Valera and Natasha Cherkashin

Valera and Natasha Cherkashin are artists who have been working together since 1983. Starting with traditional materials – painting, drawing and photography – they gradually moved on to work with photographic images, installations, performances and, since 1999, digital images and video. They have now returned from New York and live and work in Moscow.
Cherkashins have made more than 180 solo exhibitions and 270 actions – performances. More than 70 TV programmes have been made about them, including CNN, Italian Super Channel, Deutsche Welle, Russian TV. They have also been featured in over 250 publications including Washington Post, Art+Auction, Art Forum, Stern Magazine, etc. Their works are in more than 20 major museum and corporate collections in the United States and other countries: The Art Institute of Chicago; Boston Museum of Fine Arts; The Museum of Art Philadelphia; Houston Museum of Fine Arts; SanFrancisco MOMA; State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg; Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, State Tretyakov Gallery, Hermitage and others.
Cherkashins have been repeatedly invited to give master classes and lectures on their art at many universities around the world: Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, Princeton University, New York University, School of Visual Arts, The Goldsmith University, London, Tokyo University, Moscow State University and many others.

Since the late 1980s, the Cherkashins have been actively working with the passing culture of the USSR and then with Russia’s new era of capitalism. In 1994, having been invited by the Santa Fe Museum of Fine Arts to make an exhibition, the Cherkashins visited the USA for the first time. Since then, they have travelled extensively and become acquainted with the cultures of America and Europe. They are interested in imperial cultures such as the US, UK, Germany, Spain, Japan and China, their development and transformation in the modern world.
In 1999, the Cherkashins were awarded a grant from the Japanese Government Foundation to work with Japanese culture. In 2002 they received a grant from the Soros Foundation to participate in an international East-West project in Mongolia. In 2011, the Cherkashins received an award from the Friends of the United Nations and the Government of China for original global work in the arts.
In 1999, with financial support from the World Bank, the EU, and Air France, Cherkashins made an underwater installation at the World Bank’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. ‘Goodbye, Favourite Portraits of the European People – Hello Euro’. It is dedicated to the retirement of European banknotes and the transition of European banking systems to the euro.

Since 2005 Cherkashins have been working on the project ‘Global Underground’. It is a long-term multimedia project that includes works and video installations on the subways of 33 countries around the world. It was sponsored by Swiss International Air lines, Adobe System, Inc., Embassy of Sweden and Spain in Moscow, Switzerland Tourism, Sweedbank, Beeline, Winzavod Centre for contemporary Art, Instituto Servantes. The exhibition project ‘Global Transport’ in Dubai in 2011 was funded by the state transport company Dubai Road & Transportation Authority.
In 2012, the Iris Foundation, the Garage Centre for Contemporary Culture and the Rosizo State Museum and Exhibition Centre of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation supported Cherkashins’ solo exhibition projects at photographic festivals in Houston, Buenos Aires and Krasnodar.
In 2016 they received the Maya Brin Residency Programme Foundation Grant, University of Maryland, USA, and the title of ‘Honorary Lecturers’.
After visiting the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon in Mexico in November 2016, the Cherkashins felt the energy of new life. Their art is now associated with energy, point, breakthrough, line, and coded writing. Many works with the sun, galaxies, bio-structures appeared, which are probably built in analogy with cosmic systems.
They started working with traditional materials in non-traditional ways. Engaged in sports and meditation, which inspired their projects: Tennis-art, Box-art, Football-art.

Over the past few years, the Cherkashins have immersed themselves in writing books about different aspects of their work. The first volume, ‘A Night with the Pioneer Leader. 1962-2016,’ focuses on Happenings and performances, and the second volume, ’How I Was a Real Artist. 1967-1989’. The fourth volume ‘The End of an Era 1984-1994’ have already been published. A total of 8-10 volumes are planned to be published.
‘Cherkashins work with deeply rooted social archetypes – symbols of universal human existence. They are interested in the presence and development of these eternal archetypes of human civilisation in modernity, in actual life.
Recently, their attention has been sharpened on apocalyptic problems – the fate of humanity, burdened with the knowledge of tragedies and catastrophes.
As true artists, the Cherkashins feel with a keen sense of the shadow that the future casts. Their function is to present in the form of art how the eternal is refracted in the immediate.’

Dr Alexandra Shatskikh.
From an unpublished interview
New York 2011

2023
– ‘Love and Ages of Change’, Cultural and Exhibition Centre ‘Tower’ – Yoshkar-Ola, Republic of Mari El. 14.11.2023-14.01.2024
– ‘Travelling with Artificial Intelligence in Cherkashin’s Art of the 1990s’. Vitebsk Regional Art Museum. Belarus.
2022
– ‘Love and epochs of change’, Béton Centre of Visual Culture, Moscow.
– ‘New York. A Premonition.’ PhotoCroc VII. Museum of the History of the Vitebsk Folk Art School. Vitebsk, Belarus.
– ‘Light of Energy’. Renova Lab, Skolkovo.
– ‘Suprematism at the End of an Era.’ Institute of Gummunitarian Education and Information Technologies, Moscow.
2021
– ‘Suprematism at the end of an epoch’. PhotoCroc VI. Museum of History of Vitebsk National Art School. Vitebsk, Belarus.
2020
– ‘Suprematism at the End of an Era,’ Cherkashin Metropolitan Museum of Art, Moscow.
– ‘Good Bye New York’. GVZ Park, Moscow.
– ‘Cherkashins Exhibition’. Belgorod Music Fest, Belgorod, Russia.
– ‘In the beginning was the word. From euphoria to nostalgia’. Chekhov Library, Moscow.

2019
– ‘By 8 March’, M.I. Tabakov Children’s Music School. Moscow. 07.03.2019.
2018
– ‘Love and Money,’ GCCA-NCCA, Moscow.
– ‘Exchange Point,’ Coat Gallery, GCCA-NCCA, Moscow.
– ‘Constructing Gravity’. TC ‘Galereya’, Moscow. (Catalogue)
– ‘Tennis Art.’ International Congress ‘Architecture-2018.Sport’. International Trade Centre. Moscow
2016
– ‘Global Underground.’ University of Maryland, USA.
– ‘How It Began.’ PhotoCroc Festival, Mir Cinema, Vitebsk, Belarus.
2015
– ‘Passion.’ The Church of St Peter in Chains, Mdina Cathedral Contemporary Art Biennale, Malta.
– Last November. Harriman Institute, Columbia University, New York.
2014
– New York, Premonition. DEVE Gallery, Moscow.

2013
– Khrushchev and Mao. Harriman Institute, Columbia University, New York.
2012
– The Way to Myskhako. Myskhako Winery. International Festival of Photography PHOTOVIZA IV, Krasnodar.
– ‘Hidden Luxury’. Poltrona Frau showroom. Blue Square Gallery, Washington, DC, USA.
– ‘Evolution of Chaos.’ XVII Encuentros Abiertos Festival De La Luz. Buenos Aires Photo Festival, Argentina. Solo exhibition.
– Houston FotoFest 2012 Biennial
– Perestroika: Liberalisation and Experimentation. Houston, USA. ‘Mirages of the Soviet Empire’. Solo exhibition.

2011
– ‘Monuments’. Kultproekt Gallery, Moscow.
– ‘Evolution of Transport. Experience of Dubai. World Trade Centre, Dubai.
– ‘The End of an Era.’ Lumière Brothers Centre for Photography. Lumière Brothers. Moscow.
– ‘Favourite Portraits’. Moscow International Financial Week, Swissotel Krasnye Holmy. Moscow.
2010
– ‘Global Underground’. Princeton University.
2009
– Barbarian Art Gallery, Zurich.
– Moscow – Bilbao. Transition. Winzavod Centre for Contemporary Art. Together with Ima Montoya. Moscow. (Catalogue)
2008
– Anniversary exhibition. Union of photographers. Moscow.
– New York. Premonition. Museum of Modern Art. Rostov-on-Don on Dmitrovskaya. (Catalogue)
– Metro in art and art in the underground. Moscow Museum of Modern Art. (Catalogue)
– Global Underground, Blue Square Gallery, Paris.
– Global Underground, Kennan Institute, Washington, DC, USA.
– Kozlov Jazz Club. Moscow.
– Presentation for Mirax Company, Federation Tower, Moscow.
2007
– Moscow-New York Metro. Harriman Institute, Columbia University, New York.
– Night with Pioneer Leader. Museum of Modern Art on Dmitrovskaya, Rostov-on-Don. (Catalogue).
– The End of the Epoch. Programme Museum of the USSR. Andrei Sakharov Museum and Public Centre. Moscow (Catalogue).
– Exhibition at the Vasiliev Theatre.

2006
– Night with Pioneer Woman. Eye Gallery, Moscow House of Photography, Moscow.
– Presentation of ZOOM magazine. Moscow.
– Cippolino. Frolov Gallery. Moscow.
– Labyrinth. Frolov Gallery. Moscow.
– Embassy of Portugal. Moscow.
– Office of Kodak company in Moscow.
2005
– XV International Festival ‘Month of Photography in Bratislava’, Slovakia. (Catalogue).
– Martha Schneider Gallery, Chicago, USA.
– Futurism and Nostalgia, Great Neck Art Centre, New York, USA. (Catalogue).
– Moscow. Love. Riverdale Artists Association, Toronto, Canada.(Stella Art Gallery).
– Double New York. Reality and Irreality. Union of Photographers of Russia, Moscow.
– Perestroika: In the Beginning Was the Word. Harriman Institute, Columbia University.
2004
– Sport in Art. Aphrodites of Russia. Municipal Art Centre, organised by Stella Art Gallery. Athens, Greece.
2003
– Fountain of Friendship of Peoples. ¬Indian Cultural Centre. Moscow.
– Moscow, 100 years. Embassy of New Zealand. Moscow.
– Moscow. Embassy of Colombia, Moscow.

2002
– Moscow, Putin’s time. Columbia University. New York USA.
– Favourite portraits of the peoples of the world. Empire State Building, Fleet Bank. New York USA
– From USSR to Russia. Dickinson College, Pennsylvania, USA.
– New York 11 September. International University, Moscow.
– Suprematist meditation. Kara-Kurum, Mongolia. (Catalogue).
– Mirages of Empires. State Russian Museum. St. Petersburg. (Catalogue).
– Capital. International Banking Club. Moscow.

2001
– Empires. Details. Phoenix Municipal Gallery, Moscow.
– Favourite portraits of the European people. Residence of the Ambassador of the European Union. Moscow.
– Mirages of Empire, Russian-American Cultural Centre, New York, USA.

2000
– From the USSR to Russia. International Centre of Photography, Shadai Photo Centre, Tokyo, Japan.
– Western Empires. Wakkanai University, Japan.
– ‘Empires: Russia, past and present. In association with Bill Wright and Steve Yates. Irving Arts Centre, Dallas, Texas, USA.
– Favourite Portraits. Fashion House by Irina Panarovskaya, Moscow.
– Mirages of empires. Photo Festival in Spain 2000, Caja Madrid, Madrid, Spain. (Catalogue)
– Germany at altitude. Hotel Baltschug-Kempinski, Moscow.
– Between Nostalgia and Mirage, Russian State University of Fine Arts, Moscow.
– Kremlin catacombs, Dom, Moscow.
– Full flight. Kurekhin International Music Festival, House, Moscow. Kurekhin International Music Festival, Dom, Moscow.
– Fly away. International Alternative Festival, Dom, Moscow.

1999
– Goodbye favourite portraits of the European people: hello euro. The swimming pool of the World Bank headquarters, Washington DC, USA.
– One day exhibition at the home of Dorothy Dwyer, New York USA
– Presentation. International House of Japan, Tokyo, Japan.
– Exhibition at the Cherkashins’ flat in Tokyo. Japan.
– Presentation of ‘Aloe’, Central House of Writers, Moscow.
– Farewell, favourite portraits of the new Russian people. Moscow State University, Moscow.
– Cultural figures on European banknotes. Delegation of the European Committee Commission, Moscow.
– Culture of the European portrait on banknotes. Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation.
– Libraries of the World. ACTR, Washington. USA.
– Improvisation. Farewell to Europe’s favourite portraits. World Bank, Washington, DC, USA.
– Farewell favourite portraits of the people of the world. The World Bank, Washington, DC, USA.

1998
– ‘Empire: Russia, Past and Present.’ With Bill Wright and Steve Yates. Centre for Contemporary Art, Ebelin, Texas. USA.
– Russia/America. Chen Cultural Centre, Soho, New York, USA
– Farewell, just in case, favourite portraits of the new Russian people. American Cultural Centre, Moscow.
– Farewell favourite portraits of the European people. Phoenix Cultural Centre, Moscow.
– The end of an epoch. Installation. World Bank, Washington, D.C., USA.
– Russia/America: mirages of empires. Chevy Chase Art Centre, Washington, DC, USA.
– Favourite portraits of the peoples of the world. City Bank, Washington, DC, USA.
– Mirages of empires. Dickinson College, Pennsylvania, USA.

– Mirages of Empires. Harriman Institute, Columbia University. UNITED STATES.
– The Last Truth. MOSCOW STATE UNIVERSITY. Moscow.
– Mirages. Installation. Pennsylvania State University.

1997
– Moscow 30s, 50s. Department of Art, VGBIL. Moscow.
– Russians and Americans – Brothers for a Century. American Cultural Centre, Moscow.
– Atlantis of the USSR. Pool, University of Maryland, USA.
– The End of an Era. Art Centre, Rosenheim. Germany. (Catalogue).
– Moscow – Washington. Carnegie Moscow Centre. Moscow.
– Censorship. MOSCOW STATE UNIVERSITY. Moscow.
– Berlin Mystery. Goethe Institute. Moscow. (Catalogue).
– Russian art hepping. Dianne Beal Contemporary Art. Washington, DC.
– Mirage of empire. Wittenberg University. Ohio, USA.

1996
– Moscow. The End of an Era. Ford Foundation. Moscow.
– Four Empires. Library of Foreign Literature. Moscow.
– Art and Press. Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany. Moscow.
– Mirages of Empires. Russian House Berlin.
– Monument to the monument. Russian Cultural Centre, Budapest.
– Presentation for the opening of the restaurant ‘Angelikos’. Moscow.
– Atlantis of Germany. Underwater exhibition. Olympia Stadium. Berlin.

1995
– Russians and Americans are brothers for the ages. Together with Steve Yates. Municipal Gallery A-3. Moscow. (Catalogue)
– ‘Travelling as Art. Under and over’. Children’s Library No. 178 – A. L. Barto Cultural Centre, exhibition hall ‘Rama Art’. Moscow.
– Studio decoration of TV studio Semeyny Kanal. Moscow

1994
– Moscow Red Square in Santa Fe. Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.
– Silver Age. Central House of Writers. Moscow.
– Chinese New Year. Club ‘Maecenat’. Moscow.
– Exhibition in honour of the writer Beverly Whitney Kean. London.
– Nostalgic exhibition in cacti. Kew Garden. London.

1993
– Undercover. IBM office, Moscow.
– ‘Wall’. Fine Art Gallery, Moscow. (February)
– ‘Day of “Pravda”, the day of the Seal. TV Centre ‘Ostankino’. Moscow.
– ‘Excavations and reconstruction of the ancient world, mid-twentieth century’. Personal installation, Museum of Palaeontology, Moscow. (December)

1992
– Presentation of the Cherkashin Underground Museum. Municipal Gallery A-3. Moscow (catalogue).(February)
– ‘Watercolours’. Hotel Metropol, Restaurant Teatro, Moscow. (February)
– ‘Love Art for the People’. Exhibition in windows, Moscow. Gallery ‘Creativity’. (October)
– ‘Metropolitan Cherkashin Museum with a collection of socialist realism, Kremlin, Palace of Congresses. Moscow. (April)
– ‘Metropolitan Museum of Art begins spring in Russia’. Moscow. Central Concert Hall, ‘Russia’. (April)
– ‘Suprematist Bedroom’. Personal installation, Municipal Gallery A-3, Moscow. (November)
– Studio decoration for talk show. Central TV Ostankino, Moscow.

1991
– ‘The End of the Epoch, the 90s’, VGBIL, Moscow. (February)
– ‘Funeral of the Era’. Moscow. On the territory of the Tretyakov Gallery. Moscow. (April)
– ‘Halls of Cultural Workers. Hall of Sergei Solovyov’. Cinema Concert Hall Russia. Moscow. (November)
– ‘Fruit and flower installation’. Znamenskaya Church, Moscow.

1987
Design Institute, Moscow.

1986
– Branch of the Academy of Sciences. Chernogolovka.
– Club of Moscow Pedagogical Institute. Moscow.
– Printing House. Moscow.

1985
– Maltese Embassy. Moscow.

1984
– ‘Watercolours’. Shchusev Museum of Architecture. Moscow.

1983
– Pravda Publishing House. The magazine ‘Smena’. Moscow.

1982
– Lithography studio of the Moscow Union of Artists. Moscow.
– Flat exhibition. House ‘Russia’. Moscow.

1978
– Student Club of KAI. Kharkov. Ukraine.
– Flat exhibitions. Kharkov. Ukraine

The Projects 2005-2012

Apocalypse 2008-2012

New York 1994-2008

A Night with a Pioneer Leader.

How I was a real artist

End of an Era

The Art Institute of Chicago; (1994, 1998), USA
Santa Fe Museum of Fine Art, New Mexico, USA
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, USA
Boston Museum of Fine Arts (2003, 2005), USA
Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA
Houston Museum of Fine Arts (1998, 2005), USA
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, USA
Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
The Jane Voorhees Zimmerly Art Museum,Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA
Newseum, Washington, DC, USA
Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Centre, University of Texas, Austin, USA
US Library of Congress, USA
New York Public Library, USA
World Bank Headquarters, Washington DC, USA
Kennan Institute, Woodrow Wilson Centre. Washington DC, USA
School of Visual Arts, New York, USA
Kolodzei Art Foundation, USA
Emprise Bank, Witchita, KS, USA
Museum am Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin, Germany
International Centre for Photographic Art, Tokyo, Japan
Russian State Museum, St. Petersburg
State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Russian State Archives of Literature and Art, Moscow, Russia.
Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, Russia
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia
Museum of Organic Culture, Kolomna, Russia
Lumiere Brothers Centre of Photography, Moscow, Russia
Museum of Moscow History, Moscow, Russia.
Museum of Modern Art, Rostov on Don, Russia 
Krasnodar Krai Art Museum named after F.A. Kovalenko, Russia. 
Perm State Art Gallery, Russia.
MAMM, Moscow.
Russia Cogito Art Gallery. Moscow State University, Moscow.
Russia Museum of MIREA University, Moscow, Russia.
Motorola Company, Moscow, Russia.
Russian Foundations, Moscow, Russia.
Russian Cultural Foundation, Moscow, Russia.
Ford Foundation, Moscow, Russia.
Stella Art Foundation, Moscow, Russia.
Other Art Museum, Russian.
State University of Fine Arts, Moscow, Russia.
Tennis Club Gallery, Moscow Municipal Gallery A3, Moscow.
Ministry of Culture, Nur-sultan, Kazakhstan. Kharkov Art Museum, Kharkov, Ukraine.
Imago Mundi, Luciano Benetton Collection, Italy.
Copelouzos Family Art Museum, Athens, Greece.
American University Museum, Washington, D.C., USA.
National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan/
Yalta Museum of Contemporary Art, Russia.
Museum of Photography, Vitebsk Centre of Contemporary Art, Belarus.
Belgorod State Philharmonic, Russia, Belgorod.
State Art Museum, Russia Kostaki Collection, Russia.
SCC Collection, DSB, Vitebsk, Belarus. 
Beton Centre of Visual Culture, Moscow, Russia.
Museum of the Levanovs