ECONOMIC DEPRESSIVE EPISODE II:
CHARITY

(2020) EXHIBITION APPLICATION TO THE GARAGE MUSEUM (MOSCOW, RUSSIA). NEVER ACCEPTED AND REALISED
This exhibition proposal serves as a piece of an institutional critic, highlighting the double standard politics of the major private contemporary art museum in Russia – The Garage Museum. It is well-known, that the most profit of the museum's beneficiary is coming from the predatory extraction of the fossils, connected with massive pollution in the far-eastern regions of Russia. Nonetheless, the museum implements its own 'sustainable development' program based on populist greenwashing projects.
As an application for the exhibition Assuming Distance: Speculations, Fakes, and Predictions in the Age of the Coronacene in the Garage Museum (Moscow, Russia) which is driven "by a humanitarian mission to help the arts community, but also aims to produce and show works that explore the vast and intriguing territory of artistic speculation[1]", I propose the project Charity, which explores the facets of "the economy of care," a concept that has become trendy in the discourse field of the pandemic period. As an object of research, I chose the economics of the Garage Museum's program of support "Everything will be fine" aiming to help doctors, volunteers, migrants, and people with disabilities. In its framework, more than 10,000 meals were prepared from the menu of the Garage cafe. Taking these data, the artist conducted a comparative analysis of the share of funds allocated to charity, with the overall expenses of the museum.
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[1]https://garagemca.org/en/exhibition/assuming-dista...
As an exhibit, I propose a cake "Medovik", backed together with the Garage Cafe according to the original artist's recipe. The "Medovik" was chosen as a multi-layered collective image, as an authentic Russian metaphor for the good. The authentic recipe dates back to the 18th century and appears as a successful experiment of the chef confectioner at the Russian imperial court. In Soviet times, the cake was popular too, although it underwent serious recipe changes. Only the major characteristic remained – its unbearable cloying. The classic recipe involves the use of natural honey. Following the program of responsible consumption, which is promoted by the Garage Cafe, the artist suggests using natural Siberian honey, which is considered one of the most environmentally friendly. Moreover, wild honey contains more biologically active substances, vitamins, and minerals that can be fully ingested. Informing visitors that only wild bees, not domesticated bees, maintain the balance of ecosystems will be a logical addition to the museum's ecological program.

The formula for calculating the size and proportions of an object:
All calculations are based on the analysis of financial reporting data from public sources. On average (averaged over the past few years), the total expenses of the Garage Museum are 589,000,000₽ per year. Of which, about 11.400.000₽ are spent on charitable and social projects. After analyzing the cost of the program "Everything will be fine", the artist came to the conclusion that the amount was about 2,500,000₽. (It is necessary to assist the management of the Garage Museum in providing accurate figures). In total, if the cost is 100%, then the share of charity will be 1.93%, and the share of the project "Everything will be fine" - 0.42%.

Product output:
1.9% - 100 g
Cake's weight - 5.263 g
Recipe (the choice of products is based on the assortment of the "Azbuka Vkusa" store):
Cakes wheat flour from soft varieties, organic, gluten-free "La tua Farina" - 1400 g - 600₽
Cane brown unrefined sugar "BIO Alce Nero" - 500 g, Italy - 500 g - 420₽
Organic sweet cream butter 82.5% "Ugleche Pole" - 350g - 600₽
Chicken eggs "Domashnee", "Nasha Ferma" - 7 eggs - 220₽
Siberian wild bee honey - 350 g - 1350₽
Baking powder "Lecker`s Tartar" - 200₽
A pinch of salt
Cream Cheese Mascarpone 80% "Galbani" - 250 g - 7 packs - 1750 g - 2210₽
Powdered sugar "Erstein" - 450 g - 350₽
Bourbon vanilla "Kotanyi" - 380₽
White chocolate for decoration, confectionery - 200 g - 470₽
Food coloring - 100₽
Total: 6900₽.

Exposure:
For the best exposure, the cake should be kept in deep frost. During the exhibition, the cake must be exhibited in a refrigerated confectionery display case (for example, a confectionery D4 (LATIUM) with built-in lighting, or a Cooleq CW-85 tabletop refrigerated display case). The exhibit must be kept in the freezer during nighttime.

Speculative plane:
As a speculative meditation about the possible implementation of the Charity project, I propose to go beyond the exposition space. Over the next 12 months, a circulation of 12 cakes, numbered and signed by the artist, will be produced specifically for the cafe. One portion (100 g) of each cake will be given free to the young artists, the residents of the Garage Museum. The rest - 51 portions - will be sold at the average price of 350₽. All earnings will be transferred to the Garage Museum.