Russian Art Focus met with Aristarkh Chernyshev who told us about his idea for a monument to Arnold Schwarzenegger, how art could become a meme, the difference between art and design, and the future of NFTs.

Aristarkh Chernyshev (b. 1968) is a Russian artist, and one of the pioneers in multimedia, video and interactive art. He lives and works in Moscow.

From 1996 to 2005 he collaborated with Vladislav Efimov on video and media art projects. In 2004 he and Alexey Shulgin founded “Electroboutique” with a gallery in the creative district of Art Strelka. Together they are curators of the Electromuseum in Moscow. Since 2011 Chernyshev has been teaching at the Rodchenko School of photography and multimedia in Moscow.

Chernyshev has participated in numerous festivals, biennials and group exhibitions in Russia and abroad including Transmediale in Berlin, Seoul International Media Art Biennale, Art Basel, the Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow; Moscow Museum of Modern Art, the Institute of Contemporary Art, London, the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester, the National Arts Museum of China and many others.

In 2009 “Electroboutique” was awarded the prestigious Kandinsky Prize in the Media art category and Project of the Year for “Criti-Pop”. Together with Efimov, he was Winner of the Grand Prix at the Extra-Short Film Festival (ESF, Novosibirsk) in two categories: in 2001 for video art and in 2004 for animation. In 2002 the duo was shortlisted in the First International Kansk Video Festival.

The interview was shot at Electromuseum, with Vita Shakhnovich and Asya Koroleva artworks on the background.