Oleg Baranov

The video portrays Oleg Baranov wearing a VR headset, discussing the recent personal highlight when his ex-wife unexpectedly broke the silence in their communication to share a video of her new dog. Subsequent parts of the video display a 3D scene featuring only the footage of the dog and virtual hands, which is a typical interface solution for VR.

The project was conceived during the COVID-19 lockdown mandated by the government.

The video features two simultaneous confession-like monologues by two apparently different characters, both portrayed by the artist. One of them, presented in color, narrates a grounded yet eventful story of the day when his then-girlfriend proposed to him. The other, depicted in black and white, communicates in a more abstract manner, describing his relationship with the fading memory of his ex-wife. While challenging to follow concurrently, these monologues meld into an amalgamated auditory experience. The video concludes with an original song and a quote by the writer Zadie Smith, underscoring the coexistence of both internal and external perspectives on every story.

This recording captures an event that occurred at the Blazar International Young Art Fair on September 11, 2020. Serving as an extension of a series of videos, this performance, among several others of a similar kind, places the audience in front of an intentionally distorted presentation of the artist's persona intertwined with that of the series protagonist. In this instance, the artist is joined by his supposed ex-psychotherapist, and the two engage in a discussion about how Oleg's experience of divorce eerily parallels his perception of the impact created by the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. Initially concealed from the audience is the fact that the role of the psychotherapist is portrayed by the musician Arsenij Morozov, the leader of the artist's favorite band, Sonic Death.

The short looped video portrays a male character silently observing, or reminiscing about, a party where he first encountered a particular person. Subtitles function as a transcript of his inner monologue, aimed either at the mentioned person or at the viewer. Poetically inclined, the video represents the author's contemplation of the material qualities that vivid memories tend to acquire over time. It explores the ability to perceive past experiences contrasted with the desire to cling to memories as vibrant reminders of one's capacity to truly live in the moment. The title "Shadows" alludes not only to the video's content but also to the shadows cast by viewers standing between the projector and the wall upon which the video is projected.

The video centers around the theme of crisis and its resolution.

Maria, the protagonist's ex-wife, elucidates her decision to end the marriage, while it takes time for Oleg to fully comprehend her motivation.

The game's plot revolves around a young man named Oleg Baranov, consumed by the heartbreak of his divorce. In a quest to regain control over his life and seek meaning, the character embarks on a journey to a quaint village. Its inhabitants are rumored to possess a mystical artifact known as "The Can of Worms." This can is said to bestow the ability to comprehend the most intricate issues to those daring enough to open it. Shortly after Oleg's arrival, he uncovers that the villagers venerate the union between a man and a woman, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Oleg and his former spouse. The date of this "Holy Marriage", the village's most treasured celebration, coincides with the day of the protagonist's divorce. Subsequent events unfold in two realms, the tangible and the dreamlike, hinting at a link between the "Holy Marriage" and a looming nuclear catastrophe, whether past or future.

The game's international cast comprises a diverse array of individuals, encompassing artists, curators, musicians, activists, and journalists. Notable figures such as Holly Herndon, Kate NV, and Sonic Death assume fictionalized versions of themselves. Some of these characters are playable in specific sections of the game.

In terms of concept, the game marks the artist's shift towards interactive media and narratives that contain more pronounced political commentary. Its genre is most aptly described as a Japanese-style role-playing game. Although still under development, the game has already made appearances as a component of the artist's live performances and various exhibitions.

The project was created in 2023 for Garage Museum's Archive Commissions program. It includes the original video (5'10''), a selection of archival documents, an improvised library containing reference materials, a Bolex camera hung on the wall and two chairs. The video depicts Oleg Baranov crying in front of an original Andy Warhol's painting Details of the Renaissance: Birth of Venus (1984).

At one point the character kneels before the painting and engages in an act of imagined oral sex with it, effectively licking the museum's wall while a Russian-language rendition of Pete Seeger's Where Have All The Flowers Gone plays in the background (performed by the artist's frequent collaborator Arsenij Morozov aka Arsenij The Baptist). The video was filmed in the same space where it's been later presented while Andy Warhol's painting was there only for the time of filming.

The video is a critical statement on the current political and cultural climate in Russia that is marked with a hostile opposition towards the quasi-objective notion of The West. However, the context for its creation is rooted in the past, namely in the history of 1994 exhibition Artist Instead of the Artwork, or a Leap Into the Void. This exhibition was among the first major shows combining the works of Russian contemporary artists with those coming from the US and Western Europe. The archival documents state the inclusion of Andy Warhol works in the exhibition but further research proved that to be false. Instead, there was a work by Sturtevant called Warhol Flowers (1970).

Once again telling the story of separation with his ex-wife, Maria, Oleg begins to notice the effects this re-telling has had on him. Certain personal traits he thought to be hers now seem to be his own, judging by his most recent actions and endeavors. The most striking of these new-found similarities between them is the fact that he, too, has decided to leave himself behind either revolutionizing his vision for the life ahead, or loosing the grip on subjective existince altogether.