Grigory Katsnelson & Katya Efimik
de Katya Efimik, Grigoriĭ Kat︠s︡nelʹson, Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum
"Wrong Book" is the name that Grigory Katsnelson (Leningrad, 1974) and Katya Efimik (Perm, 1983) give to their artist's books. Even though the classical form of the book with a cover and pages is the starting point for this artist duo from St. Petersburg, one might be surprised by the sometimes rough and other times tender or playful way they handle that form. Characteristic of their work is the frankness and the use of bright colors and shapes. Both artists show the history of their Russia and their St. Petersburg in an unorthodox way. They are a clear example of modern Russian art today, taking place outside of the mainstream. After graduating at the Herzen University in 1997, Katsnelson manifested himself as a poet before becoming an art teacher, painter and bookmaker. Efimik graduated at the Stieglitz Academy of Art and Design in St. Petersburg in 2010, after which she initially developed as a painter. In 2015 she met Katsnelson during a course of making wrong books. The duo decided to continue working together under the name Wrong Book. Since then, both artists have worked together on projects and have a number of exhibitions to their name. In the Netherlands, Katsnelson's work has been on show at Museum Meermanno Huis van het Boek, The Hague in 2013. Exhibition: Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands (18.02.-01.05.2020).