In his work, Alexander Sokolov constantly addresses the theme of the game. The new exhibition is dedicated to the Anarchy Chess phenomenon and presents a series of paintings and objects created during the author’s long journey through Asian countries.
Anarchy Chess is one of the many variations of chess rules that appeared almost as a joke. One day, a reedit user with the nickname Scurlocc suggested playing a game according to the following rules: each move is selected according to the most popular comment, one move per day. It is not necessary to follow the rules of classical chess, so the participants try to offer the most absurd moves possible. His proposal was warmly received by the community, and the new rules were given the name Anarchy Chess.
The artist believes that this phenomenon includes all previous and future changes to the rules of chess and requires a new logic of thinking, closer to the Buddhist koan*. The goal of the game is to move beyond predetermined options and move from a rational to a more intuitive point of view.
The exhibition presents a sculptural figure of the author's chess Knight Alexander Sokolov, which has been his calling card since the time of his first works in street art, in an ensemble with ready-made miniatures of manga characters, as well as eight paintings with augmented reality.
* Koan - a riddle or short parable containing a problem that cannot be rationally understood; in Zen Buddhism - one of the main training methods that help achieve enlightenment.
