Alexander Ponomarev
Alexander Ponomarev (b. 1957) is a Russian artist who lives and works in Moscow. A nautical engineer and a practiced submariner, Ponomarev uses experiences obtained from his travels to the depths of oceans and across arctic terrains as a lens through which to view the world. He primarily explores the symbiotic relationship between man and machine. In both his multimedia installations and works on paper, the artist emphasizes the human imagination as a component in the creation of machines; much like Da Vinci’s flying machine sketches, they collapse the difference between technology and art in order to encourage the production of machines for constructive, pleasurable discovery rather than destructive, militaristic purposes. Ponomarev has staged performances in Northern European seas that draw from Alan Kaprow’s Happenings. His works are notably influenced by the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark, and its theme of humanity’s dependence on a vessel to save them.
“Since 1996 I have been evolving the idea of ‘wreck art,’ the art of perished ships, because I have the persistent feeling that our situation is hopeless…”
MoreExhibitions
- APRIL 30 - JUNE 12, 2016
Stored in Ice
- March 3 - March 29, 2015
Sinthome
Elsewhere
- MARCH 27 - APRIL 5, 2017
Antarctic Biennale
Antarctica - March 2 - March 31, 2016
Marrakech Biennale: Voice in the Wilderness
Marrakesh, Morocco - October 1 - November 15, 2015
Ventruviansky man
Pushkin Museum - May 9 - November 22, 2015
CONCORDIA
56th Venice Biennale
A Boat Full of Artists Made Art All the Way to Antarctica
Antarctica in the 21st century is something of a paradox. This most forbidding of places is fragile, dissolving as we watch—and more susceptible than ever to invasion. Visitors to the region are made to vacuum their outerwear and inspect their…
The Art Newspaper: Finding Nemo in the Antarctic
A group of refreshingly crazy artists and scientists – and the chief executive of The Art Newspaper – will venture to the ends of the earth in 2017 for the first Antarctic Biennale. Anna Somers Cocks, our founding editor and…
Observer: Weekend Edition: 10 Things to Do in New York’s Art World Before May 2
Opening: “Alexander Ponomarev: Stored in Ice” at Richard Taittinger Gallery a multidisciplinary Russian artist and former sailor who has had a lifelong fascination with the sea, Alexander Ponomarev presents two large-scale installations and a selection of drawings in his first…
ARTnews: 9 Events to Attend in New York City This Week
Friday, April 29 Opening:Alexander Ponomarev at Richard Taittinger Gallery Water is the subject in Alexander Ponomarev’s latest show, “Stored in Ice,” at Richard Taittinger. Or rather, ice is. The exhibition, which features installations as well as drawings, examines the Russian…
Luxury Listings: Wealthy tourists are hot for icy Antarctica
The rich are tired of the crowds in Venice. In fact, they are paying top dollar to avoid civilization altogether. That’s thanks to a number of luxury tours of Antarctica that have sprung up in the last few years, catering…
Attractions Management: Antarctica to host floating Biennale in 2017
An exhibition of contemporary art is being planned for one of the world’s most remote locations – Antarctica. Due to launch 27 March 2017, the Antarctic Biennale will feature around 100 artists and scientists who will travel for 12 days…
The Art Newspaper: Art among the penguins: inaugural Antarctic Biennale to launch next year
The first Antarctic Biennale – an exhibition of contemporary art in one of the most remote places on the planet – is due to launch next spring, the organisers say. Around 100 artists and scientists will travel for 12 days…
Observer: Swiss Officials Seize Modigliani, Artist Deported After Destroying Passport – and More
Swiss officials seized the Modigliani painting that the Panama Papers revealed belongs to the Nahmad family of art dealers. The Nazi-looted painting Seated Man with a Cane was seized by prosecutors following a raid on the Geneva freeport. Artist Oscar…
Cultivating Culture: Antarctica Gets Its First Art Exhibition
You can see art almost anywhere these days, like abandoned subway stations in the dead of night. You can also see art of all kinds, like cats upon cats upon cats. And now you can see art in a place…
Blouin ArtInfo: Ira Converts Saddam Hussein’s Palace into Museum, New Biennial on the South Pole, and More
Saddam Hussein’s Palace Is Turning into a Museum: The Iraqi government is converting Saddam Hussein’s former palace in Basra into a museum – the first new museum in the country since the invasion in 2003. When it opens its doors…