current
exhibitions
exhibitions
Ruslan Gudiev: Shifted Diagonal
RARARES Gallery presents “Shifted Diagonal”, a new solo exhibition by Ruslan Gudiev, marking a conceptual continuation of his acclaimed project “A Fragment of the Big Diagonal” (Moscow Museum of Modern Art, 2023).
If the “Big Diagonal” traced the life-long trajectory of Gudiev’s artistic language — from the spontaneous gesture of abstract expressionism to the rigorous geometry of color and form — “Shifted Diagonal” reorients the viewer’s gaze. The exhibition moves beyond retrospection into analysis: it shifts the axis of perception, exploring how an artist’s vision can evolve by altering the coordinates of seeing itself.
From Fragment to Shift
In “A Fragment of the Big Diagonal”, the diagonal served as a structural metaphor — a line of motion, tension, and continuity across time and media.
In “Shifted Diagonal”, that same line is displaced, refracted through new material and emotional states. Gudiev treats this shift not as rupture but as recalibration — a process of viewing abstraction anew, through memory, geometry, and rhythm.
As in his recent “Network of Raindrops” series, Gudiev’s compositions pulse with fluid connectivity, where each form becomes a node in a wider structure of intuition and intellect . Yet, unlike the lyrical interlacing of “Raindrops,” the works in “Shifted Diagonal” reveal a sharper, more analytical gaze — the artist turning inward, dissecting his own pictorial syntax.
A Geometry of Reflection
The exhibition unfolds as a dialogue between structure and drift, discipline and impulse.
Lines intersect like architectural beams or musical intervals — always in motion, yet always returning to a silent center. The palette oscillates between the restrained monochrome of Gudiev’s early works and the saturated chromatic grids of his recent period (City by Day, Dynamic City, Dialogues with K.M.).
Through this synthesis, Gudiev reaffirms his belief — articulated in his own artist statement — that “the task of an artist is to formulate ideas that move the modern world forward, not merely reflect it.”
In “Shifted Diagonal,” that formulation becomes both subject and method: each painting is an idea in motion, each form a step toward a renewed harmony.
A Continuum Between Worlds
Gudiev’s practice, spanning over four decades, bridges painting, design, and architecture.
From the tactile, almost geological abstraction of his early 1990s canvases to the digital rhythm and architectural logic of his 2020s compositions, his art continues to oscillate between the material and the metaphysical.
If “A Fragment of the Big Diagonal” spoke in the language of history — assembling decades of artistic thought into one monumental narrative — “Shifted Diagonal” speaks in the language of present consciousness: a focused study of transformation, of seeing differently, of allowing the diagonal to drift, bend, and re-emerge under a new light.
Curated by: Marina Baisel
● On Display: 26 of November - 25th of January
● Venue: RARARES Gallery, Zone C, Gate Avenue, DIFC
If the “Big Diagonal” traced the life-long trajectory of Gudiev’s artistic language — from the spontaneous gesture of abstract expressionism to the rigorous geometry of color and form — “Shifted Diagonal” reorients the viewer’s gaze. The exhibition moves beyond retrospection into analysis: it shifts the axis of perception, exploring how an artist’s vision can evolve by altering the coordinates of seeing itself.
From Fragment to Shift
In “A Fragment of the Big Diagonal”, the diagonal served as a structural metaphor — a line of motion, tension, and continuity across time and media.
In “Shifted Diagonal”, that same line is displaced, refracted through new material and emotional states. Gudiev treats this shift not as rupture but as recalibration — a process of viewing abstraction anew, through memory, geometry, and rhythm.
As in his recent “Network of Raindrops” series, Gudiev’s compositions pulse with fluid connectivity, where each form becomes a node in a wider structure of intuition and intellect . Yet, unlike the lyrical interlacing of “Raindrops,” the works in “Shifted Diagonal” reveal a sharper, more analytical gaze — the artist turning inward, dissecting his own pictorial syntax.
A Geometry of Reflection
The exhibition unfolds as a dialogue between structure and drift, discipline and impulse.
Lines intersect like architectural beams or musical intervals — always in motion, yet always returning to a silent center. The palette oscillates between the restrained monochrome of Gudiev’s early works and the saturated chromatic grids of his recent period (City by Day, Dynamic City, Dialogues with K.M.).
Through this synthesis, Gudiev reaffirms his belief — articulated in his own artist statement — that “the task of an artist is to formulate ideas that move the modern world forward, not merely reflect it.”
In “Shifted Diagonal,” that formulation becomes both subject and method: each painting is an idea in motion, each form a step toward a renewed harmony.
A Continuum Between Worlds
Gudiev’s practice, spanning over four decades, bridges painting, design, and architecture.
From the tactile, almost geological abstraction of his early 1990s canvases to the digital rhythm and architectural logic of his 2020s compositions, his art continues to oscillate between the material and the metaphysical.
If “A Fragment of the Big Diagonal” spoke in the language of history — assembling decades of artistic thought into one monumental narrative — “Shifted Diagonal” speaks in the language of present consciousness: a focused study of transformation, of seeing differently, of allowing the diagonal to drift, bend, and re-emerge under a new light.
Curated by: Marina Baisel
● On Display: 26 of November - 25th of January
● Venue: RARARES Gallery, Zone C, Gate Avenue, DIFC
artist's works