A 250 metre long red carpet appeared a few days ago in Moscow, in the lime tree forest in the park dedicated to Kazimir Malevich. It is an installation by Russian artist Gregory Orekhov, who has returned to the place where last year he presented an enormous mirror sculpture with a work analysing the relationship between man and the greatness of nature. 

“Nowhere“, the title of the installation, looks like a real red polypropylene carpet cutting through the park, which is completely covered in snow at this time of year. Its bright colour creates a strong visual contrast with the white of the snow, but the aesthetic aspect is not the most important aspect of this intervention, although it is breathtaking. 

Gregory Orekhov utilizza il tappeto rosso e ne ribalta completamente il ruolo. Storicamente, questo elemento, nasce con un significato cerimoniale: nell’antica greci delineava il percorso dei vincitori, poi è diventato immancabile nei momenti di ricevimento delle famiglie reali, di imperatori e ora di leader politici.
Oggi lo vediamo anche durante cerimonie come quella degli Oscar a Hollywood o altri eventi con presenza di celebrità. 

Gregory Orekhov uses the red carpet and completely overturns its role. Historically, this element was born with a ceremonial meaning: in ancient Greece, it outlined the path of the victors, then it became inevitable in the moments of reception of royal families, emperors and now political leaders.
Today, we also see it at ceremonies such as the Oscars in Hollywood or other events attended by celebrities. 

In each of these cases, the eyes are always on the person walking the red carpet, far more important than those watching from afar. With “Nowhere”, Gregory Orekhov invites us onto his red carpet, which has a surprise in store: those who walk along it will not be admired by anyone, but will find themselves surrounded by the beauty of nature, which will become the undisputed star. 

But the installation also has another meaning: the carpet seen from above takes on the appearance of a dividing line, a limit. It is here that Orekhov asks us: “What is the line that must not be crossed under any circumstances? What is the line that demarcates what is acceptable and what we absolutely cannot accept?