On Holiday
Olga Jürgenson
25 February - 20 April 2016
A site-specific installation, which explores the legacy of Russian philosopher-cosmist Nikolai Fyodorov and his followers.
Resurrection, the achievement of immortality, was considered by the philosopher-cosmist Nikolai Fyodorov (1829-1903) as a "common goal" for humanity, which would lead to universal brotherhood and kinship. Fyodorov argued that, with the help of science, humankind would learn not only to become immortal and to resurrect all those who had ever lived, but also to move freely through time and space. His work has been regarded by some as the original inspiration for Soviet achievements in science which put the first man into space.
In these works the resurrected Fedorov is cheerfully marching along a beach amongst other holidaymakers, some of them famous: Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Yuri Gagarin.
The exhibition included mixed media works on canvas and paper, along with a projected video.
Olga Jürgenson graduated from Academy of Fine Arts in St Petersburg, based in the UK since 2002. Participant in significant group exhibitions globally, including 56th Venice Biennial, MANIFESTA, Liverpool, Moscow and Ural biennials. Awarded numerous grants and awards from several European foundations, in 2011 was nominated for Kandinsky Prize. Her solo exhibitions range from the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia (2013) and New Hall Art Collection, University of Cambridge, UK (2014). Jürgenson’s works are in state and private collections across the world, including the State Russian Museum, the National Centre for Contemporary Art (Russia), Oulu Art Museum (Finland), the University of Cambridge. Olga co-curated (with Alfredo Cramerotti, Director of MOSTYN) the National Pavilion of Mauritius at the 56th Venice Biennale.