Moscow’s Ruarts Gallery to host Aidyn Zeinalov’s solo show from October 23 to December 1. Curated by Katrin Borisov, Ruarts Foundation and Gallery Artistic Director, the exhibition is centered around Zeinalov’s latest series Homo Sapiens, created in 2024.

The Ruarts Gallery presents Aidyn Zeinalov’s solo exhibition Ocean Dreams; its philosophy has to do with ideas about people living in harmony with nature, and its aesthetics is based on the refined appreciation of unsophistication. Originally inspired by Aidyn Zeinalov’s passion for marine aquariums and a growing awareness of global ocean pollution, the project has evolved into a vision of the future.

Through his sculptures, the artist and researcher invites viewers to see the ongoing ecological crisis as an inherent part of our reality. This is the way our planet lives now but beauty can be found even in ugly, strange and terrifying things. “On the one hand, we must take responsibility for the ocean, but on the other, it decides for itself, defining its own form and setting the limits of what is acceptable. Garbage islands may soon become places for us to inhabit,” said curator Katrin Borisov.

The artist’s works reflect the ambivalence of nature, revealing its imperfect yet beautiful aspects. A powerful visual and conceptual conflict is represented in a sculptural composition depicting an octopus and a lifebuoy. As is often the case in real life, helping one creature can unintentionally harm others. Hence the question: which of the two is more dangerous – the octopus, a creature behind the myths of the giant kraken, or the seemingly harmless life ring, which is detrimental to the environment?

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