Varvara Grankova, born in Moscow, 1988
Winner of Arte Laguna 2021, finalist in Arte Laguna 2020, winner of the Tretyakov Prize 2018. The artists works are in the MMOMA collection.
I explore the mechanisms of human relations – with other humans as well as with non-human agents and the environment. I am interested in how the historical and cultural context imprints on modern relationships. Three major themes in my recent work are (non)violence, feminism and ecology.
My preferred mediums of artistic expression are installation and performance. Trained in vocals and with years of violin experience, I use music and especially my own voice in my practice. But I consider it vital to reveal the deep and varying aspects of any theme I work with, and so I also use graphics and digital art.
As I work with social themes, dialogue is especially important in the form, but also in the content, of my work as I try to get the audience involved as much as possible. For instance, the real stories of people and the abuse they suffered, or their sense of guilt for the abuse they inflicted, formed part of my instagram project @nenasilie (part of the personal exhibition). I also recycled and upcycled - each time in a different way - discarded clothes, again, collected from other people, as part of my series «Thingism».
Education
2020-2021
«BAZA» Winzavod, Moscow, Russia
2019
«Open Studios» program, Winzavod, Moscow, Russia
2016-2017
Art philosophy, Garage Education Center, Moscow, Russia
2015-2016
School of Contemporary Art «Free Workshops», Moscow, Russia
2005-2011
National Institute of Design, Department of Art & Design, Moscow, Russia
Art labs
2020-2021
2019
2019
2019
2019
2018
2017
Performance Artistic Research Lab, HSE+Goldsmiths University of London
Metamorphosis. Goethe- institut Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine, Berlin, Germany
«Post-playwright». Theater «Practice», Moscow, Russia
Dance and Performance Lab «Dislocation» Culture House ZIL, Moscow, Russia
Poema Theatre. Solyanka gallery, Moscow, Russia
Workshop on Contemporary Dance and Dance Writing. Garage Education Center
Intense in modern dance. Educational center MMOMA, Moscow, Russia
Awards
2021
Winner of Arte Laguna special prize, Venice, Italy
2020
Winner of «Digital Dreams» by Cultural Creative Agency Qatar-Russia
(as part of the ROI group)
2020
Finalist in Arte Laguna prize, Venice, Italy
2018
Winner of Tretyakovprize grand prize, Moscow
Residence
2021
Art residence «Vyksa», Vyksa, Russia
2019
Lesnoe, 11, Russia
2019
«Open Studios» program, Winzavod, Moscow, Russia
Exhibitions
Solo
2022
«Flowers and grass» / Alisa gallery, Cube gallery, Moscow, Russia
2021
«Burqa» Piazza dei Signori, 4passi festival, Treviso, Italy
2021
«Vestments» Vyksa museum of history
(was not open for public)
2021
«Waiting» Bomba Gallery, Moscow, Russia
(Collaboration with Mitriy Grankov)
2018
«Nonviolence», MMOMA, Moscow, Russia
As part of the «Debut» program
Group
2022
«Sandarmokh – Where the Trees Have Faces» / Brno, Czech
2022
«Mycelium» / Tbilisi, Georgia
2022
«Sandarmokh – Where the Trees Have Faces» / Prague, Czech
2022
«Do not go out of the window» / HAZEGALLERY, Berlin, Germany
2022
NOW&AFTER’22, Fabrika Center for Creative Industries, Moscow, Russia
(as part of the ROY group)
2022
«Finds from the subconscious of one fairy-tale hero» / Cube gallery, Мoscow
2022
Biemalle «Art of the future» / Multimedia art museum (МАММ), Мoscow, Russia
2021
«Radici» / Rechsteiner winery, Oderzo, Italy
2021
«Can’t see violence anymore» / Milano, Italy
2021
Arte Laguna prize / the Nappe of the Arsenale Nord in Venice. Italy
2021
«PAVILION RUSSE» / HAZEGALLERY, Berlin, Germany
2021
Riga Performance Festival: Starptelpa, Riga, Latvia
(as part of the ROY group)
2021
«Alterglobalizm» / Belyaevo gallery, Moscow, Russia
2020
Coscoscow art fair / Balcony gallery, Moscow, Russia
2020
«Alternative reality» / Nochlezhka, Moscow, Russia
2019
First Feminalle of contemporary art / Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
2019
Over The Real - Festival Internazionale VideoArte / Italy
(as part of the ROI group)
2019
Green Around, South Sour Water Performance and Visual Art Festival / Taipei
(as part of the ROI group)
2019
«Look at yourself» / Peschannaya gallery, Moscow, Russia
(as part of the ROI group)
2019
Art fem fest «-KA» / Winzavod, Moscow, Russia
2019
«Dysmorphophobia» / MMOMA, Moscow, Russia
(as part of the ROI group)
2019
«Faith in a Deep Crisis» / Victoria Gallery, Samara, Russia
2019
«These waking dreams» / Tula Regional Art Museum
(as part of the ROI group)
2019
International Festival of Digital Arts Videoformes / Center for Creative Industries «Fabrika»
2019
«Moscow Conceptualism. Link» / ARTPLAY, Moscow, Russia
2018
VIDEOBARDO Festival / Buenos Aires, Argentina
(as part of the ROY group)
2018
«Hair» / MMOMA, Moscow, Russia
(as part of the ROI group)
2017
«Guilty!» / MMOMA, Moscow, Russia
2017
«Between us. The space of memories» / MMOMA, Moscow, Russia
2017
«Personal Connections» / MMOMA, Moscow, Russia
2017
«Procrastination» / MMOMA, Moscow, Russia
2016
«Portraits of happy people» / VZ Gallery on Taganka, Moscow, Russia
2016
«Feet in the water, head in the clouds» / Zdes Gallery, Taganka, Moscow, Russia
2016
«City to artists, artists to the city» / Museum of Moscow, Moscow, Russia
2015
«Motto-Slogan-Tag» / Center for Creative Industries Fabrika, Moscow, Russia
2012
«The Triumph of Caissa. Dedication to Marcel Duchamp» / State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia (Collaboration with Mitriy Grankov)
Performances
2020
«Coat» BLAZAR art fair / Museum of Moscow, Moscow, Russia
2020
«Shelter» / Coscoscow art fair, Balcony gallery, Moscow, Russia
2019
«Red Voice» / Meta Culture, Kiev, Ukraine
(Collaboration with Rosemary loves a blackberry)
2019
«Post-playwright» / Theater «Practice», Moscow, Russia
2019
«Dislocation» / Culture House ZIL, Moscow, Russia
2019
«Red Voice» / Winzavod, Moscow, Russia
(Collaboration with Rosemary loves a blackberry)
2019
«Dysmorphophobia» / MMOMA, Moscow, Russia
(as part of the ROI group)
2019
«Scroll» / DK, Moscow, Russia
(Collaboration with Mitriy Grankov)
2019
«Poetry of parts» / Solyanka gallery, Moscow, Russia (Poemateatre)
2018
«Hearts» / MMOMA, , Moscow, Russia
(as part of the ROI group)
2018
«Bread» / MMOMA, , Moscow, Russia
(as part of the ROI group)
2015
«Motto-Slogan-Tag» / Center for Creative Industries «Fabrika», Moscow, Russia
(Collaboration with Mitriy Grankov)
Public-talk
2021
Art and War Symposium on artistic strategies in authoritarian states /
Oslo, Norway
2021
COSMOSCOW ART FAIR «The Art and Practice of Hospitality» / Moscow, Russia
2021
Moscow Museum of Contemporary Art & International Festival of Videoart NOW&AFTER / Moscow, Russia
2019
Discussion about women in the music industry and performance
as a feminist art practice / Kiev, Ukraine
2019
Gender Equality Discussion / Republic, Moscow, Russia
Publications
2021
2021
2021
2021
2021
2021
2020
2020
2019
2019
2019
2019
2019 Female sex-art in the era of new puritanism: 7 Russian artists - about corporality in their work
2019
2018
2018