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| Demolition Man Goes to University |
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Amsterdam based artist Arno Coenen mounts his update of heroic iconography in contemporary Russia at the university of Ekaterinburg...
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In Moscow Coenen has become inspired by the heroic wall paintings, mosaics and lavish decorations in the Moscow subway stations. It has inspired him to develop an up-date of the heroism of the former Soviet Union for contemporary Russia. The iconographic update of the heroes of the new Russians has brought him on a tour to St. Petersburg with one of Holland's most renown free-fighters, who challenged Russian free fighters on their native soil. The images of the free-fight spectacle in St. Petersburg, the fighters as heroes, the audience, the organisers, their exuberant following have been extensively documented by Coenen, with the help of artist Klaartje Pander, on video and in photography. With this material he developed an iconographic cycle of digitally processed and reworked images depicting the 'Heroes of the new Russians'.
In Amsterdam and Ekaterinburg this cycle is displayed as a series of large size digital outdoor prints. In Amsterdam the cycle is installed at Train and Metro station "Bijlmer". In Ekaterinburg the cycle is hung in one of the main walkways of the university. One image, depicting the crowd at the St. Petersburg cage fight is lifted out of context and transformed into a larger than life outdoor mosaic, now permanently on the wall of one of Ekaterinburg University's main buildings.
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