Persten

Revival, 2010
Silk screen on paper
117 x 84 cm
Numbered and Signed 1/70 – 70 / 70
Price €1300
Code 091

Lacoste, 2010
Silk screen on paper
81 x 60 cm
Numbered and Signed 1/100 – 100 / 100
Price €800
Code 090

Versace, 2010
Silk screen on paper
81 x 60 cm
Numbered and Signed 1/100 – 100 / 100
Price €800
Code 089

Pieta 1, 2010
Silk screen on paper
81 x 60 cm
Numbered and Signed 1/100 – 100 / 100
Price €800
Code 092

Pieta 2, 2010
Silk screen on paper
81 x 60 cm
Numbered and Signed 1/100 – 100 / 100
Price €800
Code 093

In 1989, Olga Tobreluts graduated from the Architectural Technical Secondary School. In 1991, she enrolled in a course in computer graphics at the Art Com Institute in Berlin. Since 1993, she has actively worked with video and computer art. In 1995, she received the Russian Presidential Scholarship from the Ministry of Culture of the RSFSR. That same year, she received a prize for a video film with elements of animation entitled "Woe from Wit" at the festival "Third Reality," St Petersburg. Since 1998, she has worked as a curator for many photography exhibitions at the photography center of the club "Mama." Olga Komarova-Tobreluts is a pioneer in animation and computer graphic in St. Petersburg art. For five years, she has actively worked in the area of electronic art. She intentionally uses new media as a means of expressing her own system of poetics. This type of poetics is based on the dialectics of high and low academism: where the artist constantly strikes a balance between high-style classical models and low-brow, kitschy, and crude models.

In this sense, Tobreluts belongs to the neo-academic branch of Petersburg artists. At the same time, she is quite independent and allows herself to go beyond the basic framework drawn by Timur Novikov. The fact is that this movement to use high-style models, and the polemics with the post-modernist paradigm, and the desire to play with that which is aesthetically pleasing, sublime, and classical (inherent in art and in one’s way of life, which is a main component in the work of neo-academic Petersburg artists) only interest Tobreluts to a certain extent. The main area of focus in her art is the idea of representation as such. This idea is incorporated in the visualization of the concept of "trying on for size." Beginning with the series "Empire Reflections" She lets herself (her friends, relatives, contemporaries, strangers, almost impersonal or, on the contrary, mega-idols of the media) to take historically established conceptions of beauty and "try them on for size."

These scenes could be the Arcadia of imperial Rome or the kitschy appeal of a provincial photo studio, or the aggressive imagery of a modern mass cult. The form of the thing of beauty is absolutely unimportant. Only one thing is crucial: to strive to personify beauty. This endeavor requires a sort of magical crystal and Tobreluts creates this magical glass: her computerized backgrounds take over a specific electronic space. They grow into a milieu of light and air or perceptional puzzles and illusions. In a word, they begin to resemble the enticing and deceptive classical "illusions" or the perspective conceits of classical academism, an enchanting picturesqueness. The representation of the concepts of the accessibility of beautiful things, the miraculous power of the beautiful, with quite ambivalent manifestations in Russian art, are reincarnated on a new level in the art of Olga Tobreluts.

Alexander Borovsky

Chief Curator of Contemporary Art, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

http://www.tobreluts.info/works/WORKS.htm

Dear Gaby,

You may remember that long ago, in the very beginning of the century, there happened a Revolution in Russia. Social Hierarchy seized to be, and this chaos helped a lot of young new artists to appear at the art surface and  to become the symbol of new art. For the West, Malevitch and Larionov are most important. After that, not only art changed, but also the whole world. Russia is a wonderful country. In the end of the century, a new revolution happens. Again in St.Petersburg, out of the head of Timur Novikov, the new Academy of Fine Arts came into being. It was here that the new revolution currently going on in contemporary art was born. Artists all over the world have long forgotten what is "high art". They started to work towards the satisfaction of the public, which goal is not worth of artist's dignity. In Great Britain, "low arts" have greatly enlarged their population.

In my series, I tried to give the beautiful image in the sense of the classical and sacred as the opposition to the abstract painting. I did not mean to create a cult icon. Rather, I worked in the genre of historical painting. During last decades, the borders between countries, states, and nations have been eliminated and turned into a large megapolis. There are recognised Beautiful Court Ladies in this world. Earlier, artists sang in praise of their beauty and created their portraits. When we look at these old works, we are now unable to perceive them as a vivd bodies, as persons from our society. We are suppressed by the consciousness that these works are true masterpieces made many centuries ago. Thus, when I worked on this series, I tried to see the faces of my contemporaries in the features of the old portraits.

In the beginning of the century, art rejected beauty in favour of abstraction, technicism, etc. By contrast, fashion and cinematography took over the theme of beauty together with the hearts of many fans. This is why I thought it was important to show that the creation of the beautiful image now depends on fashion to a greater degree than on contemporary art. Due to the digital technologies, I succeeded to work out a trip by a time-machine. In my works, one can feel oneself living many centuries ago. For the pictures with Kate Moss and Leonardo di Caprio, I used paintings by Antonello da Messina. If you take a look at the originals, your perception of them will considerably change. You might even feel compassion to St. Sebastian, although earlier you could only see him as a beautiful artistic surface. The current change in the perception of paintings by an average man was caused by technical progress and the related alteration in our psychic system. Contemporary man can no longer feel into a work of art. Rather, he takes a single look at it as if painting were an advertising poster. In Kate Moss' portrait, I've changed the direction of her look and put a bee on her hand for a spectator to feel more sharply the problem formulated by the master.

For Naomi Campbell's portrait, I used Parmigianino's canvas, Andy Warhol's portrait is based on Caravaggio's "Portrait of the Knight of Malt", Michael Jackson's - on Giorgione's "Portrait of an elder man in full armament".

Due to the fact that most artists started to work on ugly art (as opposed to the beautiful one) creation of cult images was taken over by fashion industry and movies. I think the role of artist in the idealization of the space, in the formation of future architecture and future man is crucial. It is my opinion that before studying architecture or computer graphic at Colleges, one must be well aware of the ancient Greek artistic rules and know how to draw. We badly need to resume classical education.

I did not intend to create icons for cult use. I think it is very importnt to respect the religius feelings of believers. It is the very elimination of the distance between an average man and a member of Royal family, pastors, parents, etc. leads to the destruction of the beautiful and gently in human soul. I think my intervention to classical works does not contain any sacriligious intentions towards them.

The New Academy actively works in St.Petersburg and appears to be one of a few edicational establishments that teach its students to feel the beauty of the classical image. We have found a lot of similar-minded people all over the world (e.g. Society for Classical Art Preservation - Berlin, Germany, Art Kiosk Foundation - one of the most prominent pop art collectors in Belgium, which considers neo-academism to be the most progressive trends in contemporary art, the school of classical tradition in Greece, Society "Classical America" in New York, etc.).

Dear Europeans,

let us combine our efforts for the preservation of the great European traditions! We hve great European architecture, great European classical music, great European literature. Let us work toward the creation of beautiful works of art that have been forming the image of Europe for centuries.

I consider myself to be a cosmopolit. I am interested in information and ideas from all over the world since I can see different countries, I can only see similar-minded people who live in different places. As in England, there are poor and rich artists in Russia. I consider myself to belong to middle class, because the rich Russian artists are Glazunov, Zereteli and Shilov.

It is snowing in St. Petersburg.

Should you need my photograph, please, do not hesitate to contact Lord Snowdon who lives in London. He took pictures of me for the Russian Vogue.

Should you have any other questions, please, contact me via e-mail.

Best wishes,

Olga Tobreluts

http://www.tobreluts.info/works/WORKS.htm

1970 born in Leningrad
1988 graduated from Architectural College, Leningrad
1989 completed a course in computer graphics at the Institute ART+COM, Berlin, Germany
1992 organized Laboratory for the Study of Ornament, St.Petersburg
1995 first prize of Videovision for videofilm "Woe from Wit"
Festival "The Third reality" in St. Petersburg (catalogue)
1998 International Award for Video Art "The Manifest of Neoakademism" Karlsruhe, Germany (catalogue)
1998 opened the PhotoArtCentre in St. Petersburg
1998 Second prize in competition GRIFFELKUNST "Best European Computer graphics" Hamburg, Germany (catalogue)
Lives and works in St. Petersburg, Russia

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1993
1st International forum computer art Grafikon
Woe from Wit, Exploitory Laboratory.
1994
Exhibition of Computer Photographs, Ethnographic Museum, St. Petersburg
1996
Empire reflections. Aidan Gallery, Moscow;
Computer Art, New Academy of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg
Photocenter, Copenhagen, Denmark;
Computer Photographs, Sketches, New Academy of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg
Tendencies and Photos. Maly Manezh Moscow
Digital International Media Art Symposium, St. Petersburg
1997
Photographs. ARTKIOSK, Brussels, Belgium
1998
Models, An Exhibition of photos. PhotoArtCentre, St. Petersburg
Photographs. ARTKIOSK, Brussels, Belgium
Feats of Hercules, Gallo-Roman museum, Brussels, Belgium
Latest works. With PMMK Ostende Art Kiosk, Belgium
Models, Photo Gallery, Turku, Finland
Feats of Hercules. Gallo-Roman Museum. Brussels, Belgium
Family portrait. Aidan Gallery, Moscow
1999
Mixed Media, Russian State Museum, St. Petersburg (catalogue)
Fear of O.T., Gallery 21 at 10 Pushkinskaya Art Centre. FNO project. St. Petersburg
2000
Sacred Figures, Seljord Kunstförening, Norway (catalogue)
Odysseus. Aidan Gallery, Moscow
Olga Tobreluts, Galerie Inge Baecker. Cologne, Germany
Allegory, Freud Dream Museum, St. Petersburg
Macedonian Dream, Freud Dream Museum St. Petersburg
2001
Olga Tobreluts, Galerie der Gegenwart, Wiesbaden, Germany
2002
Abstract Landscape, Fotoimage Gallery, St Petersburg
2003
Figures Sacrees, Orel Art Gallery, Paris-Moscow
Emperor and Galilean, Russian State Museum, St. Petersburg (catalogue)
Emperor and Galilean, Heine Onstad Museum, Oslo, Norway (catalogue)
Olga Tobreluts, Modern Contemporary Art Gallery. San Marino
Art Digital, Centre of contemporary Art, Moscow
Emperor and Galilean, D-137 Gallery, St. Petersburg
Emperor and Galilean, JMS Gallery, Oslo, Norway
Sacred Figures, Freud Dream Museum, St. Petersburg
2004
Digital Classicism, JMS Gallery, Oslo, Norway
Olga Tobreluts, Art Kiosk Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
2005
Sacred figures, Galleria Il Segno Del Tempo, Milan, Italy
2006
Tarquin and Lucretia, D137 Gallery, St. Petersburg
2007
Thining Factor, Galerie Orel Art, Paris, France
2010
Olga Tobreluts, Retrospective, The Moscow Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1989
Exhibition of Miniatures, Museum of Miniatures, Toronto, Canada
1991-92
Museum Palace Bridge, Leningrad
1992
Graficon 92, Moscow
Anigraph, VDNKh, Moscow
1993
Art Myth. First performance of Woe from Wit, Manege, Moscow
1994
III St Petersburg Biennale, Manege, St. Petersburg (catalogue)
Renaissance and Resistance, Marble Palace, Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
1994-96
Self-identification, Kiel, Berlin, Oslo, Sopot, St. Petersburg, Copenhagen (catalogue)
1995
Passiones Luci, SCCA Annual Exhibition, Marble Palace, St. Petersburg
The Third Reality. International Forum of Computer Art, St. Petersburg
Kwangju Biennale, Kwangju, Korea, Audience Sympathy Award (catalogue)
Videovidenie, SCARP exhibition, Planetarium, St. Petersburg, video installation Third Reality
1996
Photobiennale, Manege, Moscow (catalogue)
Idylle und Katastrophe, Erfurt, Germany (catalogue)
Metaphern des Entrucktseins, Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe, Germany (catalogue)
Tendencies in Photography, Small Manege, Moscow (catalogue)
Interaction: Chance Visions, SCCA Annual Exhibition , St. Petersburg
Museum of the New Academy, Reserve Palace, Pushkin, St Petersburg
KONCEPT, Internationall exhibition of Contemporary photography, Zagreb, Croatia (catalogue)
1997
"Family portret” Months of Photography" ,St.Pauls Cathedral, Bratislava, Slovakia (catalogue)
Alternative Museum. (coupled with Brian Eno’s installation Light), Marble Palace, Russian State Museum, St Petersburg
Last Five Years, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Kabinet - New Russian Classicism, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
1997-98
Photography from St Petersrbug, Prague
1998
A Family portrait, SIGGRAPH, N.Y. USA (catalogue)
Involuntary sinners, Argumenty I Fakty, Moscow
BREAK, New Russian Photography, Cologne, Germany (catalogue)
2nd International Photobiennale, Moscow (catalogue)
August, Neoacademic Photography from St. Petersburg, Union of Latvian art museums. Museum of Foreign Art
Best European digital photo, Museum Lodac GRIFFELKUNST, Hamburg, Germany (catalogue)
Photography from St. Petersburg, Center of Photography, Turku, Finland
1999
Kunst & Computer, Altonaer Museum, Hamburg
Fauna, The State Centre of Art in Moscow (catalogue)
Heaven, Düsseldorf Kunsthalle, London Tate Gallery (catalogue)
Photo Festival in Nice, PhotoCentre, Nice, France (catalogue)
After the Wall, Modern Art Museum, Stockholm (catalogue)
Classicism Today, Ostende museum, Belgium (catalogue)
2000
Millenium, Tavrichesky Palace The Dyagilev Art Centre “Antiquity”
Contemporary art in the Traditional museum, Stiglitz Museum “Still life”, St .Petersburg
Art forum, Berlin
Odysseus, Traveling exhibition, Norway
Space of Tradition, Tomsk Art Museum, Krasnoyarsk Surikov Museum, Kemerove Museum, Novosibirsk Picture Gallery (catalogue)
Short Film Festival, Novosibirsk
Grani, Kurgansky Oblastnoy Museum
RUSSISK NEOAKADEMISME, Bornholms Kunstmuseum (catalogue)
ISKUSSTWO 2000, New Kunst from Moskow, St. Petersburg, Kiew, Kunstverein Rosenheim (catalogue)
ART FUTURE, Taywan
2001
Out of control, Central House of Artists, Moscow
Rotterdam 2001 – St.Petersburg 2003, gallery Koffie verkeert, Rotterdam (catalogue)
Grani, State Center for Contemporary Art, Nizhny Novgorod, Kirov, Yoshkar-Ola, Izhevsk
Sybaris, Baltic contemporary art biennale
Ciclo espositivo ex chiesetta di Sant Anna, galleria d arte moderna e contemporanea, San Marino (catalogue)
Beauty & Eroticism”, Museum Gasunie Groningen, Holland (catalogue)
Abstraction in Russia, Russian State Museum, St. Petersburg (catalogue)
2001
Kunst from St.Petersburg, Museum Contemporary Art Tallin
2002
Emperor and Galilean, Central House of Artists, Moscow (catalogue)
A she art, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Snowgirl, Zacheta National Gallery, Warshawa and National Centre for Contemporary Arts, Moscow (catalogue)
Die Griechische Klassik idee oder wirklichkeit, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin und in der Kunst und Ausstellungshalle Bonn (catalogue)
Fotobiennale, Large Manege, Moscow (catalogue)
Русское искусство XX-XXI веков, Красноярск,Нижний Новгород,Тольятти, Новосибирск
Artist of Ideal, Palazo de Forte, Verona, Italy (catalogue)
Doll’s House, Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Norway (catalogue)
Russian Symbolism, Ludvig Museum, Koblenz, Germany (catalogue)
Glovane Figurazione internazionale, Gallery Planetario, Trieste
2003
Photo Los Angeles, The 12th n\international Los Angeles Photographic Print Exposition “Sacred Figures” (catalogue)
Foreign visions, Museum Contemporary art Skopie, Lowenpalais, Berlin
The Fourth Sex: the Extreme Territory of Adolescence, Stazione Leopolda, Florence. Curator Franchesko Bonami, Ralf Simons (catalogue)
Eva, Venus, Madonna, Gemeente Maasmechelen (catalogue)
Ludvig Museum in the Russian State Museum, St.Petersburg, Russia
Neue ANSATZE DUSSELDORF Kunsthalle, Germany (catalogue)
Da Anzinger a Warhol, Exibition D'Apres Galleria GAS Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Torino, Italia (catalogue)
Imagerie Art Fashion, Museum Revoltella Italy (catalogue)
“Touch me” Akhmatova Museum, St Petersburg
Emperor and Galilean, Russian State Museum, St. Petersburg (catalogue)
Emperor and Galilean, Heine Onstad Museum, Oslo (catalogue)
Olga Tobreluts, Long&Ryle, London
The Rave of Europe, Luke&A gallery, London
2004
May Gods Becoming Men, Fissiras Museum in Athens (catalogue). Curator Edward Lusien -Smith
La creazione ansiosa, Da Picasso a Bacon, Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea Palazzo Forti, Verona,Italy (catalogue)
54 internationale darte g.b.salvi 2004 Palazzo ex Pretura (catalogue)
...et la femme crИa l'homme, Espace Belleville, Paris, France. Curator Francis Parent (catalogue)
Art and Geography, The National Museum of Art, Oslo, Norway (catalogue)
Ideal and Reality, Galleria GAS Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Torino, Italy (catalogue)
Ekaterina, Fruenmuseum, Bonn
IL NUDO, Galleria ART Modern Bologna, Italy. Curator Peter Weermaer (catalogue)
FOTOBIENALE, Museum of Contemporary Art Moscow, Russia (catalogue)
TRANSVERSALISTES RUSSES, Orel Art, Paris (catalogue)
KANDINSKY e lanima Russia, PALAZZO FORTI (catalogue)
Days of Flight - 100 paintings from State Tretyakov gallery, Yaroslav Art Museum, Russia
2005
VIII BIENNIAL OF GRAPHICS, Kaliningrad, Russia (catalogue)
ALTRE LILITH, Scuderie Aldobrandini, Roma, Italy (catalogue)
Accomplices, Moscow biennale of contemporary State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia
2005-2006
EUROPALIA RUSSIA , Belgium
2006
Let there be video - Russian video art 1996-2006, Central House of Artists, Moscow (catalogue)
Sense of Life – Sense of Art. State Russian Museum, St Petersburg (catalogue)
Fotobiennale, Large Manege, Moscow (catalogue)
2006-2007
Mutations, Contemporary European photography, Moscow
2006
OPTICA – Tarquin and Lucretia, The Gijon International Fastival of Video Art, Gijon, Spain