Russian Video Art Duo Blue Noses Premieres 'The Adventures of Carbonman' in Munich
On February 20, 2004, the artistic team of Alexander Shaburov and Viatsheslav Mizin, collectively known as the Blue Noses, unveiled 'The Adventures of Carbonman' at Munich's Reithalle as part of the 'Days of Russian Culture' festival. They also showcased previous collaborations with Dmitrij Bulnygin and Konstantin Skotnikov, such as 'From Siberia With Love' (1999-2003). This 15-minute film, funded by Future-Carbon and Articolo, features Shaburov portraying Carbonman, incorporating elements of slapstick and silent film. Emerging during Gorbachev's perestroika, Russian video art gained traction in the mid-1990s. The Blue Noses offer critiques of mass media and propaganda, drawing inspiration from early cinema and icons like Chaplin, while frequently touring Germany and participating in global exhibitions.
Key facts
- Alexander Shaburov and Viatsheslav Mizin premiered 'The Adventures of Carbonman' on February 20, 2004 at Reithalle Munich
- The Blue Noses duo collaborated with Dmitrij Bulnygin and Konstantin Skotnikov on earlier works
- Russian video art began in the late 1980s during perestroika, gaining institutional acceptance by the mid-1990s
- The artists have exhibited at the 50th Venice Biennale, Zurich, London's Fotobiennale, and European festivals
- Their work critiques mass media, comparing Communist propaganda to commercial advertising
- Shaburov and Mizin are known for slapstick, low-budget aesthetics and grotesque physical humor
- The duo regularly tours Germany, including Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich
- Their art references early cinema, comic strips, and figures like Chaplin and the Marx Brothers
Entities
Artists
- Alexander Shaburov
- Viatsheslav Mizin
- Dmitrij Bulnygin
- Konstantin Skotnikov
- Sergey Shutov
- Vladimir Mogilevsky
- Kirill Preobrazhensky
- Aleksey Isaev
- Ilya Kabakov
- Erik Bulatov
- Vitaly Komar
- Alexander Melamid
- Mikhail Bakhtin
- Charlie Chaplin
- Buster Keaton
- Groucho Marx
- Francisco Goya
- Sandro Botticelli
- Osama bin Laden
Institutions
- Reithalle Munich
- 50th Venice Biennale
- Fotobiennale London
- Future-Carbon
- Articolo
- Absolut Vodka
- Central Committee of the Communist Party
- Balagan. Zeitschrift für slavisches Theater, Drama und Kino
Locations
- Munich
- Germany
- Ekaterinburg
- Novosibirsk
- Russia
- Siberia
- Venice
- Italy
- Zurich
- Switzerland
- London
- United Kingdom
- Montenegro
- Cannes
- France
- Helsinki
- Finland
- Berlin
- Hamburg
- Chechnya