Georgy Ostretsov is a Russian artist and performer. Ostretsov represented Russia during the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009.
Biography
Georgy ‘Gosha’ Ostretsov was born in Moscow in 1967 into the family of art critic Liudmila Ostretsova and artist . In 1981–1985 Gosha studied at the theater art school of the Bolshoi Theater. He joined the Detsky Sad group of avant-garde artists in 1984 along with Georgy Litichevsky, Andrei Roiter, German Vinogradov and Nikolai Filatov. In 1985, Ostretsov also joined the Novye Khudozhniki group in Leningrad, which also included Timur Novikov, Oleg Kotelnikov, Sergei Bugayev-Africa, Ivan Sotnikov and other artists. In 1988 Ostretsov went to Paris, France, where he worked in the fashion industry and advertising. There he took up theology and iconography, which had a distinct influence on his subsequent works. While doing a project called Personal Superhero in 1996, Ostretsov met French gallerist Emmanuel Javogue, who introduced him to the Paris artistic community. In 1998 Gosha Ostretsov brought his Personal Superhero to the Second International Photobiennale in Moscow, and decided to stay in Russia. In 1999 he created a major new project, New Government, which made its debut appearance at the Marat Guelman gallery. The New Government ideas and characters were further developed in Ostretsov's other works. Gosha Ostretsov married Liudmila Konstantinova, a Moscow artist, in 2007. They have four children. In 2010, he created an association of contemporary artists called VGLAZ. The group includes Georgy Litichevsky, Liudmila Konstantinova, Olga Bozhko, Dmitry Bulnygin, Irina Korina, Natalya Struchkova, Ivan Tuzov, the EliKuka group, and many others. VGLAZ and Artika project Company are working on a project of public studios designed to help artists. Ostretsov' installations illustrate his imaginary world of antiutopia in a combination of painting, drawing and sculpture, as well as literary texts and graphic novels.
Selected solo exhibitions
2016 I’ve Been Abducted Hundred Times. Triangle Gallery. Moscow 2014 Autotrans NP. Art-center "Zarya". Vladivostok. 2010 Love for electricity. TMproject gallery. Geneva 2009The Adventures of Robin Hood, Paradise Row. London 2009 Personal project during the 53rd Venice Biennale. 2008Dead Souls, Triumph Gallery. Moscow 2007 Salon Beaute, Rabouan-Moussion Gallery. Paris 2007 Under repair. Moscow museum of contemporary art. Moscow 2000 New Government one-man exhibition, Marat Guelman Gallery. Moscow 2000 Visitor one-man exhibition, Marble Palace. St. Petersburg
Selected group exhibitions
2015 Pink box, Erarta Museum. St-Petersbourg 2014 Contemporary paint. State Russian museum. St-Petersbourg 2014 Reconstruction-2. Cultural found "Ekaterina". Moscow 2012 Gaiety Is The Most Outstanding Feature of the Soviet Union, Saatchi Gallery. London 2010 Russian landscape. Marat Gelman gallery. Moscow. 2009 VROOM! La Maison Rouge. Paris. 2008Sots Art / Political Art in Russia from 1972 to today. La Maison Rouge. Paris. 2007 2nd Moscow Biennial Exhibition of Modern Art, "Sots-Art", Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. 2005 Participation in a group exhibition within the 1st Moscow Biennial Exhibition of Modern Art, "Soobshchniki", Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. 2005 "George&George" exhibition "In process", paintings, video. State Center of Modern Art, Moscow.
