Archives
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ART INNOVATION
No. 1-2 (2022)In issue 01-02/2022 of the Art Innovation journal, the authors investigated the problems of the history and methodology of contemporary art and design. They discussed Modernist and military photography, Ukrainian avant-garde, feminist theory of art and the phenomenon of asemic writing. The issue ends with a reflection on childhood and old age in Russian culture based on the portfolio of St. Petersburg artist Anastasiia Kriulina.
The issue starts with an article by Irina Chmyreva dedicated to the photographer Alexander Slyusarev. She analyzed his work in the context of foreign and Russian Modernist photography of the 1920s – 1970s, as well as avant-garde and post-avant-garde experiments. The author revealed the specifics of the photographer’s creative method. She also explained the significance of his heritage in the development of Russian photography.
Ida Shik studied the representation of the events of the Second World War and the anti-fascist position in photography of the 1930s – 1940s in the context of Surrealist aesthetics. The author analyzed the Surrealist «politics of Eros», as well as the use of visual techniques of Surrealism and its ideas in experimental and documentary European and American photography.
Lyudmila Limanskaya analyzed Ukrainian avant-garde painting on the example of the works by Yury Lutskevich, Tiberey Silvashi, Yury Egorov, Valentin Khrushch, Lyudmila Yastreb, Oleg Nedoshitko and others. The researcher showed their connection with both the European Modernist movement and local ones - boychukism, Byzantism, Neo-Baroque. She paid special attention to the interpretation of biblical motifs and the search for new spiritual values in their art.
Ksenia Bezgina investigated asemic writing. This is the unique phenomenon at the merge of visual creativity and literature in the art of recent decades. The author defined the conceptual basis of the phenomenon and its features, emphasizing openness, indifference to cultural institutions and some marginality.
Vasilisa Dmitrieva explored the personality, heritage, and methodology of Linda Nochlin, the pioneer of feminist art history. The author focused on the criticism of her achievements in the works of Griselda Pollock, Rozsika Parker and Naomi Brood. The article is important to understand а feminist view in art history, because the study turns to its origins and offers analytic tools that have not lost their relevance in the contemporary socio-cultural context.
Natalia Druzhinkina considered the design of armchairs and chairs as a style feature of Scandinavian masters. The author showed the interpretation of armchairs and chairs in modern painting. She stressed that a household item received the status of a real art object, that concentrates the iconic ideas of architects and designers. In painting, armchairs and chairs became the subject of philosophical reflection and acquired a special «metaphysical essence».
Nataliya Shchetinina's comment on Anastasiia Kriulina's portfolio is a scientific review of the artist's series «Childhood» and «Old Age». The author conducted a comparative analysis placing the works in the historical context and demonstrated the visual and conceptual specifics of her art.
The issue ends with the portfolio of Anastasiia Kriulina, a graduate of the Ilya Repin Academy of Arts. The artist raises psychological, philosophical and social issues related to the individual and collective experience of childhood and old age. Her works show how academic art can be integrated into contemporary cultural discourse through the developments of photorealism and collage, the techniques of a hagiographic icon and historical painting.
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ART INNOVATION
No. 1-2 (2024)In 01-02/2023 issue of the Art Innovation journal the authors investigated the history, theory and practice of photography. The issue starts with an article by Anastasia Evdokimova devoted to the analysis of forms of autofiction statements in contemporary art. The author revealed the specifics of the genre in relation to literature, cinema and photography. The researcher focused on autofiction projects in Russian photography, identifying their conceptual and artistic features. In addition, she discussed her own photo project ‘Threshold’ as a result of studying the history and current practice of autofiction.
Irina Chmyreva studied the work of Russian photographer Dmitry Markov. She considered his legacy as a striking example of the Russian documentary photography development in the era of social media. The author traced the main stages of photographer’s creative evolution, conducted a comparative analysis of Markov’s photographs with the works of other photographers, identifying the features of his individual style and revealing significant historical and cultural references in his pictures. She paid special attention to the interpretation of a childhood theme in Markov’s works, which was the most significant topic for him.
Ida Shik explored the work of Vyborg photographer Vladimir Pozdnyakov, who photographed the Monrepos Park for many years, and his unrealized exhibition project ‘Parallel Worlds’. The author revealed the aesthetic and conceptual specificity of the photographs, drew parallels between the photographer’s creative searches and the legacy of Russian and foreign photography, and provided information about the personalities represented in the photographs.
The ‘Translations’ section contains articles by American photographers Clarence John Laughlin and Jerry Uelsmann. In the article ‘Photographic Methods of Approaching Reality’, Laughlin presented a variety of ways of photographer’s interaction with his objects. These methods allowed photography to be not just a ‘mirror with memory’ that impartially records reality but means of authorial expression. The photographer used his own works as an example of the application of different methods described in the article.
In the article ‘Post-Visualization’, Jerry Uelsmann stated the value of experimental photography practices for the history of the photographic medium and the creative development of the photographer. He described his method as ‘post-visualization’, opposing it to the strategy of pre-visualization. This strategy excluded any manipulation of the photographic image in the darkroom. It dominated in American photography in the 20th century and limited the photographer’s self-expression.
The ‘Portfolio’ section presents photographs by Vladimir Pozdnyakov from the collection of the Monrepos Park Museum-Reserve. In these works, he used light as the main means of expression, creating poetic images that magnificently conveyed the unique atmosphere of the park.
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ART INNOVATION
No. 2 (2021)In the second issue of Art Innovation (2021), the authors investigated esoteric Surrealism and rational Avant-Garde; the image of war and the images created by war; the artists who work in contradiction to the state’s power, and those united by the Confucian order. You will read about art in Russia, China, the USA, and Europe. The issue reflects a multifaceted character of contemporary art and diversity of perspectives on art context.
The issue starts with the study of images of the WW1 in the drawings by French artist Jean-Louis Forain. Polina Vishnevskaya highlighted the links between Forain’s art and art by Rembrandt and Goya, stressed the ambivalent character of perception of war in his art. She also made a thesis that counters an established vision of Forain as a propagandist.
Lev Manovich and Julian Sunley studied the avant-garde culture from the unusual point of view. The authors analyzed creative approach by Aleksei Gastev — a revolutionary and poet, who founded The Central Institute of Labour in 1920, that aimed to rationalize work and workers on a nationwide scale. Gastev’s unique method was based not only on the mathematics but on visual aspect of the experiment: to represent the perfect movement of a worker, he used graphic language of expression.
This is the first time Chinese art has appeared on the pages of our journal. Xin Nizheng and Vera Leonova give a detailed review of Chinese art unions: central, local, and international. In this context, the authors presented unique and diverse Chinese art, which combines tradition and innovation.
Ida Shik studied mysterious images created by Nicholas Bruno after his experience of sleep paralyses. Bruno transformed classic Tarot deck using Surrealist practice: grotesque, dark humor, and convulsive beauty.
The ESSAYS section features the text by Sofia Pushenkova about Naum Gabo. Born in the Russian Empire, this artist is little known to a wide audience. However, his fame is worldwide. The author wrote about Gabo’s biography and his heritage in today’s Russia.
The REVIEWS opens with a text by Nataliya Shchetinina on Georgii Sokolov’s book Nonconformist Art in Leningrad. Freedom Circle. The book covers a period from the October revolution until 2020s. It shows specifics of Leningrad non-official art and uniting role of Hermitage Museum for the nonconformist community.
The suppressed memory of the terror, which was Russia’s cultural and historical drama, is in the focus of the article by Elena Kalashnikova. She reviewed the book Waiting for Mercy… by a photographer Dmitry Vyshemirsky. His documentary quest through the sites of former camps has become the main subject of his work.
Art Innovation has been an official media partner of the academic conference, organized by The Russian Academy of Arts and The State Tretyakov Gallery. The conference, that took place in 13-15 December, 2021, discussed pictorialism in Russian photography. This major movement appeared at the turn of the 20th century. Although receiving little attention, it has been developing for over the century. The review on the conference presents the key trends in studies of pictorialism today.
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ART INNOVATION
No. 1-2 (2023)In 01-02/2023 issue of the Art Innovation journal the authors investigated the history of contemporary art and design. The specialists discussed the personal collections of artists, the history and philosophy of fashion, Russian and foreign photography, and pacifist art.
The issue starts with an article by Mikhail Busev dedicated Pablo Picasso’s collection of works of fine art and sculptures. The researcher revealed the problem of the influence of Iberian and African art on the creative development of Picasso in the context of his activities as a collector.
Grigorii Shamrai studied the problem of brand DNA using the example of the Chanel Fashion House. The author analyzed its components in detail identifying the aesthetics and concepts of the famous brand. He explored Chanel’s most iconic designs. The researcher traced Fashion House evolution from the era of Gabrielle Chanel to Karl Lagerfeld.
Ida Shik examined the specifics of female images representation in the work of the American photographer Clarence John Laughlin in the context of Surrealist conceptions such as the marvelous, convulsive beauty, and black humor. The author emphasized that the photographer’s female images acquired a symbolic character. Clarence John Laughlin used them in the context of reflection on the philosophical and ethical problems of our time.
Irina Chmyreva offered the reader a comparative analysis of the creative biographies and artistic strategies of the leading Russian pictorialist photographers – Nikolay Andreev and Georgy Kolosov. She created a kind of dialogue between them. The article examined the famous works of pictorial photography masters and their approaches to creativity in the cultural context of the Soviet era.
Vasilina Spiridonova explored the problems of pacifist art using the example of the works of contemporary Russian artist Mayana Nasybullova. The author referred to her exhibition projects «Everything is Terrible» and «Monument to Memory». She considered them in the historical and artistic discourse of the 20th–21st centuries.
Ida Shik’s review of Irina Chmyreva’s book «The Lexicon of Russian Photography of the 20th–21st Centuries» introduced the reader to the peculiarities of the book’s structure and the author’s approach to interpreting the material.
The issue ends with the portfolio of contemporary authors Nikita Pirogov and Natalia Druzhinkina. Nikita Pirogov’s photographic series «Tears of My Mother» is a reflection on military conflicts and their consequences through the prism of Buddhist philosophy. Natalia Druzhinkina’s portfolio presents the author’s works in various techniques and genres such as classical oil painting and installation, floral still-lifes and abstract compositions. The theme of dialogue between modernity and the heritage of world culture made them the complete artistic statement.
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ART INNOVATION
No. 1-2 (2025)Contemporary Russian art, history, philosophy, and photography are in the 01-02/2025 issue of Art Innovation. It starts with the article about Vladimir Neklyudov by Irina Chmyreva. The researcher focused on the easel works from the 1990s and 2000s interpreted as the artist’s reflections 'on time and on himself'. She investigated the images of doubles, puppets and mannequins, circus performers and the evolution of female imagery. Irina Chmyreva examined Vladimir Neklyudov’s works in the context of Soviet official and unofficial art. She paid special attention to their psychological component.
Natalia Druzhinkina studied the main stages of photography’s development in Russia, drew parallels between photography and painting, showed the common themes and iconography, and traced their stylistic and conceptual evolution. Also, the author explored the role and significance of photography as a valuable visual source in historical research and the teaching of Russian history in the 19th and 20th centuries. Natalia Druzhinkina demonstrated that photographs captured the most significant events in the country’s history and played a role in the formation of iconic figures and archetypal images that have become part of the national cultural memory.
Ida Shik analyzed the image dematerialization in Russian and international photography from the last third of the 20th and early 21st centuries. The author examined the works of Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Duane Michaels, Francesca Woodman, Rebecca Cairns, Sylvia Grav, Valerie Kabis, Tina Kazakhishvili, Alexey Titarenko, and Artemy Sokolov. The researcher interpreted the ghostliness which has been in photography since its invention as a means of representing and encountering the individual and collective ‘experiences of non-existence’, transcending one’s own boundaries, merging with space, and a kind of ‘death repetition’. The author stressed that using ghostly effects allowed photographers to enhance their images with greater aesthetic expressiveness and imbue them with psychological and philosophical connotations.
Madina Kemova explored photography as a medium for memory and loss. She focused on the photographic projects of contemporary photo artists Karolina Jonderko, Jennifer Loeber, Alicja Dobrucka, and Laia Abril. The author investigated the specifics of the photographers’ approaches to visualizing loss and their therapeutic potential. The article is an interdisciplinary study and draws on a range of authoritative philosophical, cultural, and psychological concepts. This demonstrated the richness of meaning in the projects and revealed the photographic medium’s capacity to serve as a means of documentation, experiencing and artistic reflection on grief.
The ‘Reviews’ section features a review of the scientific and practical conference ‘The Art of Photography: History and Modernity’, which took place at the Monrepos Park Museum-Reserve on 18–19 September 2025 and attracted museum professionals, university professors, and independent researchers.
The 'Portfolio' section includes works by members of the St. Petersburg-based group ‘Prosto Fotoclub’ dedicated to Monrepos, showing the unique park’s interpretation in contemporary photography. This section finishes with a series of works ‘Psychology of Nature’ by Moscow artist and photographer Aina Tayibova, inspired by the Major Arcana of the Tarot. She makes photographs of plants, imbued with symbolism, then duplicate and intricately processes them to reveal a wondrous world and offer the viewers a glimpse into their soul.
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ART INNOVATION
No. 1 (2021)The first issue of Art Innovation covers a variety of questions in art through the last 100 years.
The number opens with the article by Anatolii Rykov about Salvador Dali. The author showed the way Dali deconstructed the Old Masters’ art, which revealed the hidden aspects of their work. The study reveals new Dali as a critical character in art history.
The modernist male gaze on female body in Surrealist photography is disassembled by Ida Shik. Using the example of Paul Eluard and Man Ray’s piece Facile, the author demonstrated how the fetishised image of ideal woman-muse and woman-pleasure was made.
The new trends after modernist art follow. Maria Shramova described the aesthetics of New Brutalism, developed by the artists from the Independent Group under the influence of photography. It was ‘as found’ concept, aimed at revealing the likeness of unrelated items.
The matters of British postmodern and Russian contemporary art are presented in the article by Nataliya Shchetinina. The author described the methods used by Damien Hirst and Valeria Abendroth to debunk myths about medicine, whether it is a utopian immortality project or a scary sight of a surgery.
The Academic Studies section ends with Elizaveta Rubantseva’s material. For the first time, this work represents an analysis of strategies by four major Russian museums in organizing regional museum projects. They are: The State Hermitage Museum, The State Tretyakov Gallery, The State Russian Museum, and The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.
Georgii Sokolov touches on the feminist discourse in his review on the book Gender in Soviet Unofficial Art by Olesia Avramenko. The reviewer gave detailed description of the book, its strong and weak points.
In the first issue, we introduce the Artist’s Vision section. There the artists share their projects and insights. A Brazilian photographer and art curator Tom Lisboa talks about inspiration by an artist Rosângela Rennó. Influenced by her art, he demonstrates the way the photography and montage techniques break the code of reality releasing the philosophical value of any thing. Even of a toy camera.
The first number of Art Innovation is closed by an Italian artist Marco Waldis. In his photo series, he catches non-palpable but strong links between people, explaining their similarities by the quantum entanglement. The photo project Entanglement puts the scientific approach in art on a new level – the level, where quantum mechanics merges with an artist’s vision.
