THE FOSSIL
2017 — 2020
First flash of photography was the Big Bang
One day I chose photography as a tool for learning about the world. In my artistic practice I try to make sure rational does not conflict with sensual. I am mostly interested to make them complement each other to enhance the effect of the work.
Looking at petrified traces of life from distant geological epochs
we get closer to the origins of the Art
Looking at stones with tracks of trunks and leaves of plants of the Carboniferous Period, I see paleontological gravures, literally taken from life. I suppose to apply paint and paper to the stones. And it would be enough to get unique prints. In a split stone with a print of fish, I find a direct analogy with the photography — the object has been gone, and the positive and negative images that capture it are stored in the museum.
The story behind the plate of yellow sandstone with ripple marks is amazing. About one hundred million years ago, somewhere deep in the area of modern Mongolia, the wind caused ripples at the bottom of a shallow pond. The hot sun dried the water, and after a while, the seasonal alluvial deposits kept these, in a literal sense, traces of time. Does it is a special form of image fixating? Sure. The process took a lot of time and it is absolutely natural and unique.
I look at paleontological artefacts with the eye of an artist. I perceive them as objects of ancient art, beauty and elegance. I associate fossils with photography. Like photographs, these stones have captured the signs of different epochs. That primordial, geological way of fixing images excites me. I can imagine that the first photographic flash was the Big Bang.
Gallery
PRINTS
Multilayer UV-pigment giclee print with enhanced relief.
Acid & chlorine free ultra smooth-touch black paper 380g.
Print size: 50×70cm
Year of print: 2019
Limited edition of 2 copies
I do prints on thick and heavyweight black paper with the use of modern digital multilayer printing technologies. The paper offers matt visual effect and remains resistant for rubbing and fingermarks. The images have enhanced and visible relief. Even more — one can touch them to feel curves, textures, the smallest details of nature’s remains.
The prints have enhanced and visible relief
SHOWS
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FotoTop, 2021
The exhibition of contemporary Russian photography, Gallery of Classic Photography, Moscow, June — September, 2021 -
The Fossil, 2020–2021
Solo exhibition in IGUMO Gallery, Moscow, December, 2020 — January, 2021 -
PhotoVisa. Club of Friends, 2020
Online exhibition “One, Two, Three… a Stone, a Mouse And Other Counting Rhymes” by Andrey Akimov and Jeff Moorfoot, October, 2020 -
Reencontro, 2020
Group show of the artists of the Galería silvestre, Madrid, June 11 — July 30, 2020 -
Book Of Nature, Moscow
The Fossil was a part of group show at the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, November 14, 2019 — July 05, 2020 -
ESTAMPA 2019, Madrid
Estampa Contemporary Art Fair, the booth of the Galería silvestre, Madrid, October 17-20, 2019 -
Descumbrimientos PHE 2019
The Fossil project was selected for portfolio review meeting of PHotoEspana 2019, Madrid, June 2019 -
DOCA 2019, Moscow
The project debuted at the Days of Contemporary Art Festival, Moscow, April 2019
PUBLICATIONS
BETA developments in photography
Published on January, 2021
An online free quarterly portfolio magazine featuring some of the most interesting and diverse photography on the planet. The Fossil series published in the issue 38.
FotoTop 2021 exhibition catalogue
Published on September, 2021
CREDITS
All objects are courtesy of Orlov Paleontological Museum (Moscow, Russia). The museum is a subdivision of the Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences www.paleo.ru
For available prints and additional images, please contact us