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Filipp Groubnov (1995) has a background in science: he studied physics. These influences are reflected in his artistic work. His installations combine a wide variety of elements, including sculptures, videos, data streams, of sometimes also plants or other natural phenomena. Similar to in physics experiments, the individual components interact with each other and the results are never completely determined beforehand.
This also applies to The New Men (2024), which is shown at Prospects. This installation consists of a plexiglass sphere with analogue televisions placed inside it, aluminium silhouettes based on a Soviet monument honouring cosmonauts, speakers, and LED screens displaying a science fiction story. The twists and turns in the narrative are generated live by artificial intelligence, based on signals received by antennas in the installation.
Groubnov was born in Belarus, not long after the fall of the Soviet Union. Traces of the Soviet age, such as monuments and buildings, could be found everywhere during his childhood. He is interested in what he likes to refer to as ‘Soviet techno-utopianism’: the concept that technological developments, including space travel, could lead to the ideal communist world. This concept has remained relevant to this day. After all, the influence of technology on our lives continues to grow and our faith in technological advancement has never been stronger. In his installation Groubnov sets off the concept of techno-utopianism against a mysterious cosmic signal bridging many lightyears. Rather than being intercepted by the newest technology, however, it is received by the antennas of analogue televisions.
Tekst: Sarah van Binsbergen
Translated from Dutch by Marie Louise Schoondergang (The Art of Translation)