An artificial plant in real soil

Having thrown off the vomit of Baudrillard, Brener and Nietzsche from their clothes, the
Cherepanovs continue their trans-disciplinary, trans-local, trans-agent expedition, witch began in
a small Ural town. In their infantile manner they deconstructed and appropriated the repressive
instrument of the state - urban CCTV cameras. “If the state wants to control us, then afraid and
hide from such cameras means playing according to the score set by this government. But come
under the camera and perform actions - means overcoming fear and forcing the warden to act
according to your score - to watch your performance” - so thought the CickinDunt. In addition, for
artists born into working-class families in a small town (remote from the center of the country) in
the early 90s, another fear was strong - the inability to move around the planet. CCTV cameras
located around the world also helped overcome this fear. Recording video feeds from such
cameras was a way to travel. During the pandemic and after, with the outbreak of the war in
Ukraine, cameras became an alternative media for Cherepanovs, not biased by political
propaganda.
In 2023, the artists put together a feature-length film "Talk" about their interactions with cameras,
discussing their project with artificial intelligence as the half-sister of CCTV cameras.
And toys and graphics are a way to preserve the memory of the places and situations through
which the Cherepanovs’ expedition route passes. The graphics are notes on the go, and the toys
are made only from found materials. It is important for artists not to buy anything to create toys,
only to find or accept gifts from local residents - this is how a portrait of the place create in a
specific toy. This project presents toys created over the past two years: from Yekaterinburg - the
place from where the artists emigrated, through Berlin, Kiel, Hamburg, Barcelona and Ibiza, to
Zurich - the city where the CID are now base.
The Cherepanovs consider the similar portrait of a place - the textile sculpture “paratrooper
professor” - to be a constant element of their artistic statements. The “paratrooper professor” -
collected from objects found in Vienna. This is the Vienna terminal connecting this project with all
past and future exhibitions of the duo. All together - video, graphics, toys and "paratrooper
professors" - a detailed map of the Cherepanovs' expedition.
Graphics, toys and video are mobile mediums - the best for those on the go.
Text: Anna Cherepanova