The Feast of Trimalchio

Info

Video

Images

Stills

Portfolios

Concept

Exhibitions

Info

2009–2010

Second part of The Liminal Space Trilogy

1-channel (68′15″), 3-channel (69′20″), and 9-channel (25′23″) video installations,
50 video stills, 18 digital collages, 4 paintings

Video

Trailer

Images

Paintings
Allegories
Panoramas

Stills

1-channel Stills
3-channel Stills

Portfolios

Portfolio 1
Portfolio 2

Concept

As the second part of The Liminal Space Trilogy, The Feast of Trimalchio is an ironic allegory of Heaven, taking its title from an eponymous fragment of Gaius Petronius Arbiter’s Satyricon. Situated at an impossibly luxurious island resort that miraculously combines a tropical coastline with a ski slope, the work explores geopolitical, cultural, racial, and gender issues, weaving them into a single complex narrative that surveys the contemporary relationships between two key global socioeconomic classes: masters and servants. The masters are represented as the white-clad guests of the resort, their demographics reflecting more or less the distribution of global wealth. The servants are predominantly young and attractive representatives of the global South working in the vast hospitality industry, dressed in traditional uniforms with an ethnic twist. As the leisure time of the masters drags on, strict social roles slowly melt into ambiguity until they are fully reversed in the tradition of the Roman saturnalia. While many cataclysmic events take place in this Paradise, from a tsunami to an invasion by aliens, everything always reverts to an endless ritual of leisure and pleasure, in which the servants and the served alternate in perpetuity.

 

The Feast of Trimalchio was originally composed of a video installation in 9-channel, 3-channel, and single-channel versions, as well as a series of Allegories as large digital collages and 9 Panoramas that fit together into a single ultra-wide digital collage. Later the project also came to include a series of oil paintings, printed stills from the video, and portfolios of photographic source material. Visually referencing Mannerism, ancient Roman frescoes, and tourism advertisements, the video is accompanied by a classical soundtrack featuring Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 and Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, with contemporary interludes commissioned from Pavel Karmanov.

 

The project was first shown in 2009 as a 9-channel video installation at the group exhibition Unconditional Love, an official accompanying event to the 53rd Venice Biennale, followed by the 17th Sydney Biennale, and a solo exhibition at Moscow’s Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in 2010, where it was accompanied by the digital collages. In 2013 the project was displayed as part of the extensive survey exhibition of The Liminal Space Trilogy at Moscow’s Central Exhibition Hall “Manege” and the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin, which also included the paintings from the project. Since then, The Feast of Trimalchio has been shown in various configurations at many museums, galleries, and festivals around the world.

Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions (and as part of Liminal Space Trilogy)

 

2015
“AES+F: TRILOGY PLUS”, Aeroplastics Contemporary, Brussels Belgium.

“001 INVERSO MUNDUS. AES+F”, Collateral event of 56th Biennale di Venezia, Magazzini del Sale, Magazzino 5 & Vitraria Glass +A Museum, Venice, Italy.

“THE LIMINAL SPACE TRILOGY. Parts 2 & 3”, Platform Russia, MAMM, Art Stage Singapore, Singapore.

 

2014
“AES+F. THE LIMINAL SPACE TRILOGY”, Musée des Beaux-Arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.

 

2013
“AES+F: THE FEAST OF TRIMALCHIO”, in frames of Art Media Festival, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

“AES+F. THE FEAST OF TRIMALCHIO” in frames of exhibition project “HAPPY END?”, Tennis Palace Museum, Helsinki, Finland.

“AES+F. THE TRILOGY”, featuring artists of Fresh Paint Art Fair, Tel Aviv, Israel.

“THE LIMINAL SPACE TRILOGY”, project room on Fresh Paint Art Fair, Tel Aviv, Israel.

“AES+F. THE LIMINAL SPACE TRILOGY”, Faena Arts Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“AES+F. TRILOGY. FINAL CUT”, Triumph Gallery, Moscow, Russia.

 

2012
“AES+F. THE TRILOGY”, Kicik Qalart Gallery, Baku, Azerbaijan.

“AES+F. THE TRILOGY”, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, Germany.

“AES+F. THE TRILOGY”, Central Exhibition Hall Manege, Moscow, Russia.

“AES+F. THE FEAST OF TRIMALCHIO”, Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, Bathurst NSW, Australia.

“AES+F. THE FEAST OF TRIMALCHIO”, Vanhaerents Art Collection, Brussels, Belgium.

“AES+F – GUEST OF HONOR” Seoul Photo Art Fair, Seoul. South Korea.

 

2011
“THE FEAST OF TRIMALCHIO.” “Scotiabank Nuit Blanche. Toronto Festival 2011” Queen's Park, Toronto, Canada.

“AES+F. THE FEAST OF TRIMALCHIO”, Art District of Royal Monseau Hotel & Residence, Paris, France.

“AES+F. THE FEAST OF TRIMALCHIO”. Perm Museum of Contemporary Art (PERMM), Perm, Russia.

“AES+F. THE FEAST OF TRIMALCHIO”, Art Statements Gallery, Tokyo, Japan.

 

2010
“AES+F: THE FEAST OF TRIMALCHIO”, Novy (New) Museum, St.-Petersburg, Russia.

“AES+F: THE FEAST OF TRIMALCHIO”, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.

“AES+F. THE FEAST OF TRIMALCHIO”. Melbourne International Arts Festival, Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, Australia.

“AES+F: THE REVOLUTION STARTS NOW”. University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane, Australia.

“AES+F. THE FEAST OF TRIMALCHIO”. “Garage” Center for Contemporary Culture, Moscow, Russia.

“THE FEAST OF TRIMALCHIO”. 17th Sydney Biennale, Cockatoo Island, Sydney, Australia.

 

2009
“AES+F”, Danube Festival, Stadtsaal, Krems, Austria.

 

Group Exhibitions

 

2015
“2050: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FUTURE”, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium.

“SCREEN PLAY: LIFE IN AN ANIMATED WORLD”, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo (NY), USA.

“AES+F”, Triumph Gallery at SCOPE Basel art fair, Basel, Switzerland.

“BONS BAISERS DE RUSSIE”, Galerie de l'Exil (and Galerie Albert Benamou - Véronique Maxé), Paris, France.

“PARADISE RECLAIMED”, Galleri Nordnorge, The Arts Festival of North Norway, Harstad, Norway.

“NORDART 2015”, Nord Art Festival, Kunstwerk Carlshütte, Büdelsdorf, Germany.

“DEATH AND BEAUTY. THE CONTEMPORARY GOTHIC IN ART AND VISUAL CULTURE”, Kumu Art Museum, Tallinn, Estonia

 

2014
“CREATIVE ZONE – “BAROQUE”: VISUAL AND HYBRID ART”, ArtCult & Gera Museum, Vrsac, Serbia.

“GLASS +A”, Vitraria Glass +A Museum, Venice, Italy.

“NUIT DES IMAGES 2014”, Musée de l'Élysée, Lausanne, Switzerland.

“PAINTING/VIDEO (ЖИ/ВИ)”, Solyanka VPA, Moscow, Russia

“LAST RIOT AND OTHER CONTEMPORARY WORKS FROM THE COLLECTION OF DR. DICK QUAN”, BRAG (Bathurst Regional Art Gallery), Bathurst, Australia

“TRANSITION”, Art Statements Gallery, Hong Kong.

“PERSONAL CHOICE: COLLECTORS’ SELECTIONS FROM THEIR OWN COLLECTIONS”, Garage MCA, Moscow, Russia.

“TILT!” Kunst Raum Riehen, Riehen/Basel, Switzerland.

 

2013
“MONUMENTAL!”, Art Statements Gallery, Hong Kong.

“SOPROMAT”, Artplay Design Center, Moscow, Russia

“SILK MAP”, Padiglione Venezia at 55th Biennale of Venice Art Exhibition, Giardini, Venice, Italy.

“AES+F. THE FEAST OF TRIMALCHIO”, Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts, in frames of “Kino der Kunst” art video film festival & exhibition, Munich, Germany.

“MEDITERRANIEN BIENNALE 2013”, Sachnin, Israel.

“MISE-EN-SCENE”, Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul. South Korea.

 

2012
“SHENZHEN ANIMATION BIENNALE”, Shenzhen, PR China.

“A WAKE: STILL LIVES AND MOVING IMAGES” Momentum Worldwide, Dumbo Art Center, New York, United States.

“13.0.0.0.0”, RH Gallery, New York, United States.

“THE SOUND OPTIC”, NCCA and “Gallery” Exhibition Center, Izhevsk, Russia.

“CONTEMPORARY RUSSIAN PHOTOGRAPHY”, “Perestroyka, Liberalization and Experimentation” the mid/late 1980s-2010s, FotoFest Biennale 2012, Spring St. Studios, Houston TX, United States.

“ART WYNWOOD ART FAIR”, Juan Ruiz Gallery, Miami, United States.

“ARCO”, Triumph Gallery (Moscow), Madrid, Spain.

 

2011
“ART MIAMI 2011”, Juan Ruiz Gallery, Miami, United States.

“BEHOLDER”, Talbot Rice Gallery, The University of Edinburgh – Old College, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.

“LICHTSICHT” – 3rd Projection Biennale, Bad Rothenfelde, Germany.

“inSPIRACJE”. International Festival of Visual Arts, Szczecin, Poland.

“FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE”, City of Pietrasanta, Foundation for visual Arts, Palazzo Panichi, Complex Sant Agostino, Italy.

“RUSSIAN ART”, SEM-ART Gallery, Monte-Carlo, Monaco.

“SCOPE NEW YORK Art Fair”, Juan Ruiz Gallery, New York, United States.

“ARMORY SHOW 2011”, Anna Schwartz Gallery (Melbourne, Sydney), Pier 94, New York, United States.

VIP ART FAIR. Anna Schwartz Gallery (Sydney-Melbourne), New York, USA.

 

2010
“PUBLIC DISCOURSE SPHERE”, LOOP Gallery, Seoul, South Korea.

“THE HISTORY OF RUSSIAN VIDEO ART. VOLUME 3”, Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Moscow, Russia.

“CHRONIQUES RUSSES”, Le Théâtre de la Photographie et de l’Image Charles Nègre, Nice, France (curated by Agnes de Gouvion Saint-Cur).

“INTER-COOL 3.0: JUGEND BILD MEDIEN”. Hartware Medien Kunst Verein im Dortmunder U (Center for Art and Creativity), Dortmund, Germany.

“SEXUALITY AND TRANSCENDENCE”. Pinchuk Art Centre, Kiev, Ukraine.

“DORM”, The Model, Слиго, Ирландия.

“FUTUREEVERYTHING” FESTIVAL, Manchester, UK.

“ATOPIA. CONTEMPORARY ART AND CITY”. Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB), Barcelona, Spain.

“EXPERIMENTA. ART FOR THE 21ST CENTURY”, Arts Centre Melbourne, Australia.

 

2009
“ARTISSIMA 16”, Lingotto Fierre, Marco Noire CA, Turin, Italy.

“VIDENIE”, “Europe” Trading Center, NCCA Yekaterinburg, Russia.

ASIAN ART BIENNIAL, Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei, Taiwan.

“FEEDFORWARD: Angel of History”, Laboral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial, Gijon, Asturia – Spain.

“WAR & ART – HORROR AND SIMULACRUM OF BEAUTY”, Galerie Aube, Kyoto University of Art and Design, Kyoto, Japan.

“VIDENIE”, PERMM, Perm, Russia.

TOKYO PHOTO 2009, Art Statements Gallery (Hong Kong), Tokyo, Japan.

“3RD PHOTOFESTIVAL Mannheim-Ludwigshafen-Heidelberg”, Wilhelm-Hack-Museum, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany.

“INDIA ART SUMMIT”, Video Lounge and booth of Arario Beijing Gallery, Pragati Maidan (ITPO), New Delhi, India.

“DIGITAL ART LA EXPO”, L.A. Center for Digital Art, Rowan Building Downtown, Los Angeles, USA.

“ART BASEL’09”, Marco Noire Contemporary Art (Turin), Basel Messe, Basel, Switzerland.

“MIDI MIDI MOSCOU”, “AES+F / Le Festin de Trimalchio”, program Gare Saint Sauveur, lille3000 “Europe XXL”, Lille, France.

“UNCONDITIONAL LOVE”, Arsenale Novissimo, Tese di San Cristoforo, Tesa 89, program of collateral events of 53rd Venice Biennial, Venice, Italy.