Ivan Germanovich Novozhenov
Born in Moscow in 1948. Studied at MVHPU (formerly Stroganov Academy). Painter, graphic artist, author of numerous projects, performances, and actions. Curator of the Art Laboratory "Dominanta." Member of the Professional and Creative Union of Artists and Graphic Artists (since 1977), the Moscow Union of Artists (since 1996), and the International Art Foundation (since 1996). Participant in more than 200 exhibitions in Russia and abroad. First exhibition was an apartment show in 1972 in Moscow on Bakuninskaya Street. Since 1972, he has been a regular participant in exhibitions at the City Committee of Graphic Artists on Malaya Gruzinskaya Street. Together with Tatyana Nedzvetskaya, he organized the "Dominanta" gallery (1994), which was transformed into an Art Laboratory in 1997.
Works in collections
Works are in private collections in Russia, Ukraine, Austria, Germany, USA, Portugal, and Poland.
Exhibitions and auctions
1972 Personal apartment exhibition on Bakuninskaya Street, Moscow;
Since 1978, regular participant in exhibitions at the City Committee of Graphic Artists on Malaya Gruzinskaya Street, Member of group "21+?" Moscow (catalogue);
1979–1983 International Art Exhibition "Time, Space, Man". Moscow—Kiev—Odessa—Tallinn—Tartu—Riga—Vilnius—Kaunas—Lviv—Petrozavodsk—Baikonur—Tashkent—Alma-Ata—Frunze—Novosibirsk (catalogue);
1982 Exhibition of Four Artists in the city of Chekhov, near Moscow;
1984 Exhibition at the Soviet Peace Fund. Moscow (catalogue);
1986 Personal exhibition. Korosten, Ukraine;
1986 Personal exhibition. Zelenograd, Moscow;
1988 "Russian Avant-Garde of the Beginning of the Century from the Collections of the Moscow Collectors Club and Artists of the 80s." Soviet Culture Fund, Moscow (booklet);
1988 "Labyrinth." Moscow Youth Palace;
1989 "Labyrinth. New Art from Moscow." Warsaw—Katowice—Hamburg—Hanover (catalogue);
1989 Hauswedell & Nolte Auction. Hamburg (catalogue);
1990 Sovavangard Art Gallery. Moscow—Vienna—New York (catalogue);
1991 "Art-Myth." Manege, Moscow (catalogue);
1991 1st "Golden Brush" Exhibition. Laureate. Central House of Artists, Moscow;
1991 "From Nicholas II to Gorbachev." Lisbon (catalogue);
1991 "Space and Spirit." Exhibition at the IX European Congress of Neurosurgery. Moscow (catalogue);
1992 Exhibition in Porto, Portugal;
1994 Personal exhibition. Central House of Artists, Moscow (album);
1994 Curator of the "Steb-Art" exhibition. 12 Moscow artists and Salvador Dali. "Dominanta" Gallery. Central House of Artists, Moscow;
1994 Gordana Loncar Fine Art Gallery. Philadelphia, USA;
1994 "20 years of the Bulldozer Exhibit." Moscow (catalogue);
1995 Ivan Novozhenov—Boris Bich. "Geometry of Camouflage Jungles." Project "Pro et Contra." Yuneia Gallery, Moscow;
1995 "20 Years Later" (Feb 19–22, 1975 – Feb 19–22, 1995). Painting exhibition at the All-Russian Exhibition Center, Beekeeping Pavilion. Moscow (catalogue);
1995 Action "7 New Paintings on the Last Friday of the Month." 7 apartment exhibitions (new times – new level). Moscow;
1995 Ernst Neizvestny and Ivan Novozhenov – contemporary Russian artists. Gordana Loncar Fine Art, Philadelphia;
1996 Personal exhibition. Balloon with the pictogram "Artist and Model". Central House of Artists, "Dominanta" Gallery, Moscow (catalogue, album);
1996 Moscow Art Fair "Art Moscow." Central House of Artists (catalogue);
1996 "1000 Steps. Art Preparation." Tyumen (catalogue);
1996 "Art Manege." "Dominanta" Gallery. Yellow balloon against the background of the Kremlin wall (catalogue);
1997 Curator of the project "Initiation." Painting on walls destined for destruction. Dominanta Art Laboratory, Moscow;
1997 "Art Salon." Central Exhibition Hall "Manege", Moscow;
1997 "Moscow to Russia, Russia to Moscow." "Dominanta" together with the Moscow government and the Russian Creative Chamber. Project curator.
Author about himself
What do I have? The whole world as a whole. Canvas, brushes, and paints in particular. And—I strive with all my might to express everything I know about life, into which I have appeared, using these meager means. Any means are meager. The tightrope walker has only his body and the wire he must cross. On the left and right—death. Any means are boundless and priceless if, left and right, there is death and you are obliged with maximum attention to carry the life given to you from shore to shore. What does a violinist, director, architect have? What does a person walking along Strastnoy Boulevard have? What do I know about life in general? I know that in it, red is red, salt is salty, fire gives light, warms, and burns, the moon grows and wanes, and at dawn drunken sparrows chirp. I know that in life one wants to live, and then has to die. That it has hunger and sex, flight and aggression. That it has love and detachment. And there is responsibility without answer. That caress and tenderness, torment and suffering are different things, different qualities. Children and animals are affectionate. One has to grow to suffering and tenderness. The strangest thing is, in a world where no one has ever seen freedom and perfection, where the fall and disaster are programmed as a stimulus, there exist such concepts as freedom and beauty. In a world of chance and mistakes, there is the concept of perfection. All of us—you, me—were conceived as perfect, but "life has crippled." Now we have what we have, we must work and live with this. With what is, not with what we would like. I add: and fortunately! Otherwise—what for? Otherwise—one could have not been born, not painted one's dance, not danced one's drawing. In the present "now" I have still the same, ever anew each second, elusive whole world; myself, covered by being, and an unknown, but not infinite, number of untouched white sheets. Tabula rasa, as a field of possibilities, as a testing ground for fate options—in particular. All of us—the recorded participants of action and you, the person who sees these pictures inside yourself, behind seven seals of perception—dance above the abyss. When you remember this with your whole being, life, with its vain succession of troubles, victories, and cares, becomes piercingly beautiful and priceless. All. From and to. From shore to shore. Ivan Novozhenov.
Bibliography
Catalogs of exhibitions at the City Committee of Graphic Artists on Malaya Gruzinskaya Street, Moscow, 1978;
Catalogue of the International Art Exhibition "Time, Space, Man." Moscow-Kiev-Odessa-Tallinn-Tartu-Riga-Vilnius-Kaunas-Lviv-Petrozavodsk-Baikonur-Tashkent-Alma-Ata-Frunze-Novosibirsk, 1979-1983;
Catalogue of the exhibition at the Soviet Peace Fund. Moscow, 1984;
Booklet of the exhibition "Russian Avant-Garde of the Beginning of the Century from the Collections of the Moscow Collectors Club and Artists of the 80s." Soviet Culture Fund, Moscow, 1988;
Catalogue of the "Labyrinth" exhibition. Moscow, 1988;
Catalogue of the exhibition "Labyrinth. New Art from Moscow." Warsaw-Katowice-Hamburg-Hanover, 1989;
Catalogue of the Hauswedell & Nolte Auction. Hamburg, 1989;
Catalogue of the exhibition at Sovavangard Art Gallery. Moscow-Vienna-New York, 1990;
Catalogue "Art-Myth." Moscow, 1991;
Catalogue of the 1st "Golden Brush" exhibition. Moscow, 1991;
Catalogue of the exhibition "From Nicholas II to Gorbachev." Lisbon, 1991;
Catalogue of the exhibition at the IX European Congress of Neurosurgery. "Space and Spirit." Moscow, 1991;
Catalogue of the personal exhibition. Moscow, 1994;
Catalogue of the "20 years of the Bulldozer Exhibit." Moscow, 1994;
Catalogue of the "Geometry of Camouflage Jungles" exhibition. Moscow, 1995;
Catalogue of the "20 years later" exhibition. Moscow, 1995;
Catalogue and album of the personal exhibition Balloon with the pictogram "Artist and Model." Moscow, 1996;
Catalogue of the Moscow Art Fair "Art Moscow." Moscow, 1996;
Catalogue of the "1000 Steps. Art Preparation" exhibition. Tyumen, 1996;
4 television films (26 minutes each).
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