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Alternative Flying Methods<\/p>\n
SCULPTURE EXHIBITION <\/strong><\/p>\n November 16-December 3, 2004<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Gallery MC is pleased to announce the New York debut exhibition of sculptor Aga Ousseinov. Fanciful and surreal yet conceptually rigorous, the central installation posits a mold-making, sculpture-making, sculpture-destroying, and sculpture-restoring machine. Elements include a dust collector, melting effects, metal armatures, an on\/off button, engines, and artworks in various stages of completion. Among the issues this ambitious installation engages are the relationship between science and art; the centuries-old debate over whether sculptors are artists or artisans; the growing importance of machine-generated fabrication in contemporary art; and the mysterious, sometimes poetic dialogue between the negative image and the positive image. Related sculptures and works on paper will also be displayed.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The sense of lightness\u2014and often humor\u2014animating this project is evident in pieces such as a relief based on a 17th-century flying machine and objects including a windmill, a stylized boat, and a submarine. Ousseinov\u2019s stylistic influences include the hieratic sculptures of\u00a0Marino Marini<\/em>, the frescoes of\u00a0Piero della Francesca<\/em> (including the visible traces of restoration in the\u00a0Arezzo Chapel<\/em> frescoes), paintings by\u00a0Cy Twombly<\/em>, and Etruscan and Cycladic household and ritual objects. Among the works integral to the installation are a head inspired by a third-century Roman portrait and \u201cfossils\u201d imprinted with images of modern machinery. Mortality is an important ingredient: a piece that the machine has just created alludes to the violent death of the filmmaker, poet, essayist, polemicist, and novelist Pier Paolo Pasolini. The materials Ousseinov uses to create these and other works are as varied and open-ended as his references: they range from wood or metal toys to the most professional artists\u2019 materials.<\/p>\n Born in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 1962, Ousseinov studied in Moscow at the prestigiousV.I. Surikov State Art Institute<\/em>. During compulsory military service at the time of the Soviet war with Afghanistan, he sculpted likenesses of Lenin and Soviet generals and other propaganda pieces\u2014a surreal experience that has played a role in shaping his approach to artmaking.<\/p>\n After completing his service he exhibited widely in Europe before relocating to New York. In the United States he has earned a living by creating theatrical sets, sculptural enlargements, and sculptural molds; restoring archaeological and architectural pieces; and creating objects for contemporary designers. These projects helped to inspire his latest work.<\/p>\n Catalogue available <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Aga Ousseinov<\/em><\/strong><\/span> is a sculptor born in Baku, Azerbaijan (USSR), in 1962. He graduated from V.I. Surikov State Art Institute<\/em><\/span> in Moscow. Since 1982 he has exhibited his works in Russia, Europe and USA. Mr. Ousseinov lives and works in New York since 1992.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nAGA OUSSEINOV<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n