieval folk thinking, and our time, including for this reason, is called the “new Middle Ages”.

Address: Moscow, Bobrov lane, 4, building 3 (1st floor)
Opening hours: daily, 11:00 – 20:00.
Free admission.