The first exhibition took place in a small workshop ...

My name is Katya Shemyakina, I am an artist and curator of the art project "Too Personal" - these are one-day, two-day, and now online exhibitions, of a variety of artists, in chamber live communication, with the audience and with each other, about current works, about life and about art. This format is very important and necessary for both artists and spectators: to get to know each other, share fresh impressions directly with the authors of the works and immerse themselves in a rich atmosphere of communication.

History.

The first exhibition took place in my small studio, only 18 meters away, which emerged as a New Year's exhibition-market for friends. By our second meeting, which took place at our studio neighbors, in the Morse ABC book and book illustration studio, the exhibition turned into something more than just friendly gatherings with tea and conversations. The idea with the market went away, we decided to make an exhibition of works that do not always find their viewer, works that often hide “on the table” to see and show works that the artist does not always show to a wide audience, since they are a “kitchen” or part of a creative fuss, I wanted to see experimental searches that only friends see, so that you can discuss and share the innermost that happens only in the process.

The second exhibition of the project "Too Personal" was held on 02.02.2020 in the Citrus-hall loft space on Balchug Island.

Exhibition-in-Citrus-Hall

This time we rented a beautiful hall in a 19th century mansion. The participants gathered a rather motley company of artists - from animators and graphic artists to ceramists and puppeteers, but this time there were many puppeteers. Many friends and guests came and during the whole day they all talked very well, talked about their work to each other and guests, shared little secrets.

Kristina Kolesnikova showed her performance "Embroidered Dreams" in which spectators and participants of the exhibition were invited to recall their dream and try, fixing the most important thing in their memory, to embroider a small plot on a common piece of canvas. 

By the evening, a large number of guests gathered, someone saw the work and each other for the first time, someone was familiar on Instagram or Facebook, and in general it was very exciting to meet people whose work you have known and love for a long time and finally get to know in reality ...

This exhibition turned out to be unusual, because the idea was to mount the works in such a format as if they were standing there, lying or hanging for ages, I wanted to create the atmosphere of an old workshop, and so that it was not clear which of the artists present was the owner of the space. Therefore, we chose a hall with brick walls, large window sills, an antique chest of drawers, a sofa and soft light.

In addition to everything, children from the MATIS studio were invited to the exhibition with their pictures, which were hung right at the entrance to the exhibition, which made the whole event feel like you were visiting at a birthday party or a family party. We did not do any special advertising, the guests were mostly acquaintances of acquaintances or friends of friends, which is probably why there was an atmosphere of absolute mutual understanding.

Secrets-and-Ladders

"Secrets and Ladders" August 2020 online exhibition

At the end of August 2020, our third meeting took place, which was held in a new format of an online exhibition, this time about 50 artists from different cities and countries took part in the project, we decided to play a little and came up with a theme for this exhibition - "Secrets and Ladders" since the exhibition was held online and not all artists were able to go live, we decided that it would be great if each participant writes a short essay to his project and thus presents himself as a little more than a silent picture.

After the opening, the exhibition remained on the site, and we will definitely duplicate all further exhibitions that will be held offline on Facebook and Instagram. This format will allow artists from other countries and cities to take an active part in our project without coming to the exhibition in Moscow.

While no one sees

“Nobody sees yet” - April 2021 online exhibition

This exhibition turned out to be the most complex in its senses. The artists, without saying a word, entered into an interesting dialogue about the inner. About pain, about personal experiences, fears, about what is happening to us so far, no one, or almost no one sees. The most meaningful and interesting, albeit the most intimate exhibition.

The idea of the project.

Initially, I wanted to return the atmosphere of the old workshops, which I visited as a child, when artists came to visit each other and discussed works and exhibitions and very important news from the world of art or work, full-fledged and held.

An atmosphere of experimentation and bold decisions, an atmosphere of support and community of views. In general, this became the main task of the project - experiment, intimacy, acquaintance of artists and communication.

This is how the project "Too Personal" was born, which brought together artists of various directions.

Today, when it became clear that art is spreading at a progressive acceleration, unions and spaces are needed that will satisfy the need for a variety of art trends in reaching the viewer, for the opportunity to unite a small number of people to develop their creative potential, to develop a new artistic language.

I think that artists need to unite in creative unions in which it will be comfortable to do exactly the art that excites artists. And there should be many such sites. I hope our project is just such a platform.

We are constantly developing, looking for new outlets to the viewer, looking for a new, lively, not ossified artistic language, we go out to personal communication with each other in live broadcasts, we discuss all topics that arise in the process of working on projects. We get acquainted with other projects, associations, laboratories and interact with them. And this is very valuable, because it is possible to understand art only by combining the visual language and the language of communication. "

The title photo shows the work of the author Evgeniya Matveeva

Our Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/slishkomlichnoe.ru/

Exhibition “Nobody sees yet” - http://www.nobody.slishkomlichnoe.ru/

The material was prepared by Ekaterina Shemyakina.