Russian artist, Petr Davydtchenko, presents new work documenting three years surviving solely on roadkill: Reflecting on new economic models, the artist comments on the influence of cryptocurrency in his practice.
a/political presents Millennium Worm, a solo exhibition by artist Petr Davydtchenko opening at Palazzo Lucarini Contemporary, Trevi on the 16 March 2019. For the exhibition Davydtchenko will unveil a multimedia site-specific installation, the first of its kind since he began living exclusively on a diet of animals killed on the road. The artist’s daily routine includes cycling along roads to scavenge for dead animals; eating only the meat of roadkill, scraping carcasses to repurpose into food, blankets and soap. Rather than being in opposition to the current system, he offers an alternative, semi-autonomous and nongoverned way of life.
Influenced by the biggest disruptive advancement to the economy since the 2008 crash, Davydtchenko comments on his practice, “I live like a token in the crypto-ecosystem. Decentralised, semi-autonomous and not governed by past hierarchies.” He lives on the fringes of the global economic system, completely offgrid and politically non-aligned with the far right or far left. To challenge the hysteria of the metropolis, Davydtchenko relocated from London to Maubourguet, a post-industrial village in the south of France, in 2015. The artist established a life living as a ‘virus’, exploiting the agricultural ecosystem as a parasite dependent on its waste. Through his practice, Davydtchenko translates economic models into a new form of existence – bridging art and life.
During the exhibition, the artist will reside at Palazzo Lucarini – a cultural institution situated in central Italy, committed to promoting the culture of modernity – building his own environment from found and bartered utilitarian materials. The minimalist structure is a shelter and an archive, revealing his daily condition through process, form, animal skins, videos and objects.
Petr Davydtchenko was born in modern Sarov (previously known as Arzamas-16) – a closed military town in Russia in 1986. Growing up in St. Petersburg he experienced the hostility of far-right groups before moving to Europe where he developed a practice that reinterpreted social codes through totalitarian aesthetics. His archival practice has developed into an ideological case study, used by interdisciplinary academics theorising an alternative socio-economic reality. Next year Davydtchenko will open a pop-up restaurant, using the skills he has developed over the past three years. “I will work towards Michelin Stars. I think the public will be surprised at what I can bring from the road to the table.”
______________________________
VENUE:
Palazzo Lucarini – Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea via Beato Placido Riccardi, 06039 TREVI (Pg), Italy T. +39 0742 38 10 21 www.palazzolucarini.it
Curated by Prof. Maurizio Coccia. Opening 16th March 2019 – 6.30pm 17.03.2019 – 05.05.2019
NOTES TO EDITORS: For press enquiries or images, please contact Scott & Co: charlotte@scott-andco.com, +44 (0) 20 3487 0077
______________________________
Petr Davydtchenko (1986) was born in Arzamas-16 – a closed military town in Russia. Davydtchenko holds a BA in Fine Arts from the Konstfack University College of Arts in Stockholm and a Masters in Sculpture from the Royal College of Art in London. He exhibited at the 5th Moscow International Biennial for Young Art, where he received critical acclaim for his Accession work, later acquired by NCCA in Moscow. In 2017 he was nominated for the Kandinsky Prize. Petr Davydtchenko is the protagonist of Autonomous an upcoming feature length documentary film directed by Ian Henry, to be released spring 2019.
a/political prioritises intellectual curiosity and informed discourse around social and political concerns through contemporary art and cultural practices. It encourages the exploration of radical knowledge, platforming voices that interrogate the critical issues and dominant narratives of our time. Through rigorous cross-disciplinary experimentation, a/political collaborates on large-scale projects previously thought unreasonable due to their scale, logistical complexity and/or subject matter. Projects are produced, exhibited and toured worldwide. In addition to the long-term project, a/political continues to acquire historical artworks for its collection.
The Foundry opened as a workshop and laboratory for ideas beyond the parameters of the contemporary art market. Located in Maubourguet, west of Toulouse, The Foundry is situated 50 kilometres from the Pyrenees mountain range and covers an area of over 4,500 m2. Founded in 1870 by Jules Fabre, the iron foundry mobilised during the First World War to produce armaments and military equipment for the National Defence. After the war, an international immigrant community developed as individuals emigrated from the fascist regimes of Franco and Mussolini to work together under a shared identity and ideology. Recently converted into a site of artistic production, artists live and work there communally.
Palazzo Lucarini Contemporary is a center for Contemporary Art with the aim of producing, promoting and spreading art and the culture of modernity in its many manifestations. The Municipality of Trevi grants the building to the non-profit Cultural Association Palazzo Lucarini Contemporary which, founded in January 2007 following the dissolution of the Trevi Flash Art Museum, plays a role of observatory and promotion of the contemporary.
Prof. Maurizio Coccia graduated in History of Art Criticism at the University of Parma. From 2003 to 2006 he was Director of the Trevi Flash Art Museum. Now he is Director of the Center for Contemporary Art Palazzo Lucarini di Trevi. He is an independent critic and curator; consultant of numerous institutions for public art, architecture, museum education. He teaches History of Contemporary Art and History of Art Criticism at the Academy of Fine Arts in L’Aquila. He is part of the Steering Committee of the magazine Parol – Quaderni d’arte and of epistemology. For Aracne Editore he published An Unrequited Revolution (2014) and Cesare Cesariano. Recomposition of a critical problem (2015). His texts are published in miscellaneous volumes edited by Gangemi, Gli Ori, Postmedia Books and others. In 2016 he was part of the Scientific Committee that curated the Italian Pavilion for the Architecture Biennale in Venice.