Artist duo
The Vorobyevs
Yelena Vorobyeva was born in 1959 in Balkanabat (former Nebit Dag), Turkmenistan. Viktor Vorobyev was born in 1959 in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan
They live and work in Almaty.
Yelena Vorobyeva and Viktor Vorobyev have been working together since the 1990s. Their usage of different genres and techniques results in multilayered, often ironic, works focussing on Post-Soviet realities of constant change, disorientation, and their effects on everyday life. The artists have been compiling a precise record of the ephemeral and quotidian details of daily life, local particulars, and subjects that have been often overlooked and are not exactly photogenic. They do so in series, sorting images according to their typology. While seemingly insignificant, these details (of objects, colors and customs) are integral to the creation of the new symbols of power and serve as poignant social metaphors. The pair engages deeply with the environment they live in, examining its socio-cultural underlining, using a light and humorous approach.
Notable recent exhibitions include Eurasian Utopia: Post Scriptum, Suwon I’Park Museum of Art, Suwon 2019, Phantom Stories: Leitmotifs of Post-Soviet Asia, Lunds Konsthall, Lund 2018, VIVA ARTE VIVA, 57thVenice Biennale in 2017, Suns and Neons, Yarat Contemporary Art Space, 2017, The Artist Is Asleep, organized by Aspan Gallery, A. Kasteev Museum of Arts, Almaty 2015.
They live and work in Almaty.
Yelena Vorobyeva and Viktor Vorobyev have been working together since the 1990s. Their usage of different genres and techniques results in multilayered, often ironic, works focussing on Post-Soviet realities of constant change, disorientation, and their effects on everyday life. The artists have been compiling a precise record of the ephemeral and quotidian details of daily life, local particulars, and subjects that have been often overlooked and are not exactly photogenic. They do so in series, sorting images according to their typology. While seemingly insignificant, these details (of objects, colors and customs) are integral to the creation of the new symbols of power and serve as poignant social metaphors. The pair engages deeply with the environment they live in, examining its socio-cultural underlining, using a light and humorous approach.
Notable recent exhibitions include Eurasian Utopia: Post Scriptum, Suwon I’Park Museum of Art, Suwon 2019, Phantom Stories: Leitmotifs of Post-Soviet Asia, Lunds Konsthall, Lund 2018, VIVA ARTE VIVA, 57thVenice Biennale in 2017, Suns and Neons, Yarat Contemporary Art Space, 2017, The Artist Is Asleep, organized by Aspan Gallery, A. Kasteev Museum of Arts, Almaty 2015.