In the last week of December Ivan Novikov’s exhibition "Luggage Without Action" was held in the "Elektrozavod" Gallery. One of the special features of the exhibition was the complete absence of explications. And yet, the works were not left silent: during the exhibition the artist would lead guided tours, sometimes several a day, almost endlessly walking around the hall, looping his narrative in a Mobius strip manner. The remark that the entire exhibition is evidence of Novikov's failure in his attempt to become an Asian artist would each time serve either as the conclusion of or as the introduction to his narrative. All the objects presented in the hall were diverse, varied in style, and in general the exposition was intentionally non-narrative – it was just a selection of artefacts, a collection of "curios", which were an introduction to a larger project on which the artist, long interested in Asia, had been working. The material for this exhibition was gathered within the course of a year. The majority of the works on show were in one way or another connected with Hong Kong, although other cities featured as well, and even countries – for example, Japan.
Review by Zlata Adashevskaya ("Moscow Art Magazine" #104).
Venue: Electrozavod gallery (Moscow)
Date: 15.12.2017 – 27.12.2017
