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Mikhail Maksimov

'The cultures and civilisations that replaced one another on the Taman Peninsula, fervently and tragically erasing all references to the past, can be compared to the caduceus, the medieval symbol of alchemy and trade that originated in ancient culture, which left its mark on the history of the region. My work intertwines them with winemaking technologies, blurring the line between the tools and the purpose, matrix and content, the past and the future so that we could critically assess and reconsider the progressive chain, the project of modernism itself, where without the present is impossible without what came before.'

Maksimov explores the possibilities of mapping potential realities. He uses software technologies and computer games to create scripts that put ideological and philosophical theories into action, which is his way to test-drive possible worlds.

By adopting a digital interface as an intermediary between the manufacturer and the consumer, Maksimov uses 'transmedia storytelling', a type of narrative that exists across a range of formats, from film to installations to smartphone apps. Maksimov believes that, as computer games are modelled on reality, animation and interactive graphics can be used to change reality itself.

Selected shows:

  • 2021: Continuous Response – solo exhibition, the Vadim Sidur Museum, Moscow, Russia;
  • 2018: Humanity Extraction – solo exhibition, CCI Fabrika, Moscow, Russia;
  • 2014: Barriers – an interactive installation combining video and digital animation with three-dimensional sculpture, the Burning News group exhibition, Hayward Gallery, London.

Mikhail Maksimov is the winner of the Ultra Short Film Festival (ESF, 2012); winner of the Kansk Video Festival (2015,) in the Best Russian Short category; recipient of the Gold Taiga prize, the Spirit of Fire International Debut Film Festival (2018). Has participated in the Manifesta 10, the 71th Locarno Film Festival (Switzerland, 2018), the 35th Hamburg Short Film Festival (Germany, 2019), Riga Biennale of Contemporary Art (Latvia, 2020), Venice Biennale of Architecture (2021). His works can be found in the collections of the NCCA and Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow as well as private collections.

Based in Moscow.

To find out more about Mikhail Maksimov's projects, please visit http://dying.fun/
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