Videodocumentation of production and consumption of Extractum Hominus (lat.) - extract of human: "My blood is your wine - Russian-Ukrainian cocktail" - whiskey distilled by Tajiks Art group from the blood of Russians and Ukrainians within the European Biennial of Contemporary Art Manifesta, within the exhibition CASUS PACIS, supported by Street Art Museum
Part 1 - Collecting the blood
Part 2 - Fermentation
Part 3 - Distillation
Part 4 - Degustation
St.Petersburg, 20-28.06.2014
Press Release of Tajiks-Art group’ project within the exhibition Casus Pasis in the new museum of Street Art in Saint Petersburg
On June 28th 2014 in Saint-Petersburg, anti-capitalistic and anti-militaristic Tajiks-Art group’ project “My blood is your wine - Russian-Ukrainian cocktail” will be exhibited marking the centenary of the First World War. It’s a new page of the legendary project «Extractum Hominus» - alcohol distilled from the blood of suppressed folks. Group of artists from Saint Petersburg has exhibited home only one time with paintings which were drawn by gastarbeiters by pictures of American abstractionists’ paintings. 5 TV channels and Valentina Matvienko, governor of Saint Petersburg at the moment, have visited the exhibition.
Tajiks-Art group will distill several litres of «Extractum Hominus» from Russian and Ukrainian blood, collected from donors for money, within the exhibition Casus Pasis in the museum of Street Art. “My blood is your wine - Russian-Ukrainian cocktail” as a metaphor of exploitation of weak people by strong ones complements the 2009 project when «Extractum Hominus» was distilled from blood of Tajiks, Kyrgyz and Uzbeks gastarbeiters.
In the new version of «Extractum Hominus», symbolically distilled during this year's centenary of the First World War, the war theme is reflected as a bloody instrument for resources expropriation and human exploitation. It’s not a secret that most wars occur due to redistribution of spheres of influence and capitals movements much more than due to real conflicts between nations. Nowadays Russia and Ukraine are losing its citizens, blood is shed for the sake of transnational corporations that will get some more billions dollars by running this blood through its intercontinental crucibles.
84 Shosse Revolyutsii, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Exhibition website: http://casuspacis.ru/
Street Art museum website: http://www.streetartmuseum.ru/
Contact for press: +79633068807 - Maria
+79119817695 - Kirill (in Russian)
In August 2012 at the opening of the street art festival “Makaronnaya Fabrika”(“Spaghetti Factory”) within the exhibition “GOP-ART in Spaghetti factory” Tajiks-Art group repeated performance “Anthropometry” by Yves Klein that was reproduced by Rostov female strippers accompanied by violin trio. Girls were doused with blue paint and imprinted with their naked bodies on the canvas.
In the last days of Art Moscow 2011 gastarbeiters hired by Tajiks-Art, were invited to the NTV program "Central TV" to draw portraits of their favorite politicians. And a day later Kirill Shamanov was invited to the TVRAIN program “Ministry of Culture” with Anna Mongait, where he explained to Andrey Erofeev “Is it possible to turn usual gastarbeiter into contemporary artist?”.
As part of a non-profit program pictures created by national stars of politics and showbiz were copied by means of specially hired gastarbeiters. Pictures for copying were selected by the principle of liquidity: “Uzor”(“Tracery” by Vladimir Putin was sold for 37 million rubles), “Metel”(“Blizzard” by Valentina Matvienko was sold for 17 million rubles) and photo by Dmitry Medvedev that was sold for 51 million rubles and became one of the most expensive photos in the world.
In June 2011 within the exhibition “GOP-ART in ZP” Tajiks-Art group repeated Banksy graffity and presented exposition of its own works against the background of the total installation made of cement bags, shovels and red carpet to fame from warehouse pallets. It’s a reference to the installation of Ilya Kabakov in Venice, where he removed remains of the pavilion floor and paved special passages for the visitors and at the same time it’s reference to the installation made by Dmitry Gutov in Regina gallery.
In September 2010 Tajiks-Art group repeated the series of performances “The Artist is present” by Marina Abramovic in conjunction with Daha Braha Theater within international festival of contemporary art “GOGOLFEST” in Kiev, Ukraine.
January 2010. Tajiks-Art group presents works painted during Art Moscow 2009 for the first time in Saint-Petersburg within the exhibition “Petersburg 2009”. Project "Tajiks-Art draws better!" has shocked St.-Petersburg public and caused a huge resonance in the media. Valentina Matvienko, St.-Petersburg governor, visited the exhibition. Several federal channels as "NTV", "Mir", "5th channel" showed stories about the exhibitions.
TV story on the channel "MIR TV"
October 31, 2009 autoconcern Audi invited Tajiks-Art group to the presentation of new car. Tajiks-Art fame has reached a point where, in fact, it was the purchase of a franchise of Tajiks-Art for repetition of performance “Cut Piece” by Yoko Ono. (Moscow, Winzavod Centre for Contemporary Art, Red Hall). It was the first corporate.
Tajiks-Spirit "Extractum Hominus" - alcohol distilled from blood of gastarbeiters. 20 gastarbeiters (Tajiks, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz) donated 1ml of blood each for money. After that blood was fermented with yeast and sugar and then distilled in the laboratory. Obtained whiskey was bottled into 100 and 50 mg bottles.
In september 2009, for dishonestly earned money by performances Tajiks-Art bought canvases and paints and opened “manufactory” for production of paintings right in the halls of Central House of Artist in Moscow, under the special project for Art Moscow 2009 (they could not provide budget, but wanted “something from Tajiks Art”). Tajiks Misha and Ruslan were copying masterpieces of abstract expressionism - Rothko’s, Pollock’s, Basquiat’s, Lucio Fontana’s... and then by group’s founders were selling them to fair visitors.
Center for Contemporary Culture “Garage” ordered from Tajiks Art repetition of performance “465 Remunerated Persons” by Mexican artist Santiago Sierra. It took place in early June 2009, 300 extras were standing for 2 hours for money, forming living sculpture. It is one of the biggest performances in the history of Russian Contemporary Art.
In may 2009, Tajiks-Art debuted in fashionable moscow club “Solyanka” that ordered repetition of performance “Balcan Baroque-2, Marina Abramovic”. With allocated funds Ukranian girl-gastarbeiter was hired and trained, and during 1 hour payed by sponsors girl washed with a metal brush, soap and water a pile - 300kg of cow bones and pork bones. Performance gathered 5 cameras including “1 channel” (Poland), “Russia Today”, “Stolitsa”, “REN-TV”, “Al Jazeera”... Dozens of magazines published articles and notes about the project.
