Exhibition 'Mikhail Shemyakin: From St. Petersburg to Paris'

About exhibition

One of the key motifs in Shemyakin's early work that visitors can encounter at the exhibition is the image of Tushi, inspired by the atmosphere of Leningrad's markets and workshops. Visitors will also see an important series of paintings in Shemyakin's oeuvre — 'Carnivals of St. Petersburg', in which the artist draws on images from Russian folklore, theater, and the circus of the Petrine era. In these works, grotesque masks, bright costumes, and unrestrained revelry become a form of protest against the drabness and monotony of contemporary reality. The exhibition includes works created in Paris in 1976 — the famous series 'The Belly of Paris', which brought Shemyakin European recognition. These works, depicting 'tushenoshi', figures dragging dismembered parts of animals, became a metaphor for alienation, cruelty, and the absurdity of the modern world. Vladimir Vysotsky, a friend of Shemyakin, dedicated a poem titled 'Tushenoshi' to this series. The exhibition is provided by the Bashmakov Gallery of Contemporary Art.