VR 360 film with interactive elements: executable for Windows 64-bit and tethered Meta Quest headset | 2022
The audience puts on a VR headset and enters the poetic intimate world of memories and thoughts of a woman. This story bridges cinematic and theatre experiences and employs gaze-interactive visual poetry. Creators aim to reveal the harmful impact of white supremacy on the consciousness level. Narrative unfolds in the subconscious state between dream and wake. In her childhood the protagonist meets a girl and they become close friends but then the girl suddenly disappears. Event dramatically affects the protagonistʼs life: she cannot escape the fantasies about her friend. Later, she moves to a big city to model for painters and then makes a successful career as an artist. However, getting older, she still struggles with obsessive ideas about her childhood friend. Eventually, she realizes that the stress of experiencing societyʼs oppression at a young age forced her to extinguish her black identity to be accepted by an oppressive society.
Nikita Shokhov (born 1988, Russia) is an artist and filmmaker born in Russia and based in the United States. In his art practice, he studies the human condition in the 21st century by applying philosophical agendas, immersive technologies, and documentary approach. Studied immersive environments at Virginia Tech; experimental filmmaking at California Institute of the Arts; documentary photography at Rodchenko Art School Moscow; and worked in The Watermill Center theater residency (New York). He had shows in Spring/Break Art Show (LA and NYC), GRAD Gallery (London), ACM IMX, Manifesta Biennale (St. Petersburg).
SOLO SHOWS / SCREENINGS / DIGITAL EXPERIENCES: 2022 — “From Carnival to Russian Drag”, Spring/Break Art Show, Los Angeles 2021 — "Last March", Cube.Moscow 2021 — "Last March", Yeltsin Center, Yekaterinburg 2020 — “Scan| Klaxon”, 11.12 Gallery, Moscow 2019 — “Klaxon”, Cyberfest, Cyland, St. Petersburg
GROUP SHOWS/ BIENNALES / FESTIVALS / SCREENINGS / DIGITAL EXPERIENCES: 2022 — “Dragzina” AR show, 18th Athens Digital Arts Festival, FutuRetro, Athens 2022 — “Klaxon. My Dear Sweet Friend” VR film, Festival of International Virtual and Augmented Reality Stories, Toronto 2021 — “PAIN” AR experience, Biennale Art for the Future, Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow 2020 — BRIDGE TO METAVERSE by Snark.art 2020 — “Sentiments”, Snap Creative Challenge, ACM IMX 2019 — “Darling Angel”, Redcat, Los Angeles 2019 — “The Last Dodo”, CalArts Digital Expo, Los Angeles
AWARDS / GRANTS / RESIDENCIES: 2022 Athens Digital Arts Festival, FutuRetro, official selection, Athens 2022 FIVARS Festival of International Virtual and Augmented Reality Stories, official selection, Toronto 2020 Cannes XR Development Showcase, shortlist, France, 2019 Nova Art award, finalist, Russia 2019 Diversity Grant, CalArts, USA
Press release courtesy Osnova gallery.