I’m not close to an anthropocentric view of the world. I’m more interested in looking at everything from the point of view of a plant, a fly or a virus. From the perspective of, for example, mould, there is no global environmental catastrophe right now — everything is great
Ilya Fedotov-Fedorov works with such media as installation, sculpture, video, and painting. His artistic practice has been significantly influenced by his childhood experiences. Having long term stays in hospitals due to a rare kidney condition, the artist developed a deep sense of bodily dissociation, otherness, and fragility.
The key concept in Ilya Fedotov-Fedorov’s work is the “uncanny valley.” The artist creates works that frequently feature masks, distorted faces, and forms reminiscent of living beings. These images evoke a sense of unease and create a conflict between recognition and alienation, between the human and the non-human.
The artist's works are devoted to such issues as social escapism, otherness, and bodily transformations. The images of creatures and masks in his practice become metaphors for social alienation. Ilya also explores the relationship between human and non-human. In his works, the artist seeks to deconstruct the anthropocentric view of the world, drawing parallels between human and other species in an attempt to blur the boundaries between them.
Fedotov-Fedorov’s projects have been presented at the Moscow International Biennale of Contemporary Art, the Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art, and in the parallel program of the Venice Biennale. In 2018 he was awarded the special prize of the National Award for Contemporary Art "Innovation" in the "New Generation" category. He is a recipient of a Pro Helvetia – Swiss Arts Council grant and has taken part in residencies at the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (United States), the Jan van Eyck Academie (Netherlands), among others.
Artist’s works are presented in the Credit Suisse Collection (Zurich, Switzerland), the collection of the Vatican, the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, and the ART4 Museum.