"Private Moon" series by Leonid Tishkov

'Private Moon' (2003 until now) is a project by Russian artist Leonid Tishkov. Leonid and his illuminated moon have since traveled the world – Russia, New Zealand, The Arctic, Japan, China, France, Italy and more. Private Moon, is amobile installation and visual poem telling the story of a man who met the Moon and stayed with her forever.

Leonid Tishkov describes what inspired private moon series:

“Ten years ago I created this installation with the glowing moon at one of the festivals of contemporary art. I wanted to make a picture of the reality of my favorite artist – Belgian surrealist Rene Magritte. After  that I brought the moon to the roof of my studio on a skyscraper on the South of Moscow, where she shone to me personally, and brightened my loneliness”.

 “I initially did this project for myself, then it became public.” – Leonid says – “The beginning was in Linz, Austria, in 2009, when I offered to take anyone to the moon and make a personal light installation where they live. For more than six months the Moon traveled from person to person. Everyone could feel like an artist, everyone could experience a touch of poetry. Also – the object (moon) multiplied… Arctic Moon consists of four parts – two-meters would not fit to the plane that flies from Tromso to Longirbyuen. Finally, in China this year, it has grown to a full moon!”

About Leonid Tishkov

He was born into a teacher’s family in small town of Russia, Urals in 1953, and now lives and works in Moscow. He has participated in numerous important group exhibitions including Berlin-Moskau Moskau-Berlin 1950-2000, Berlin, Martin Gropius Bau (2002), Eye on Europe, 1960 to Now - MoMA - Museum of Modern Art, NY(2006), Fabric of the Myth, Compton Verney Gallery, UK(2007), Singapore Biennale (2008) and Moscow Biennale (2009).

Solo exhibitions include Nasher Museum of Duke University , Duram (1993), Museo de Arte Contemporeneo de Caracas Sofia Imber, Venezuela (1995), Block Museum, Northwestern University, Evanston (1996),  Fargfabriken, Center for Contemporary Art, Stockholm, Sweden (1998), Center for Contemporary Art Uajzdowski castle, Warsaw (2007), Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan ( 2009, 2012), Moscow Museum of Modern Art (2010).

More about the artist http://leonid-tishkov.blogspot.com