Contemporary Textiles of Saint-Petersburg. Their Own Way

Abstract

This article is an overview of the situation in the art of the West European and Russian textile, exemplifi ed by the works of St. Petersburg artists. The crisis of ideas, the oversimplifi cation of the technique and the loss of sophisticated technologies, a work of decorative applied art turned into an art object or — the other extreme — into a souvenir product — all these features distinguish the contemporary European and American textile. The example of Russian, and in particular, St. Petersburg artists, such as Tatiana Sklyarenko, Elena Tkachenko, Aleksandra Yakunicheva, Nadezhda Olennik, Elena Shnaider, and others, can be seen as an alternative way out of the crisis. Relying on the old school tradition of combining the high professional excellence, the ideas, aesthetics and verve of the fine (primarily, of the monumental) art, and the language of the decorative art, these artists create most sophisticated and unique techniques and methods and are constantly in search of new materials and ways of exhibiting their work. They address such an issue which is topical for the modern international community as ecology. Another topical issue that fi nds a unique resolution in the works of St. Petersburg artists is the interaction and synthesis of diff erent art forms and genres. The art of Elena Tkachenko is an example of an amazing combination of contemporary conceptual art forms, fashion and high professional fi ne art. Yet what distinguishes the art of St. Petersburg artists most is retaining of the criteria of the high art in the modern world.