The HSE Art Gallery at the Winzavod Center for Contemporary Art presents the second part of the anniversary final exhibition of the PPSS art group—the creative duo of artist and writer Pavel Pepperstein, the inventor of "psychedelic realism," and multimedia artist Sonya Stereostorsky, a graduate of the HSE School of Design.

The first part of the project runs at the gallery's branch on Pionerka Street until March 25 and is a classic final exhibition. The second part at the Winzavod Center for Contemporary Art develops this line and offers an immersion into the artistic world of the PPSS, where carnival, conceptual ideas, and work with cultural archetypes create the artist's unique perception of modernity.

Some of the works in the exhibition explore the group's continuity with Moscow Conceptualism—primarily with the practice of Andrei Monastyrsky and the "Inspection 'Medical Hermeneutics,'" group, co-founded by Pavel Pepperstein. At the same time, the PPSS is developing its own strategy. While Moscow Conceptualism was built on a breakdown within a strict bureaucratic aesthetic, in the PPSS this arrhythmia is transformed into a rhythm—musical, performative, and mass—as the artists themselves call it, "carnival conceptualism."

"Recalling Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of carnivalesque, one could say that carnival is based on a mundus inversus (an inverted world). In our case, mass culture is "at the top," and intellectual commentary is "at the bottom." Overall, the group's practice can be defined as a bridge between the "study of the holiday" and the "festival of research,"" according to the PPSS group's commentary on the exhibition.

〉 KEY WORKS

The PPSS method combines an analytical approach with play and pop culture. In the programmatic work "VEF" (2021), the artists listen to a multilayered soundscape—from pop hits and classical music to commercials and white noise. This appeal to the "mass" is also evident in their work with biographical material: Sonya Stereostorski's early hip-hop experiences are reimagined as part of the group's artistic mythology in the video work "Ascent" (2026), and the theme of collective participation is developed in the video work "Karaoke" (2026).

Part of the exhibition is dedicated to the PPSS feature-length film "White Noise" (2021), one of the group's key works. Structured as an artistic parable, the film deliberately eschews historical accuracy. The visual language of the film combines staged scenes and archival fragments, multilayered image processing, and a complex sound composition, creating an atmosphere of stylized historical fantasy. The exhibition presents the film not only as a video but also as a medium: masks, costumes, and props used in the filming are on display. A continuation of the filmmaking approach was the Crystal Pyramid Award, established by the artists in 2023—an initiative aimed at supporting creators working at the intersection of contemporary art and feature-length film. The first prize, in the spirit of the group's characteristic self-irony, was awarded to the film "White Noise."
Separate sections of the exhibition are dedicated to the PPSS collaboration with students from the HSE School of Art and Design. In the project "Mythogenic Love of Castes in Comics," they are creating their own comic book versions of fragments from the cult novel by Pavel Pepperstein and Sergey Anufriev, and in collaboration with the Poster Lab, led by Yuri Gulitov, they are developing original posters for the film "White Noise." These formats emphasize the PPSS's important focus on collective work and the involvement of young creators in the artistic process.

PUBLISHING PROGRAM
The anniversary project is accompanied by a broad publishing program for print formats. Some of the PPSS art group's works are already available as collectible reproductions on the artz.work platform: you can save them to your profile, adding them to your personal digital collection, or order a printed interior poster to continue the exhibition experience in your home or workspace.

A digital catalog is planned for the opening of the second part of the exhibition, along with a series of printed art objects developed in line with the PPSS artistic mythology. This approach to the publishing program allows the exhibition project to extend its life beyond the gallery, documenting the group's visual and conceptual language and making it accessible to both the professional community and the general public.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

The PPSS art group is the creative duo of Pavel Pepperstein and Sonya Stereostorski. The group was founded on August 17, 2020.

Pavel Pepperstein (b. 1966) is a conceptual artist, painter, graphic artist, poet, prose writer, creator of fiction and philosophical texts, actor, director of experimental films, rapper, and fashion designer. He was one of the founders of the group "Inspection Medical Hermeneutics" (active from 1987 to 2001). He co-authored the cult novel "Mythogenic Love of Castes" (with Sergey Anufriev). He is also the creator of the "psychedelic realism" movement.

Sonya Stereostorski (b. 1998) is an artist, author of artistic and philosophical texts, conceptual objects, and installations. She is also a video artist, animator, and rapper. She is a graduate of the HSE School of Art and Design. She works in the fields of multimedia art, experimental film, and performance, and is also a painter and graphic artist.

Over the years of collaboration, the PPSS group has emerged as a multimedia art association, claiming to be the legal successor to the Medical Hermeneutics Inspection and the continuer of the traditions of Moscow Romantic Conceptualism and psychedelic realism. From 2021 to 2025, the PPSS art group completed a number of major solo projects and participated in over ten group exhibitions, presenting their works at leading institutions and galleries. The group also actively collaborates with publishing and interdisciplinary formats. Completed projects include books, collective art publications, performance events, and a full-length feature film. PPSS's works have been exhibited at the Cosmoscow fair and are held in museum and private collections, including the AZ Museum, the PROMETHEUS Foundation, and the ART4 Museum.