TOTART: Natalia Abalakova & Anatoly Zhigalov

Actions, performances. Installations

1960-61 - Performances with Fire (A. Zhigalov)

1960 A. Zhigalov. Composition. Cardboard, nitroethane

Middle 1960-s - Project of real estate purchasing: to buy abandoned izbas all over Russia as a way of journey to East (as far as Vladivostok) or to West (as far as Kaliningrad). (A. Zhigalov)

1972 - Purchasing of the house (Dom) in village Pogorelovo in Kostroma region. Beginning of lifelong project “The HOUSE”

1972 - Project of the falling bed.

1978-79 - The beginning of the Project “Explorations into the Essence of Art as applied to Life & Art”.

“Winter projects” and others.

1979 - 1980 –

• White Light – Black Light. Project. Diptych. (Art festival “Light”. Avignon, France)
• Projects of Space Construction
• Projects of Ideal Space Construction and Communication Experiments in this Space. (Art festival “Le Temps qui court”. France)

1980 -

• Burial of the Flower. Authors’ home. Moscow
• The Solstice. Outdoor action. Moscow
• White Cube. Performance. Authors’ home. Moscow
• Dedicated to Prague. Performance. Unofficial festival of performances. Prague, Czechoslovakia
• Black Cube. Performance. Authors’ home. Moscow.
• Snow. Outdoor performance. Moscow

1981 -

• Operation “House”. 1st Festival of Performances. Pogorelovo, Kostroma Region”. May, 26 – June, 4
  • The Ladder. Performance.
  • The Last Action. Performance
  • 2.VI.81 (House). Photoaction
  • Excursion party. Action
  • Lalay’s Izba. Photo
  • Lalay. Photoaction
  • Birth. Photoaction
  • Black Sculptures. Installation
  • Meeting. Performance
  • On the Ladder. Happening
  • Black Room (Howling Darkness). Happening
  • Dedication to Lalay. Live sculpture
• “Exploration of the Square” series (as above)
  • The School of Arts. Live sculptures
  • Black square. Live sculptures
  • Illumination of Square (A well). A candle in a glass can, filled with plaster of Paris, rope, fire.
  • Porch. Live sculpture.
  • Dung square. Founded object.
• Chair on the Bridge
• Appearance of pregnant Natalia. Moscow
• Our Best Oeuvre (the birth of Eva 12 Aug. 1981)

1982 -

• Our Anthill. Performances/installations/environments. Piligino, Novgorod Region
• Commandant’s Series (1982-1985). Moscow
  • My latest work. Text 1
  • Art Cubed. Text 2
  • Project of digging a channel which will divide Russia into two parts, European and Asiatic. Text 3
  • Cube of Art or Reservation of Art. Text 4
  • Cinema "Avant garde". Text 5
  • “Avant garde Alley” Foundation Subbotnik. Action. Moscow
  • Subbotnik Poster
• Exploration of the Circle series
  • An Attempt to Melt Snow, or A Point of Counting. Action.
  • Outlined, or Pissed Circle. Action.
  • The Blood Circle. Action.
  • 20 cm of Earth's Circumference. Object
  • Сover-up. Collective action.
  • Vicious Circle. Project
  • Broken Circle. Project
  • Highway Circular. Photo
  • «Highway Circular». Painting
  • Study group (Circle). Photo
  • Magic Circle, or Complete Misunderstanding (Mutual Responsibility). Text
  • Scorched (Circle of) Earth. Photo
  • Circles on Water. Photo.
  • «About Face!» Text
• APTART exhibition. Moscow.
• Retro -1. Installation/Performance. APTART gallery. Moscow.

1983 -

• Kitchen of Russian Art. Installation. Authors’ home. Moscow
• Work. S. Sokhranskaya’s studio. Moscow.
• The Rope. Project for exhibition in Paris.
• To the lovers of Art. Project for exhibition in Paris.
• Take care of Art. Installation/performance. APTART event “APTART in Nature”. Kalistovo, Moscow region.
• Sunflower seed. Performance. APTART event “Victory over the Sun”. APTART gallery. Moscow.
• Window-1. TOTART performance. “APTART under the fence” event. Tarasovka, Moscow region.
• Window 2. Courtyard of S. Sokhranskaya’s and I.Makarevich’s studio. Moscow.
• Purification. Actions. Moscow.

1984 -

• Praesence, praesence. S. sokhranskaya’s studio. Moscow.
• Disputeart I. As above.
• Invitation in May. Authors’ home. Moscow.
• Avantgarde Sign. Musical performance. (Svetlana Golybina, Valentina Gontcharova, Sergey Letov). Authors home. Moscow.
• The rope. Action. Tartu (The museum and streets).
• Absence-presence (Window 3). “Le Vivant et l’Artificiele”. Avignon, France.
• The King-Bell & the King-Gun. Installation. Texts. Artist’s flat. Moscow.
• The floor-polishing. Performance. As above.
• Terrorart (attempt of forced art over Yu. Albert). Authors’ home, Moscow.

1985 -

• In such a cold weather Art is impossible. Orekhovo-Borisovo, Moscow.
• Dispute 2. S. Sokhranskaya’s studio, Moscow.
• The golden ladder. Sokhransky’s studio. Moscow.
• 1-st festival of Soviet underground cinema. As above.
• 16 Self-Identifications (The Gold Room). Authors’ home. Moscow. Movie 16 mm 20 minutes.
• Rubbish graphics. Action. Central Artists’ House. Moscow.
• The scene bandaged. Art festival. Moscow.
• Mail-Art (Potchart). TOTART action and 1st exhibition of Soviet mail-art. Artists' flat. Moscow.
• Golden Sunday. Moscow.
• The partisans. Artist’s flat. Moscow.
• Russian roulette. As above.

1986 -

• The Social Action. Attempts at foundation of Contemporary Art Center.
• It’s the real thing (The Red Room). Authors’ home. Moscow.
• The wheel. Film-performance. Moscow.
• Even watch. Artist’s flat. Moscow.
• Art’s decline Myth (The Red Room). MOGKH. Moscow.
• I and You. Installation. The Youth House. Leningrad. (The banned exhibition.)
• Pure Art. Avantgarde Club action “Art against commerce”. Bitza park. Moscow.

1987 -

• Classic TOTART-object (The Gold Axe). “Object I”. MOGKH. Moscow.
• The Art Center Project Burial. Avantgarde Club event “The show in hell”. Moscow.
• A cause to acquaintance. Installation. “Exhibition in Harbour”. Leningrad.

1988 -

• Moscow-Paris-Moscow. Video-performance by Abalakova-Zhigalov-Sekal. Paris, France.
• The Project exhumed. Action in Avantgarde Club “Exhumation” action. Moscow.

1989 -

• Listen to the Earth! Action/Object. Earphones worked into earth.
• A project of “Syringe” fountain and Russian bath for "Water" exhibition in La Villette. Paris.
• Work II. Performance festival. Poznan. Poland.
• Naked performance. Avantgarde Club event. The Sandunovsky Baths male department. Moscow.
• «Natalia Abalakova and Anatoly Zhigalov . Works 1960 -1989». New beginnings. Third Eye gallery. Glasgow, UK
• Rest in Peace, dear! Object
• A Project of installation for Edinburgh gallery. Unrealized.

1990 -

• A Project of installation for Marseille Biennale.
• TOTART. N. Abalakova & A. Zhigalov. Works 1960-1990. (Glasgow-Moscow). “Sadovniky” gallery. Moscow
• My God, what does it all mean? Installation. Exhibition «TOTART. N. Abalakova and A. Zhigalov. 1960-1990 (Glasgow-Moscow)». "Sadovniky" gallery. Moscow.
• Russian Rose. Object
• The Black Glove. Object
• Contemplating the Gold Axe. Venue as above.
• Performances series. Workshop “Der Weg”. Bergen-Binz. Germany.
  • Keeping Watch
  • Footprints I
  • Footprints II
  • Da Sein
  • Ostsee Pebbles
• The Spectre of Freedom. “Totalytna zona”. Art festival. Prague, Czechoslovakia.

1991 -

• “Journey to the End of D.” (New works 1990-91). “Sadovniky” Gallery. Moscow
• An Occasion for Acquaintance. Videoperformance. “3rd meeting of Vision and Image Theatre”. Kàtowice, Poland.
• “TOTART. Natalia Abalakova and Anatoly Zhigalov. 1960-1991”. Central Art Hall “Manege”. St.-Petersburg.
• White nights. Object
• White nights. Installation.

1992 -

• A Project of installation for Marseille Biennale.
• The Stone Gates (The Watchmen of the Stone Gates are alert). European Project "Gateway", Portsmouth, UK
• THE GAME. Performance/installation. The "Gateway" European project. "Aspex" gallery. Portsmouth.

1993 -

• Ave, Eva. Installation. CCA. Moscow.
• The Unknowable leaves its trace in unpredictable consequences. Installation. L-gallery. Moscow.

1994 -

• The Gold W.C. Pan. Videoinstallation
• Skipping-rope. Action. Moskva swimming pool. Moscow
• The North Wind. Festival of Performances. “Sadovniky” gallery. Moscow.
• Canal+. Russian Videoart-Mailart. Paris, France.
• 21 fingers in the Artists Life. “Free culture” Humanity Foundation. “21”gallery. St. Petersburg.

1995 -

• The Classics. “The Artist and New Technologies” (seminar). Pereslav-Zalessky.
• The North wind. Videoperformance. “Free culture” Humanity Foundation. “21”gallery. St. Petersburg.
• Nordwind. Performance/videoinstallation. Kunstraum. Wuppertal. Germany.

1996 -

• Place of the Artist. Videoperformance. “Free culture” Humanity Foundation. “21” gallery. St. Petersburg.
• Garden of Smiles. “Spider & Mouse”gallery. Moscow.

1997 -

• To have a little patience - and all'll be OK. Videoinstallation. “Free culture” Humanity Foundation. ”21” gallery. St.-Petersburg.
• To have a little patience and all'll be OK. Videoinstallation. "Free Culture" Humanity Foundation. "21" gallery. St.-Petersburg. 1997-98 "Spider & Mouse" gallery. Moscow
• Date unconcealed. Performance. “Spider & Mouse” gallery. Moscow (N. Abalakova)
• Footprints. Performance. “Spider & Mouse” gallery. Moscow (A. Zhigalov)
• The Foucault Pendula. Polyscreen videoinstallation. “KUKART III”art festival. Tzarskoie Selo.
• The doors. Venue as above.

1998 -

• The North Wind. Videoinstallation. Art Media Centre “TV gallery”. Moscow.
• Place of the Artist. Videoinstallation. Art Media Centre “TV gallery”. Moscow.
• In such a cold weather Art is impossible, but if to have a little patience... Performance. “Spider & Mouse” gallery. Moscow.

1999 -

• 21 fingers in the Artists Life. Installation/ performance. “Spider & Mouse”gallery. Moscow.
• Bloom’s Day, or body of love melting in sweet creative labours. Installation
• Wire Brush Universal. Object/Installation

2000 -

• Four Columns of Vigilance (11 verbs). Videoinstallation. “Manage”. Moscow

2001 -

• Operation “House-2” (D-DAY). Videoinstallation
• God’s Gift. Single-channel video.

2002 -

• Footprints. Voices. Places. Videoinstallation. (Graphics, photos, 2 videofilms)
• Fatherland/Motherland. Photoinstallation. VII Moscow international forum of art initiatives. Novy Manezh. Moscow

2003 -

• Action! (Chairs). Performance.
• Exploration into the Essence of Art as applied to Life&Art. Photo. VIII Moscow international forum of art initiatives. Novy Manezh. Moscow

2004 -

• ParadiZoo. Photoaction. Single-channel video. IX Moscow international forum of art initiatives. Novy Manezh. Moscow
• Golden Law (Classic TOTART-OBJECT-2). Object. Action

2005 -

• Panel Discussion. Installation. X Moscow international forum of art initiatives. Novy Manezh. Moscow

2006 -

• Europe/Asia. Photoaction. XI Moscow international forum of art initiatives. Novy Manezh. Moscow
• The games of Water, Dreams and Fire. 3-channels video. 15 min.

2007

• Shadow (N.Abalakova)
• «Kataptron (Mirror’s view)» II Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art. Special project. Museum Centre, Russian State University for Humanities (RSUH), Moscow

2009

• Games of Water, Dreams and Fire
  Video sculpture. Three-channel video installation. New version 15’’ (Single-channel video version). «Sea level». II International Festival of Independent Art devoted to 20-th anniversary of Pushkinskaia 10, S.-Petersburg
• The Golden Sunday
  Remake of the TOTART action of 1985 by artists-volunteers and video installation. “Gold for People”. IX International Bienniale of Contemporary Art “Dialogues”, S.-Petersburg Invulnerability of Vulnerability
• Photo triptych 300х75 (N.Abalakova). «Vulnarability», RSHU Museum Centre. III Moscow biennale of Contemporary Art. Special project
• North wind 2009
  Authors’ remake. «Moscow. Tsum. Spatial liturgy №3». III Moscow biennale of Contemporary Art. Special project
• Foucault’s Pendulum
  Single-channel video version
• Four Columns of Vigilance
  Single-channel video version
  

2010   

• It is! Street action. Infrastructure. Alternative festival of young artists "Go! Where do you go?" Moscow           
• A Crack. Action. Pogorelovo 

2011   

• 4 Columns of Vigilance, 6-channel videoinstallation. «Expanded Cinema». XII Mediaforum, 33 International Moscow Cine Festival. MMOMA, Moscow (Catalogue)
• The Golden Sunday. Remake of the TOTART action of 1985 by the art-group ZIP, StreetArt Festival "May be", Krasnodar

2013

• Underground Printing-house. Performance. The Artists' Zoo. 7 days, "The Salt" gallery. V International Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art. Parallel programm
• Melancholy Bakunin project

2015     

• "Eight Poppies in the Garden of History" and "Melancholy of Bakunin". 10-channel videoinstallationand and mixed media installation. Village of Pogorelovo in Kostroma region.

MOSCOW CONCEPTUALISM