Pavel Otdelnov’s Russian Nowhere

Artist Pavel Otdelnov’s latest work invites reflection on ways of seeing Russian nowhere that is also anywhere.

Pavel Otdelnov on Russian Nowhere:

“I would like to revisit my reflections on nonsites that I began in Inner Degunino and Mall. Both series were informed by direct observation of the changing landscapes on the outskirts of major cities. The new project that I started during lockdown deals with virtual images. As captured by Yandex and Google streetview cars, landscapes are completely devoid of any idealization or an author’s view. These pictures have no author or author’s attitude towards the seen: the lens of an automated camera is perfectly impartial and disengaged. I based by paintings on the most banal and typical images that could be made anywhere in Russia.”

Pavel Otdelnov. Future. 2021. oil on canvas. 45×60. Reproduced here with the permission of the author.
Pavel Otdelnov. There is no aesthetic in it. 2021 oil on canvas 180×260. Reproduced here with the permission of the author.

Pavel’s previous project Promzona is on the entanglement of industrial ruins and family history.  

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