PII gallery, 242 Race street, Philadelphia
a sculptural installation
2 December 2016 - 2 January 2017
PII gallery, 242 Race street, Philadelphia
at Mairie du 8e arrondissement - 3, rue de Lisbonne - 75008 Paris
at Mairie du 8e arrondissement - 3, rue de Lisbonne - 75008 Paris
at L’espace d’animation des Blancs Manteaux, Paris
Anachronisms – is a wall installation that consists of 6 handmade uncut books, each contains the images of old or obsolete cultural artifacts - anachronisms, that can be regarded timeless or out of time.
an interactive site-specific installation and workshops in public project space that reflects my interest in collective experiences. The objective of this work is to relate the material and spiritual construction. I wish to explore the positive nature of a creative impulse in hope of breaking the Uroborus of contemporary art, in which the cycle of destruction and deconstruction themes had led to the canonization of the negative impulse.
Monolithos - an interactive public workshop has the intent to create a communal handprint tablet, where each individual fingerprint becomes a decorative pattern of intricate texture, as found on human prehistoric pottery.
2008, mixed media installation that consists of wall-drawings, spray-paintings and sculpture; at Messineo Art projects/ Wyman Contemporary.
The exhibition was inspired by the vision of Russian philosopher N. Berdiajev of the Third Epoch - the “Eighth Day of Creation”. He believes it to be the final chapter of universal history that includes humans and begins with their fall and expulsion from Paradise. The core of the installation is a sculptural loop formed as the Mobius strip. All along its surface the cutout soldiers are marching aimlessly trapped in a vicious circle.
Public art temporary interactive installation in NYC transforming newly designed 23rd Street trash receptacles by dressing and topping them with fanciful “flower arrangements.” By placing an oversize creative bouquet on top of the trashcan I aspire to catch attention of rushing pedestrians with a universal image of beauty, - flowers: The project was produced in coordination with Art in Odd Places during summer residency at SVA.
This exhibition reveals the results of a creative collaboration between two artists: Russian-American sculptor, Julia Nitsberg, and Russian-French painter, Vladimir Titov, paired for the first time. They share a common interest to devise a new approach to the picture plane, attempting to intersect painting with sculpture. Working independently of each other on different continents, Nitsberg and Titov have created a series of works that comment on contemporary trends in art, on painting itself, and on the fascination with lust, decay and decadence in contemporary Russian society.
Provocation for the Third Temple, 2008, 13 ready made 6" metal-plated acrylic dome-mirrors, 12 painted metal rods.
This floor installation made for an exhibition "Jerusalem Celestial, Jerusalem Terrestrial was a meditation on a temple diagram.
(Western Wall) Kotel I, 2007, Florence and Kotel II, 2008 Paris
Installations made with 248 readymade Duro brown and white paper bags, each shaped, stamped and signed, all attached to the black paper background, coffee, crude salt, 18' x 9' x 2
The duality of Jerusalem - above and below - and the connection between the two realms is the general scheme of my installation that embodies the theme of metamorphosis. From Solomon’s Temple of marble and gold, the new Temple is transformed into a Temple of air. Faith and memory comprise the invisible structural core.
In the depth of the arched vaults one can hear wings rustle,
Papers whisper, hiss, swish, softest cooing in tiny castle.
A white dove flies through the window into quietness of convent court
Where Angel lifts up his wings and bends down to grant report.
Laocoon phantom
A body of the dancer constricted by the creature/chair can be interpreted as a metaphor for man’s struggle with dark forces of nature, superior powers or simply an office-seating environment.
The installation “East of Eden” is a reflection on natural surrounding and primordial memory.
Post Factum, 2002, was the first installment in a series of Julia Nitsberg’ exhibitions that are reflections on the events and the aftermath of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center – NYC – United States – and the rest of the civilized world.
Urbi et Orbi, (‘To the City and to the World’) 2002-04, an architectural model of the WTC Memorial Project, top view, 3’x3’x 11”, cardboard, wood, Plexiglas, rubber.
“Urbi et Orbi, Provocation for a Monument”, is a scale model of the proposed monument for WTC memorial site: Ground Zero. It consists of two major components: an architectural frame that suggests the inverted Mesopotamian ziggurat and a subterranean level that opens into a central court or plaza where the two diamond-shaped towers stand. Located below street level, the chambers and memorial plaza with the towers provide a refuge for meditation in an enclosed and silent space. The design was an attempt to interpret and visualize the concept of Unity for the WTC Memorial Competition.
Between wind and water, 2001, interactive installation; wood, metal, 12 electrical motors, plastics.
“Between wind and water”, a seamen’s idiomatic expression means difficult and dangerous place, is a title of an interactive installation consists of an oversize control table covered with grass, wired and connected to twelve electrical fans attached to the wall frame. It is loosely based on the Ptolemy nautical map of the world, representing the earth before Creation or after the Flood. A player takes control over the switchboard, becomes the winds commander-in-chief and thus assumes responsibility.
“Landscape in the Interior” is a continuation of my work about Fresh Kill, the Staten Island municipal dump. The focus of the installation is on civilization, its waste and entropy. It was conceived as a reminder of our abdicated responsibilities towards nature and the future.
The Ultimate Shopping, 1999-2000, installation with brown paper bags at Pleiades Gallery, NYC
“The Ultimate Shopping” installation with ready-made 999 brown paper bags and took place at the fin de siecle of the Second Millennium, marking the days traditionally reserved for the abundant shopping. It was a critical commentary on conspicuous consumption and waste in our civilized society.
Tabula Rasa, 1996, wood, detail of the interactive multimedia installation for an exhibition Frying N. Pate, at Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, NYC
Dali Happy/Dali Sad, 1997, Diameter: 24 inches
This sculptural collage is a portrait of the Spanish surrealist made from the round face of a traditional clock and two dried branches replacing the clock’s hands and mimicking the famous Dali’s mustache, that has been a live barometer for the artist’s mood. A viewer is invited to participate in topsy-turvy game, in which 180-degree turn of the dial can dramatically change the facial expression of the portrait, thus providing a radical psychotherapeutic solution.
InkDance, 1995, wool, rice paper, wood and horn: two sculptural collages exhibited at Pleiades Gallery, NYC
Mimicry, 1995, exhibition “Transparent Confinements” at Newhouse for Contemporary Arts; Plywood, aluminum, stretched nylon netting, wire; 4.5’x2’x2’ feet
The mobile is dedicated to the writer V. Nabokov, whose passion for butterflies was well known. I wanted to suggest a parallel between his concepts of metamorphosis and mimicry. In my mind Nabokov-author merged with Nabokov-lepidopterist. In his writings the artist treated his heroes like butterflies: strip, isolate and observe them under magnification, revealing his immense desire for control, in opposition to utterly uncontrollable world of his exile.
Touch-me-not M.D. 1992, at The Newhouse Center for Contemporary Arts, readymade plaster bust, office chair base, hardware and barbwire, glass; 2’x2’x6’ feet.
The assemblage was modeled in two different fashions and was provoked by a sudden increase in reported cases of sexual harassment in the US workspace and home. Venus’s provocative naked bust, proudly towering above the metal skirt connected to “chastity belt” suggests as well as questions the appropriate attire for a business secretary.
And there was evening, and there was morning… 1992, Pleiades Gallery,
Plywood, wire, wood, pigments, pendulum; each frame 4’x2’x2’ feet
The installation draws its imagery from counterforts of gothic cathedrals, antique birdcages and vintage abacus. The three mobiles hanging on different levels are from the series “Transparent confinements”, which focuses on perception of positive and negative space. However, in the very concept of enclosure I found a certain polarity, paradoxical counterbalance of elements – fear and comfort, danger and security, feelings of separation and protection.
Swarm, 1991, Pleiades gallery; wood, metal, strings, 400 paper planes; 4’ x 4’x10’ feet
The mobile reflects on visual images from the dramatic finale of the Persian Gulf’s war. In the age of media bombardment, I question the possibility of simultaneous respect of cultures with diverse beliefs and ethics and their ability to coexist in a progressively borderless world. I try to encompass the difficult problem of recognizing the sovereignty of other states and peoples while still exercising the moral responsibility to punish the intolerable, a problem of justice that confronts every nation as well as every individual.
Leaning tower, 1991, at Pleiades Gallery, Readymade Styrofoam plates and cups, plastic forks, wood, metal; height: 12’ x 6’ diameter;
Piled Styrofoam plates and cups, typically used by the fast food chains, tower on top of the round table leaning on a side like the Tower of Pisa. The shiny surface of new-age material resembles the marbles of Carrera. The monolith of the leaning tower seems to be caught at the moment just before it comes crushing down. It reflects upon the fragile ecological equilibrium of our environment, a delicate balance of which can be broken by man’s irresponsible behavior that produces rapidly growing towers of unnecessary refuge.