Recycle Group at Gazelli Art House, London

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How did you first meet and start collaborating as artists?

We have known each other since childhood, but did our first project together as “Recycle Group” in 2008. Before that we worked separately but always advised each other, after realising that each of us have a role in creating the work and we started to work as a group.

Where does the name, Recycle Group come from?

It was the name of the first exhibition that we did together in 2008 after that everybody started to call us those guys from recycle.

As an artistic duo, what is the breakdown of your roles?

We create everything together, each of us works with production also so there isn’t any particular role breakdown.

Your exhibition at Gazelli Art House, is called Keep Me Updated Your Holiness. Tell us about the title?

This is inspired by the new Nazca lines that were used as a messages to the divine.

With this project we tried to convey the importance of applications (turning them into icons) that we all use to show how the Divine would communicate with humans today, as before it communicated through other people as prophets etc, suggesting the internet as the vehicle for faith as it is now possible to provide the information directly, showing all humans the same message.

In the exhibition you will introduce your two most recent bodies of work Conversion—recently shown at the 56th Venice Biennale—and new work Future Archaeology. Conversion was originally shown in the Church of Sant’Antonin in Venice. Tell us about the works and how the installation has changed at Gazelli Art House?

At Gazelli Art House we are showing four works from the Conversion project. These works were selected, as they have the same concept as the whole exhibition. It is very interesting to mix kinetic works also with works from the Venice project, as it gives them more meaning.

And Future Archaeology involves a series of photographs shown by a Robotic Assistant? Please elaborate?

Yes, it is like a post-human era where all people have disappeared and only robots can shows photos of the last civilization. It is like a retro-futurism term that was created by Arnauld Pierre. Also in these photos you can see land art with new Nazca lines.

I understand this the first time you have worked with photography?

Yes it is first time we have worked with photography, we did this project in Iceland and had an amazing experience!

Your work investigates the endless stream of virtual information that flows into all spheres of human activity. Is it all critical? Are their any positive messages about these changes to contemporary lifestyle?

We aren't trying to teach people and say what is good or bad, we are just trying to show a version of futurology. There are a lot of positive messages, for example each person can remain forever inside this virtual world because it is immortal. —[O]

Main image: Andrey Blokhin and Georgy Kuznetsov of Recycle Group © Recycle Group.