Sergey Shnurov is a scandalous and insanely popular person recently. Together with the Leningrad group, he releases hits, his controversial videos are watched by millions, and every third sings songs. Who would have thought that Sergei Shnurov is painting ?
Cord childhood and youth
The leader of the Leningrad group was born and raised in St. Petersburg in a family of engineers. From an early age, Shnurov was a fan of the luminaries of Russian rock - Shevchuk, the groups "Cinema", "Secret", "Zero", and later became a fan of Western rock musicians. After school, Sergei Shnurov entered the Civil Engineering Institute in his hometown, but did not graduate. In the early 90s, he studied at the Art and Restoration Lyceum and in the theological seminary. After graduation, he changed professions: he was a watchman in a kindergarten, made fencing for graves, which he said he liked very much, was a designer at an advertising agency and a PR director at a St. Petersburg radio station.
Musical creativity
Since the beginning of the 90s, Sergei Shnurov began working on musical projects. His first group, created in 1991, was called "Alkorepitsa" and performed compositions in the style of hardcore rap. A few years later the team broke up, but a new one appeared - “Van Gogh's Ear”, the style of which resembled electronic pop music.
The Leningrad group was born in 1997. It all started with a joke - friends just gathered to play different instruments. Suddenly it turned out fun and hooligan, and after the first concert in the club the group was a success. In the group at different times there were from 8 to 15 participants, and they called the chosen musical style “alcohol ska-punk”.
A popular group releases albums, changes soloists, disintegrates and reunites, but it has one thing in common - Shnurov's bright personality. He acts in films on secondary roles and in the role of a cameo, leads television programs, starred in TV shows, but few know that Sergey Shnurov writes paintings.
The first exhibition in Moscow
Sergey Shnurov began painting in the mid-90s, apparently, he did not have much fame as a musician and actor. Picturesque paintings were exhibited in St. Petersburg. For the first time in the capital, his works were shown to the public in 2010 in the FineArt gallery, which was facilitated by Sergei's friend, artist Dmitry Shorin. The exhibition was called "Brandrealism Exclusive" and presented to the public 8 paintings of the musician. According to Sergey, the gallery is small, so how many paintings fit there - so much he put up.
Later, Sergei Shnurov exhibited his paintings in many Russian galleries that are engaged in contemporary art. The cost of one picture of the leader of the Leningrad group, according to various sources, is about 30 thousand dollars or euros. In any case, the price level is understandable, and the truth is somewhere nearby.
Pictures of Sergey Shnurov - photo with names
In each picture you can find and recognize either a symbol or a projection of a popular brand (from oil to religion). The paintings of Sergei Shnurov (photo - below) are quite diverse and provocative. The painting "Act", which shows the coitus of two bodies, or "Do not steal", which depicts a kitten crushed to death by the refrigerator of the Bosch company. It is worth noting that the size of the paintings is significant, Sergey signs and dates his works.
Shnurov’s parody paintings “At the Hermitage” are also presented at exhibitions, for example, this is an imitation of famous artists, in a particular case, Matisse, and the black rectangle at the bottom of the picture is a kind of “hello” to Kazimir Malevich with his “Black Square”.
"Road to Country M" is a path leading to the horizon in the middle of a red field. A bright cloud or a ball of smoke hangs in the sky. In any case, it is difficult enough not to recognize the reference to the brand of cigarettes in the picture. The brand is recognizable, as on most canvases of the Cord.
The painting “Oil” is a panorama of Vasilievsky Island in St. Petersburg, torches in columns burn on the sides, and the water is black due to the presence of oil in it, or it is oil. An aging moon in the sky is accompanied by a lone star - an obvious reference to the Arab countries, which have a significant reserve of black gold.
Expert opinion
Art historians agreed that Sergey Shnurov is painting, the style of which can be called "brand realism." Shnurov himself invented and named this style. It is characteristic of brand realism that brand, trademark, and not a person with his experiences come first. In the modern world, worship of any trademarks is, unfortunately, quite widespread. Sergei Shnurov in his usual manner ridicules this feature of people and says that he himself is a brand.
Creative plans
Now the leader of Leningrad is preparing for the opening of a personal exhibition in his native St. Petersburg. According to preliminary information, the venue of the exposition is the Erarta Museum of Modern Art, the exhibition will run from February 3 to April 9, 2017. Shnurov planned to open the exhibition in the summer of 2016, but for unknown reasons, the opening of the exhibition was postponed to the winter of 2017. The working title of the exhibition is “Retrospective of Brand Realism”. At the moment, in the Erarta Museum you can see Shnurov’s picture “Shirt”, which depicts a bright yellow product of a famous brand.
Representatives of the museum say that the content of the exposition has not yet been determined definitively. According to rumors, in addition to paintings, Sergei Shnurov will present other objects of his work. It is believed that the exhibition will be dedicated not only to Shnurov, but also to the history and work of his group "Leningrad".