A Rodchenko Art School graduate, Maria Pokrovskaya works with various media, including photography, video art, and digital art. Olga Proskurnina is an independent filmmaker and producer, participant of the Eurodoc training program. She is a founder of the Black Coat Festival, which first took place in Norilsk in February 2020. While organising the festival, Olga and Maria, who worked there as a technical director, founded an art group Sougreve.
The group’s name can be roughly translated from a Northern Russian dialect as “keeping someone warm and cosy.” For both artists, the North is an infinite source of inspiration and creative energy. One of the most significant topics for them is the theme of memory, both personal and collective, to which they often refer in their works.
Recommended by Elena Anosova
Persistent Variable, 2020. Instant photos for this projects were made in Alykel, abandoned pilots’ village near Norilsk. Cracked painting and peeling wallpaper look like Arctic plants, capturing the fleeting life and human fragility
Persistent Variable, 2020. Photos were placed in the background of pages from the written-off books and magazines from the Norilsk Scientific & Technical Library
Overman, 2020. The backdrop layout is formed by repeating scenes from The Labor Processes Charts, a giant Soviet illustrated catalogue of professions which author found in the Norilsk Library
Overman, 2020. The central part of the installation is a carpet (250 x 250 cm) inspired by the same Labour Processes Charts and Brueghel’s Babel Tower
