Misha Ilin interdisciplinary practice investigates constructed realities as forms of human, environmental response to excessive authority and control. The interactive spaces Misha creates are primarily constructed through situational criteria informed by contemporary dilemmas such as exploitative labor, social inequality, and exhaustive immigration procedures. In addition to written parameters, Misha’s work engages with performed prompts, sculpture, and installations in which he often embed meta-narratives and aesthetics of folklore and gaming culture. Integrations of fantasy blur the line between lightheartedness and darkness, mirroring the strange nature of authoritative social systems.
In generating situational prompts whose efficacy is hinged upon individual viewer response such as conversation or physical participation, Misha’s work also lends itself to reconfiguration and negotiation. Such open-endedness queries the interrelation between subjugation and circumvention, and sheds light on the ways in which constructed realities might function as vehicles for resistance, introspection, and the reclamation of agency.
Misha was studying art at National Center for Contemporary Art in Moscow. In 2016 he moved to the United States to pursue his art career and receive his MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2019. Misha has recently exhibited at M+B Gallery, Los Angeles, the kitchen, Berlin, GermanyModern Art Museum (Shanghai, China), Washington Project for Arts (Washington DC) among other venues. Misha currently lives and works in New York.
For a full portfolio or additional information please email ilyin.mike@gmail.com
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