Earlier this month, London-based Russian Artist Natalia Kapchuk launched her first solo exhibition. The Lost Planet showcased over thirty artist’s works complemented by apt interior installations, sound, and visuals mesmerising visitors from a large screen. Composed of large-scale installations and a conceptual animated video, the exhibition left an emotional impact on the viewers, invoking an important message regarding the status and future of our precious planet.
The anticipated opening night featured many prominent attendees including the members and representatives of various royal families, fashion designers, well-known actors, media editors, and influencers alike. The guests present enjoyed the immersive art experience created by Kapchuk in collaborations with FprBuro Agency, transforming Unit X gallery into a space reminiscent of a dense jungle, highlighting the works of The Lost Planet series. Those in attendance among the evening’s special guests included Bestselling British author Tyne O’Connell, Prince Shwebomin, Lord Colin Moynihan, Freddie Achom, models Yannick Konan, Eunice Olumide and Misty Bailey among others.
“Art has a way of piercing the soul, speaking to those places we often lock away. Through the power of my art, I want to open those doors, uncovering emotions and glimmers of hope. With The Lost Planet exhibition, I want to spread awareness and show that there is always an opportunity to improve the environmental status of our beloved planet.”
– Natalia Kapchuk
Looking at the one can’t help but understand the importance of Kapchuk’s work, noting the rise of harmful pollution with weather variations becoming increasingly prevalent across the globe. Contrasting the exhibition with elements of live vegetation and cultivated debris, the artist intended to show how such an unsightly scene has become the Earth’s “new normal”.
The exhibition is staged in close collaboration with leading environmental charities Plastic Oceans Europe and Earthwatch Europe. Uniquely displaying her works, the artist showcases the pieces of The Lost Planet across two floors of the Unit X art space. The main level featured works dedicated to the planet’s four main elements and the beauty of nature, eluding to the ills of human activity. The second floor presents works that express the abuse inflicted on the world’s oceans.
The Lost Planet collection of mixed media artworks emphasises how the effects of human influence are changing and destroying nature. This can be seen in the works, ‘The Winner Takes it All’, ‘Priceless Treasure’ and ‘The World is On Fire’. Each piece is at least a meter in diameter, correlating to their impact as works of art and the messages they tell.
In 2022, selected pieces from The Lost Planet series will be displayed at the Czong Institute for Contemporary Art – CICA Museum, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
The Lost Planet exhibition runs from 15th-27th October 2021 at Unit X, London.
Editor in Chief of Ikon London Magazine, journalist, film producer and founder of The DAFTA Film Awards (The DAFTAs).