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Have a seat, lean back and "Buckle your seatbelts!", because the plane is cleared for take-off. The Hamburg-based artist MIR loads in OZM HAMMERBROOKLYN with his exhibition Fasten your seat belt to a special journey. Nothing here is what it seems at first glance. This also applies to the title of the exhibition chosen by the artist: because this is not just the English-language aircraft announcement to please buckle up, but also a symbolic message from MIR on the current situation and the measures taken. Through the "psychological buckle up" society is forced to live with restrictions. Sometimes you need a life jacket to keep yourself going, which is also a kind of art. The works of MIR all originated before the spread of the corona virus in Europe and therefore seem like a prophecy for the imminent future.

Raised in the Soviet Union, Alexei studied Mirnyi aka MIR in Leningrad restoration and painting; In 1994 he came to Hamburg. Inspired by the individuality of those who left their art in the streets of Hamburg without being asked MIR even to work on the walls of the city. In his studio he finally developed his own style of painting, "Inforealism", which combines Cyrillic letters with pictograms on wall-like canvases. MIRs “Inforealism” means writing down stories and making them visible. However, in a completely new way of presentation, because its energetic working method gives it an informal character. The painter places his challenging content on backgrounds that suggest the impression of corroded house walls and thus convey the constant urban change. His works contain enigmatic messages that, in connection with his Russian origins and current events, acquire a new topicality.

"Bon Voyage" wishes us MIR with his new exhibition in the OZM Art Space Gallery. He takes us on a journey into the unconscious, tries to break through the masquerade in order to activate his painted messages in us. The values, specially designed for the exhibition, leave any doubt about a complex and sometimes very disturbing environment and open the horizon again.