The famous Factory is moving to Sevkabel, where 100 artworks by Andy Warhol will be juxtaposed with prominent works by Russian contemporary artists. What inspired Warhol in the 70s, remains vividly present in today’s Russia.
Andy Warhol has made his life and personality an ambitious work of art. We took inspiration from the way this artist constructed his public appearance. The exhibition takes the shape of a maze built from metaphors and impressions, premised upon life and body of work by this pop-art icon. An impressive array of flamboyance: pink fur, disco balls, fluorescent lamps and, of course, the artist’s favourite silver foil, — is brought into play. The light design adds to the atmosphere, with disco balls shimmer, fluorescent lamps flicker, and neon tape curved along the way.
Behind the provocative and flamboyant surface, there is a vulnerable person which is not easy to approach. So is the way through the exhibition maze: the visitor is met with an abundance of shapes and colors that gradually fades into black, symbolic of Warhol’s loneliness and paranoia. The exhibition narrative is non-linear, just as the map of the exhibition space: the maze is full of cosy small rooms, as well as spacious halls with multiple path-walks. The finale is a row of lightboxes — hospital-like pale light is reminiscent of the consequences of Valery Solanas’ assault. The exposition is looped back with the massive installation of The Factory: the intertexture of ventilation tubes reflects on the heartbeat of the bohemian New York of the 1970s.