This is my rock band – Moonlight

“This is my rock band – Moonlight” is a solo project by Misha Gudwin in Edicola Radetzky, Milan. Misha Gudwin was born in Voronezh and currently lives and works in Paris. In his project “This is my rock band – Moonlight” Misha Goodwin will present an installation inspired by animatronics. It consists of is a duo of mechanical dolls inspired by the rock band “The Rock-afire Explosion”, which was performing around the 1980s and whose stage image also consisted of mechanical animal figures. In the modern culture, animatronics often become characters in Internet folklore - they are used to create creepypasta and Internet horror. Their anthropomorphic appearance can be perceived as both cute and creepy. In his installation, Misha creates a fictional musical group which consists of two characters that resemble an animatronic frame. A teenage rock band is a well-known romantic construct, the embodiment of freedom, the dream of many teenagers is to be famous independent musicians. The study of such subcultural phenomena is a frequent object of interest in Misha’s artistic practice. “It is quite curious that an artist chose the image of the Moon to represent the imaginary rock band, idols for teenagers. Egyptian goddess Isis, associated with the moon acquired special significance in the works of Romanticists as an allegory of "truth." Popular musicians of our time also become figures of cult in a way, similarly to the ancient deities they carry their truths and ideas to the masses. One can even compare their concerts to Isidian mysteries, which in the tradition of Romanticism have been envisaged as theatrical and magic show. If we look to Misha Gudwin’s objects through this lens, we can certainly see them as some sort of theatre decorations.”