solo show Egor Laptarev

4 Feb — 4 March 2020

The Ritz-Carlton, Moscow, -2 level

Egor Laptarev was born in 1984. Graduating from the Abramtsevo Art and Industrial College named after Vasnetsov in 2004, continued his studies at the Academy of Arts named after Repin (St. Petersburg) at the faculty of monumental painting till 2011.

In his work, Egor turns to various types of arts: easel painting, graphics, sculpture, video art, street art and mosaics. The main theme of his work is the image of the human body, presented in different contexts. Over the past years, he has been working in his unique technique - applying paint in several layers, he hides the original image under it. Egor modifies the classic drawing and experiments with materials, this way of creating a work allows to change the course of the plot in the process.

Manifested

In the series “Manifested”, Egor touches on the subject of physicality and aesthetics of the exposure of the human body. Despite changes in public consciousness regarding freedom of expression and self-acceptance, this topic is still taboo. Questions of physical emancipation push the artist to turn to a specific genre - pornography, which for decades allows people to reveal their true desires and immerse themselves in their secret fantasies. In contrast to modern pornography, which is replete with a variety of visual images and calls into question the sacredness of the captured process, the artist, more inclined to eroticism, opts for retro porn, noting in it a more clearly identified artistic approach.

Characters appear on dark, like film, sheets of paper. In small fragments, Egor brings out the storyline, now exposing parts of the bodies, then hiding them. Manifested - this is not an illustration of the act, but only an impetus to understanding what is happening. Only the artist knows what is hidden under a thick layer of paint, and only he decides what will be released from the space of the sheet.

The theme of corporeality in this series is revealed by thinking about the sacredness of a naked body. What actually excites consciousness more - its demonstration or concealment? The author sets himself the difficult task of showing and at the same time locking in eternity part of the plot. Asking a question about the creator’s power over his work, he enters into a dialogue with the viewer watching the “manifestation” of the image, which freezes at the moment chosen by the artist.

SELECTED GROUP AND SOLO SHOWS

2019 — Dream of the Gods. A joint project for the museum night of the Museum of 20th and 21th Century St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia.
2019 — group exhibition LEVELS, St. Petersburg, Russia.
2019 — Dyatlov Pass. DK Gromova, St. Petersburg, Russia.
2018 — Group therapy session. «Poligraf cech» gallery , Moscow, Russia.
2018 — Lingwe Universala. Завод «Севкабель», St. Petersburg, Russia.
2018 — Overcoming. Central exhibition hall «Manege», St. Petersburg, Russia.
2018 — Disciplinary spaces. Erarta Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.
2017-2018 — Against all. Gallery VLADEY. Curated by Anatoly Osmolovsky, Moscow, Russia.
2017 — Joint exhibition with artist Julia Belova «Point of mind». Molbert gallery, St. Petersburg, Russia.
2016 — Phantasmagoria. State Hermitage museum (Vyborg branch), Vyborg, Russia.
2015 — The World of sad clowns. ART Residences PENZA, Penza, Russia.
2015 — Charity art-marathon. Gallery «К35», Moscow, Russia.
2014 — Essence. Gallery «ArtMuza», St. Petersburg, Russia.
2013 — 1st International Exhibition of Monumental Art. Beijing, China.
2011 — A mobile exhibition of young artists of Russia. Guangzhou / Guilin / Shendzhen, China.
2009 — Exhibition of young artists of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. San Diego, USA.

HONORS AND AWARDS

2014 — First place in the competition of illustrations for stories by Victor Pelevin, conducted by the publishing house EKSMO. Illustrations published in the collected works of V. Pelevin. Moscow, Russia.
2014 — One of the winners in the competition "Indistinct image" and "Metaphysical head" by artist Mikhail Shemyakin Foundation. St. Petersburg, Russia.