COLLECTION OF CHESS KOANS | ALEXANDER SOKOLOV

Solo Exhibition | LUCH Gallery
25 May – 11 August, 2024

In his work Alexander Sokolov constantly refers to the theme of the game. The exhibition is dedicated to the phenomenon of Anarchy Chess and presents a new series of paintings and objects created during the author's long journey through Asian countries.

Anarchy Chess is one of numerous variations of chess rules that appeared almost as a joke. One day a reedit user with the nickname Scurlocc suggested playing the game according to the following rules: each move is chosen according to the most popular comment, one move per day. It is not necessary to follow the rules of classic chess, so the participants try to suggest the most absurd moves. His proposal was warmly received by the community, and the new rules were given the name Anarchy Chess.

The artist believes that this phenomenon includes all previous and future changes to the rules of chess game and requires a new logic of thinking, close to the Buddhist koan*. The goal of the game is to go beyond the predetermined preset of options and move from a rational to a more intuitive point of view.

Following this idea, the artist creates the first collection of Anarchy Chess tasks, where the tasks are presented not in the form of a book, but in the form of canvases and objects. A special approach is required to solve them.

The exhibition presents sculptural figures of Alexander Sokolov's original chess Knight, which is his calling card as a street artist, a kinetic object prismatron playing hide-and-seek with the viewer, as well as eight paintings with augmented reality.

To see the virtual supplement for the paintings, you need QR to use the application with vpn enabled.

Some animated paintings are also featured on the LUCH Gallery's YouTube channel.

*Koan is a riddle or a short parable containing a problem that defies rationaly solution. In Zen Buddhism it is one of the main training methods that helps to achieve enlightenment. The main goal of a koan is to transform the practitioner's consciousness in order to overcome the framework of discursive logical thinking, originated from a dual perception of the world, and to gain an intuitive vision of reality that does not separate one's own "myself" from the surrounding "not-myself".

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Alexander Sokolov explores games and their interfaces using the optics of contemporary art. He has graduated from the Free Workshops of MMOMA and Bakstein Institute of Contemporary Art. He was a participant of the main programs of the Wroclaw Biennale of Media Art WRO, The wrong biennale nº5 and the 1st Karelian Biennale. The artist's works have been presented at the Moscow Museum of Contemporary Art, Vadim Sidur Museum, Winzavod, Fabrika, Wro Art Center, as well as at many festivals such as Ars Electronica Festival, CHEAP festival, Intervals, NUR.