It might be said that Mikhail Smaglyuk is the genius loci of Krasnodar, or even of the whole art scene in the south of Russia. His Krasnodar studio is a place of remarkable objects and events, resembling a magical shop from the movies or Hoffmann’s fairy tales, where transfigured objects come to life and begin to spin and turn. They grow wings and emit light, while unseen doors and curtains begin to open. As the chief wizard and master of ceremonies, Smaglyuk knows all the secrets of this space and controls it with aplomb. The Triennial reproduces several parts of the studio that combine everyday mysticism in the spirit of the Russian absurdist group OBERIU (1928–1931), precisely crafted objects, and the poetry of a complex visual system. Taken together, they constitute a total installation, possibly the most Russian genre in contemporary art.

Mikhail Smaglyuk (b. 1951, Krasnodar, Russia) lives and works in Krasnodar. Since 1981, he has worked as a restorer at the Felitsyn State Historical and Archeological Reserve. He is a member of the Russian Artists Union and an Honored Artist of Kuban. In 2016, he founded Glyuk Contemporary Art Studio, Krasnodar. Solo exhibitions include: Sheep in the Meadow, Glyuk Contemporary Art Studio, Krasnodar (2016) and The Other Side of the World, Lestnitsa Gallery, Krasnodar (2013). Group exhibitions include: Green Homestead, Typography Cultural Center, Krasnodar (2016); MOST, Kovalenko Art Museum, Krasnodar (2015); Builders of Spring, Typography Cultural Center, Krasnodar (2014); and The Measure of Things, Kovalenko Art Museum, Krasnodar (2011).