Dimitry Shabalin
Denis Prasolov
Oleg Khvostov
Natalia Pivko
Menno Otten
Anya Zhelud

Still-life in French sounds as "nature mort" which means dead nature. It is such a symbolic name, as if objects that the man takes away from nature die. Throughout the history, the man has been capturing nature, which in his hands is turning into objects. At the same time, the man sees a mystery and power in objects, and in this manner objects become symbols. But people tried to curb that power, to take control over it. And images of "revived" objects in their turn became part of scary fairy tales and myths. Objects had a clear place in art, they had to depict practical or symbolic things. And with the emergence of an independent genre of still life, people immediately branded it as the ower genre. For hundreds of years, the man considered himself the master of the "dead nature", refusing to see how mysterious objects can be by themselves and that life remains in them despite any human tricks.

In our exposition we suggest entering into a dialogue with "dead nature". What can it tell us? What can the surrounding objects demonstrate, if we put them in the spotlight? Maybe now, when the man has made himself a hostage of the objects, which are increasingly obscuring the man himself, it is high time to listen to them?

The whole exposition can be considered as a reflection on the relationship between the man and nature (alive, never still), that he is so eager to tear apart. Just as with all the objects that surround us, there are many mysteries in this exposition. We call for getting absorbed in this world without appropriating it, to perceive the world of "dead nature" as a self-sufficient universe, still alive or "still but alive", and to become an attentive listener this time.