Biography
The biography of Andrei Bartenev begins in Norilsk in 1965. Since childhood, the boy was drawn to creativity: he dreamed of learning to play the piano, but since the Bartenevs lived extremely modestly, they could not afford such an expensive instrument. The family lived in a small room in a provincial communal apartment. But Andrey’s thirst for beauty has not disappeared anywhere: he begins to draw, sculpt, create collages and engage in other creative leisure activities.
After graduating from 10th grade at the age of 16, Andrei Bartenev leaves his hometown and goes to study at the Krasnodar Institute of Arts, where a few years later he receives the profession of a theater director. The south amazed the artist with its warmth and riot of colors - in contrast to the cold northern Norilsk with its polar nights, eternal snows and mysterious northern lights in the sky, Krasnodar seemed like a real tropical paradise. This greatly influenced not only Andrei Bartenev’s perception of the world, but also the perception of color and painting in general. His work became something more than just painting. Andrei focused on dynamics in his works, which became advantageous for him in the future - fortunately, this coincided with the ideas of the era into which the artist organically merged.
Moscow: first successes
Already at the age of 20, the young man goes to Moscow at the personal invitation of Zhanna Aguzarova and her director. Once in the capital, the already established young artist Andrei Bartenev begins to actively collaborate and communicate with various young groups in various fields of art and creativity. During this period, he staged his first performances, which instantly attracted the attention of not only eminent critics, but also ordinary onlookers who had not previously heard of the young talent.
Later, at the Mars gallery, Bartenev exhibited his first serious works together with his friend Petlyura. The list of Andrei Bartenev’s works includes “The Great Koryak Seagull” and “Rampage on Mount Ana-Dyr with the Singing of Nikitin’s Fishes.” At the same time, the author’s performance “Botanical Ballet” was such a resounding success that Andrei goes to the festival in Riga, where he receives the Grand Prix for his performance.
Andrey Bartenev: exhibition in Moscow
In 2020, a retrospective of the works of Andrei Bartenev was presented to the audience. The exhibition was located in two buildings - so much space was needed to show the creative universe of the master, which he had been creating for 25 years.
As always, Bartenev’s art installations were not static. The unifying element at that memorable exhibition was movement - flickering, rotating and sounding objects turned the exhibition space into a single mechanism under the control of the author of this magnificence.
World attention
The foreign press of the 90s watched with curiosity the development of the eccentric Russian’s creativity. Europe was delighted with his style of performances, which was reminiscent of works from the era of Russian avant-garde and futurism. But not only foreign countries noticed the talent of the daring author - in 1996, Bartenev was accepted into the Union of Moscow Artists.
In the 2000s, Andrei Bartenev was invited to work at the Watermill center in the Hamptons by the creator of this organization, Robert Wilson. In the USA, Andrei demonstrated one of his most recognizable works - “Staircase of Red”. This show featured real opera singers and orchestra players, but they used empty tin cans instead of musical instruments. In addition, the performers threw pasta from the balcony onto the stage, which made a special impression on the audience.
In the West, performance art has become a separate discipline. The Russian designer was able to find like-minded people among representatives of the foreign artistic elite. Among his friends are such bright personalities as Calvin Klein, Paco Robann, Zandra Rose, Andrew Logan, Robert Wilson, Jean-Paul Gaultier and many others.
Andrey Bartenev: man and guide
On September 30, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art on Gogolevsky, 10 opened a large-scale retrospective exhibition of the performance man, maestro of outrageous costumes, creator of bright installations Andrei Bartenev.
The process of preparation for the project could be observed in real time - in the spaces of the exhibition halls on Gogolevsky, two months before the exhibition, an open “Bartenev’s workshop” was set up, where not only students and close masters, but also anyone could come and take part in the restoration of old and creation of new objects.
Photo © Polina Bezrukova
You can remember Andy Warhol and his “Factory”, which was known not only as a master’s studio, but also as a party place in New York, where underground parties were held in the spirit of the free 60s. Different times, different priorities, and Warhol's imposing format was reworked into something more suitable for the time and place. And Bartenyev’s was more likely not a “party”, but an “educational” character, or rather it would be defined as an atmosphere of co-creation. Andrey was ready for an open - public - system of working with projects for a long time, more than once defining his main life role as a conductor between parallel universes (from one of which he appeared on the artistic stage), among which he himself travels and which he helps his friends to understand. students and volunteer assistants.
In the modern world, in modern Moscow, the pace of life is not just fast, but high-speed, so various new phenomena often fly past us with a frantic rhythm, without giving us time to properly consider them, and the newly appeared format of the “open workshop” immediately switched from the ranks of “new” to the ranks of “fashionable”. Already in September of this year, not only Bartenev’s exhibition, but also the main project of the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, followed the new fashion trend. The popularity of the format is understandable: it’s no secret that in art the most interesting thing is not the result, but the process of creating a work, the emergence of a whole from the smallest details, from one brush stroke into a whole canvas, from a piece of stone into a sculpture.
The new is the well-forgotten old. Just remember Jackson Pollock, who created something incomprehensible to the public in his home studio, something too abstract to perceive, and then one day the process of working on the canvas was filmed: Pollock did not touch the canvas, he sprayed paint on the laid out canvas. there is a huge piece of paper on the floor. And here she is a sensation! Critics, spectators, collectors - everyone immediately became interested in the not very young American artist. And why? He did not change his manner of performance, his style remained the same as it was before that video, but the public suddenly got the opportunity to see the process of creation - the most beautiful, and, most importantly, the most sacred thing in art. Imagine what the process of creating sfumato on his canvases by the great Leonardo would have looked like, imagine how Rodin gave movement to his sculptures...
And now, before our eyes, the bravest ones, namely the residents of the main project of the biennale and Andrei Bartenev, showed the public the process of creating their works, the emergence of the history of world artistic culture.
The second building of the Museum of Modern Art is occupied by works by students and followers of the great master. It is as if a visitor to the exhibition walks hand in hand with Bartenev from the world of the conductor’s own works into the world of the works of his students. I decided to find out the opinions of the “eyewitnesses” of this incredible phenomenon and ask them how everything really happened.
Ksenia Dranysh: I did not work in Andrei’s workshop [hereinafter we mean the workshop organized in the spaces of MMSI on Gogolevsky - approx. ed.], and at the Dymovskaya factory, but I know that other guys restored works from the 90s. Many of them were damaged, they washed them, sewed them up, and repainted them. No one could help him with the “sea buckthorn” problem except me. He told me what and how it should be, so I went to do it. Despite the fact that the deadlines were very short, and it was necessary to work not only quickly, but also efficiently, we managed to get everything done.
Photo © Polina Bezrukova
I couldn’t set him up because he means a lot to me - as a person and as a teacher. It seems to me that he himself does not understand how much he gives “to us”, simply even with his presence. When there is some kind of shock when he is around, I would say that I feel inspired when I communicate or work with him.
The installation “Sea Buckthorn”, according to Andrei Bartenev, perfectly conveys his current state. “My childhood passed beyond the Arctic Circle, in Norilsk. A polar day, when the sun revolves around you and does not go beyond the horizon at all, led my perception of the world to a certain circle. Everything that I draw, sew, build is subject to the structure of a circle” (from an interview with Alena Doletskaya for Interview magazine dated September 28, 2020). So “Sea Buckthorn” at this exhibition became the personification of Andrei’s modern moods.
Ksenia Gorbatyuk: I worked directly in the workshop. The emotions and sensations from everything that happened were only warm and sincere. Throughout all this time, Andrey inspired us and radiated love and kindness, we all became true friends! I always wanted to return to the workshop: help, work, help again, and we could turn to Andrey for any reason, he always communicated with us live. The work process was easy and informal, everyone had their own object with which they worked: mashed [multilayer papier-mâché making technique - approx. ed.], glued, painted. Everyone who came to the workshop day after day was delighted with Andrey and his energy. Coming now to the exhibition, I experience such an extraordinary range of feelings and emotions from the fact that I took part in such a project and that I personally know such an incredible person.
Photo © Polina Bezrukova
Polina Bezrukova: Oh, I can honestly say that Andrei Bartenev turned my mind upside down. Every day in the workshop charged us with such energy that is very difficult to find. He charged us with kindness. Sincere kindness. Despite the hard work and limited time frame, I came there every day as if it were a holiday, and if I didn’t come, then the missed day felt like a whole missed month. He often told us stories about his past, taught us how to paint, and did it all with incredible joy and kindness. I never saw him angry or irritated. But besides the wonderful Andrey, I found amazing friends in the workshop, with whom I communicate every day. We had no quarrels, we lived like a kind of commune, feeding each other (laughs), trying to help each other, and coming up with all sorts of performances ourselves. We danced and sang a lot in the workshop. The laughter almost never stopped. And the work, you know, really was a joy for us. Those who came there as volunteers, came out as participants in the “Bartenev Factory”, we became a family whose name is Bartenevtsy! And as Andrey said: “This is just the beginning.” What about us? We are incredibly happy about this. I think that now museums will often organize such open workshops, so the most interesting things are yet to come. I can talk about this incredible experience for hours!
Photo © Polina Bezrukova
What’s amazing to me is that everyone I contacted for comments on the workshop was incredibly helpful and good-natured. They were immediately ready to share their experience with a complete stranger. As you can see, the reviews are filled with pure and sincere love for the Master (with a capital “M”). After such positive reviews, I dare to conclude that Andrey Bartenev is absolutely fulfilling his mission as a “guide”; the participants in his workshop see him as their teacher and mentor. I would even call him a good wizard, with your permission. A person with a “plus” sign, with such a positive charge of his cosmic particles that it was enough for the entire team of the “factory”. Without a doubt, the workshop participants, after the opening of the project, could go to Gogolevsky and say: “Andrey Bartenev, I love you!” And the title of the exhibition fully justifies itself.
And I mentally wish Andrei Bartenev eternal youth and hope for a new meeting with him in a variety of dimensions.
Arina Romantsevich
Bartenev the teacher
Bartenev himself believes that he is a born teacher: almost at the very beginning of his creative activity, he received his first students. Perhaps his experience as a pioneer leader in children's camps contributed to this. Andrey has always been able to establish social contacts and find a common language with almost everyone he meets. Bartenev's students now receive high marks from their contemporaries, working as artists and stage designers in famous groups in the USA and Europe.
Creation
Andrey Bartenev paints his paintings in mixed media, resorting to decoupage, graphics, pastel painting, and collage. Among the artist’s most famous works are “Self-portrait in a wedding dress of a bird of paradise”, “The calmness of two clowns”, “Girl with two fireworks”, “Portrait in boots”, “Self-portrait as Arnold Nijinsky”, “I am a fairy, I am a beautiful fairy” . Stylistically, his paintings are prone to extreme abstraction, and his sculptures completely drive the average person crazy.
However, the artist truly expresses himself widely by creating spectacular performances. Among his most famous performances are “Faust”, “The Snow Queen”, “Lingerie for Africa”, “Sleeping Beauties”. Andrey also took on the role of organizer of the “Institute of Smile” illustration festival, as well as the “Love Couture!” exhibition. His performances have always been a resounding success, attracting the curious gaze of art critics and ordinary art lovers.
Performances by Andrey Bartenev
The master’s unusual dynamic performances are especially popular among viewers. Seeing his acclaimed production of “The Snow Queen,” foreign art critics wrote that his works combine fashion, fine art and performance art and revive the spirit of the Russian theatrical avant-garde of the 20s. The Snow Queen performance featured moving sculptures and objects decorated with geometric shapes in green, pink and bright orange. This reminded the foreign public of Malevich and Kandinsky and caused delight.
Another world-famous performance by Andrey is called “I love you!” It is a kind of structure of many huge speakers located one after another along a winding line. The viewer is invited to utter the cherished words and then watch how they, having lived a short life, return to him in response.
Drama Theater
Such a versatile creative personality as Andrei Bartenev could not help but try himself as a theater actor. Back in the early 2000s, being at the sharp rise of his career, he took part in the Shlem.com production, recreated based on the novel by the well-known and also extremely eccentric writer Viktor Pelevin. In this experimental performance, the authors set themselves the goal of combining the performance itself with video projection and communication between viewers in the Internet space. The production took part in the NET Festival of Contemporary Art, but the show did not achieve the expected success and did not impress critics. However, this event showed Bartenev as an artist who is in continuous search for new means of self-expression and non-obvious forms of art.
Fashion designer
Most Russian viewers are familiar with the artist as the outrageous designer Andrei Bartenev, who often appears in the media in his bright and amazing outfits. Andrey regularly participates in social events, where he appears in unusual costumes. He can be found in a giant berry costume or a fantastic costume reminiscent of the appearance of an alien. Tall (184 cm), the artist looks much younger than his years, which he actively uses, being an excellent model for his designer experimental outfits. But no matter how strange Andrei looks in his amazing costumes, it always looks impeccably stylish, although categorically unusual. As if stepped out of fairy-tale-futuristic illustrations, Bartenev attracts attention, shattering the usual picture of the ordinary world. Perhaps this is why Andrei Bartenev became one of the temporary presenters in “Fashionable Sentence” - for his unusually subtle sense of beauty and bold approach to everyday things.
Personal life
Andrei Bartenev carefully hides his personal life. In some interviews, however, he says that in a parallel world he has a friendly and strong family, consisting of three husbands and one wife. It’s difficult to understand whether the artist is joking or speaking seriously; with such original personalities, it’s often difficult to figure out what’s what. But as for children, he has no offspring even in this “parallel reality.” Perhaps this is because the fashion designer himself remains a child at heart. Speaking of a real family: not so long ago Bartenev lost his mother, who was the person closest to him. The artist experienced this loss heavily, but with his inherent share of bitter optimism and a bright look into the future.
Andrey Bartenev: personal life
Journalists have repeatedly tried to find out from Andrei Bartenev about his personal life, but the artist always gets off with humorous phrases and does not let anyone into his personal space. Our hero claims that he was truly in love only once in his life, and that was in kindergarten.
Once Bartenev even took part in the program “Let's Get Married” as a groom. But, as usual, as a joke. Andrei himself could not be seen under the suit of huge yellow corn piled on top of him. And the episode of that program was New Year’s and entertaining.
Bartenev now
Nowadays, Bartenev’s artistic events are held in the capital, mainly in entertainment centers. The eccentric chose a riot of colors, a lot of bright balloons and various lighting effects for his tools. All of Bartenev’s works, especially the most recent ones, are filled with joy and positive emotions. The costumes of the latest performances are distinguished by modesty and simplicity - they are designed, first of all, not to interfere with the free movement of the actors.
In 2020, Andrey held several events: “Give love!”, “Portraits of happy people”, “Feet in the water, head in the clouds.” These performances were a resounding success and attracted maximum audience participation.
At the beginning of 2020, viewers of Channel One were delighted with the news that the new host of the “Fashionable Sentence” program would be Andrey Bartenyev, who would replace Alexander Vasiliev. But Andrei was hired only as a temporary host, but he managed to collect several wonderful images and helped the show participants to open up personally.
An eccentric fashion designer and designer, artist and actor, teacher and author of wonderful articles about the history of art, Andrey Bartenev not only shocks the public, but also puts deep meaning into his works. The artist’s tastes in choosing outfits can be viewed differently, but it is foolish to deny that, one way or another, he has a unique sense of style, bordering on alien, unearthly. Be that as it may, Andrey continues to create, focusing on an exclusively positive impression, for which it is worth thanking him: in this sometimes gloomy world, such a crazy amount of joy can not only shake and encourage, but also make you believe that the world is not so monotonous and boring, as it seemed earlier.
Andrey Bartenev: “If you don’t have your own brains, at least follow fashion!”
For some time, the program for housewives “Fashionable Sentence” will be hosted by Andrei Bartenev, one of the most enchanting freaks generated by our amazing country. That is, in Russia he is consistently mistaken for a madman, but in many other countries he is carried in their arms as an amazing artist, unlike anyone else. Decide for yourself how to evaluate the feast of the spirit that he has been organizing for a quarter of a century. We will just present a few images of Bartenev and briefly describe the stages of his path.
Andrey Bartenev was born in Norilsk, a northern and dark city. As you know, houses there are painted in cheerful colors - so that on a cold winter night it will not be so boring. It is from here, from the darkness of Norilsk, that Bartenev’s desperate passion for bright colors - and also for outfits that you would never wear in your homeland under any circumstances.
From the darkness of Norilsk, Bartenev's desperate passion for bright colors. Photo TASS/Ruslan Shamukov
Does Andrey Bartenev remind you of anyone in this photo? Well, of course - Zhanna Aguzarova, a singer who shocked the Soviet public in the late 80s and later retired to Mars. According to Bartenev, “it all started” when he met Zhanna in 1988 or 1989: they turned out to be kindred spirits, and it was after her that he moved to Moscow. In order to subsequently carry out together with her the performances “100 Brides for Uncle O” and “If My Mouth Was 1 Meter 60 Centimeters Wider.”
Does Andrey Bartenev remind you of anyone in this photo? Well, of course - Zhanna Aguzarova. Photo by Fedor Savintsev (TASS)
Andrew Warhol, an experimenter and provocateur, is one of Bartenev’s idols and heroes. Warhol once became famous for his paintings of Campbell's soup cans. And in the early 90s, one of Bartenev’s first high-profile performances also featured all sorts of cans and packaging. In an interview, he explained it this way: “In the 90s, a flood of bright, beautiful, various goods, low-quality, but very desirable, poured onto Soviet people. I wanted to eat everything. Just as the Snow Queen took away life force in exchange for eternity, so our people were given a lot of this beautifully packaged product, and Russian culture was irretrievably lost.”
Andrew Warhol, an experimenter and provocateur, is one of Bartenev’s idols and heroes. Photo TASS/Victor Velikzhanin
Bartenev is a welcome guest at various ceremonies, especially frivolous ones, like the “Silver Galosh”. No one but him can (as in one of the performances) pelt the viewer with invisible worms, shouting “Bartenev is a fool”!
Bartenev is a welcome guest at various ceremonies, especially frivolous ones. Photo: Mikhail FROLOV
The word “Fool” when applied to Bartenev is unlikely to sound offensive - he is, after all, an academician of the Academy of Fools, established long ago by the famous clown Vyacheslav Polunin and actor Rolan Bykov. (In addition to him, it includes Georgy Danelia, Valentin Gaft, Gennady Khazanov and many other cultural figures). The Charter states that “The activities of the Academy of Fools include: organizing holidays in the place of boring residence, loving exchange of loneliness, admiration for each other, holding carnivals where everyone can look like an even bigger fool, deception of sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch and feelings of abandonment , staying in a daze from morning to evening, fighting against banality along the entire horizon, feeling the beautiful as wonderful and the wonderful as beautiful, fighting off the smell of the past from the future, fulfilling the pike’s orders and all sorts of desires.”
The word “Fool” when applied to Bartenev is unlikely to sound offensive. Photo TASS/Alexander Saverkin
Bartenev said that he prefers to move around Moscow “by car or virtually” - otherwise young people somehow approached him threateningly, seemingly with a desire to kill. But this, apparently, is a rare case of street clothes in the Bartenev style.
Bartenev said that he prefers to move around Moscow “by car or virtually.” Photo TASS/Valery Sharifulin
Several years ago, an exhibition of the famous English hat designer Philip Treacy was held in Moscow. Naturally, Bartenev could not ignore her - and show the Briton what kind of hats people REALLY need: certainly with the head of a Sesame Street character.
Bartenev showed what kind of hats people REALLY need. Photo: Mikhail Japaridze/TASS
Bartenev said that for a very long time he acted as a clown, entertaining children, but then the main theme became “the glorification and protection of trees and animals.” Here everything coincided successfully: the children's images of a cat and a duck - and a threatening pin, probably designed to draw attention to their defenselessness. (What does the girls in the photographs on the left have to do with it? Definitely nothing to do with it.)
Bartenev said that he acted as a clown for a very long time. Photo TASS/ Alexey Nikolsky
From an old interview with Bartenev: “I just like to play. Play with objects, with situations and, above all, with yourself, with your image. This is how the performance is born. Life is very fleeting, so if you don’t enjoy the game, then everything will remain only black and gloomy.”
And one more thing: “A person who dresses “strangely” always knows why he does it. A person proves himself with clothes. And those who follow fashion... Well, great. If you don’t have your own brains, at least let them follow!”
A person who dresses “strangely” always knows why he does it. Photo TASS / Anton Tushin
