The sculptural character of the human figure is a recurring element in his work. He treats his actors as a painter flinging paint at the canvas. The bio-mechanic training methods that the Russian actor and theatre director Vsevolod Meyerhold developed in the first half of the twentieth century seem to be a major influence. Alimpiev orchestrates his actors, he lets them carry out rituals and lets them move collectively within theatrical settings. The result is similar in a way to Aernout Mik’s work, but Alimpiev’s camera work and image manipulation create a surreal atmosphere that brings him closer to Matthew Barney. The best way to describe Alimpiev’s modus operandi is ‘lyrical suggestivity’. He gives the impression of trusting on his intuition in his use of music and his editing of images. While documentary tendencies seem to be predominant in the contemporary visual arts, Alimpiev emphatically chooses for artificiality. Alimpiev offers a glimpse of a world that is situated somewhere above our own. For the duration of the work, we share an intense moment of extraordinary beauty. Sublime in the truest sense of the word.

Sweet Nightingale (Russia, 2005, single projection and three monitors, 6:00 min, loop)
Summer Lightnings (Russia, 2004, single projection, 3:00 min, loop)