The Stars Aligned
The Ruarts Foundation presents the exhibition ‘The Stars Aligned’, a joint project by Egor Giwe and Kirill Ashesteen, two artists from a street background who successfully work in studio forms. On the one hand the exhibition title emphasizes the importance of individuality, suggesting that every visitor to the exhibition is a unique star in his or her own right. On the other hand, it serves as a direct allusion to teamwork. With a hint of irony the artists call themselves ‘stars’ that are now ‘aligned’.
In their project the artists model a space where the viewer plays the lead role. Mirrors cease to be just a surface reflecting reality and become the bearers of meaning – sometimes ironic, sometimes provocative, but always charged with the energy of self-expression. Reflections in gradient mirrors inlaid with Swarovski crystals smoothly flow from one to the other, evoking a continuous manipulation of optical effects and human emotions.
Collaboration between the authors was spontaneous, since recently they have shared a studio on the territory of the former Kristall Factory. The series of new artworks featuring in the exhibition were created there over the past year. This is the first time Egor Giwe and Kirill Ashesteen have worked together, and each of them has demonstrated their individual and already established style.
Ashesteen works with colour and reflection: his mirrors with gradient spray coatings, from barely noticeable to saturated, colorize reality and invite the viewer to look at the familiar world in new tones. This is not about finding yourself, but about the versatility of the world: depending on the lighting, angle and mood of the beholder the emotional background may change, but the reflection always stays accurate.
Egor Giwe complements these mirrors with his signature rhinestone inscriptions: ‘beauty’, ‘success’, ‘you’re just space’, ‘money’, ‘the best version of yourself’. His texts are balanced between trolling and affirmation, between faith in the magic of words and scepticism about self-positioning.
According to the authors, it is most important to realize that “everything exists in a state of flux, images appear and disappear, they develop and disintegrate, but what we want and seek is already inside us”. Ashesteen’s mirrors capture the viewer’s reaction, while Giwe’s phrases provoke it. More than just an exhibition, ‘The Stars Aligned’ is also an interactive performance where everyone becomes a co-author.
