Maxim Zhestkov is an artist who examines the connections of physical and digital realities. Divided by a permeable membrane, these two worlds exist in a constant exchange and redefine one another. Zhestkov acts on their intersection: manifesting the continuity of exploration, he imagines new worlds and expands the understanding of the phenomena present in our universe. As a designer and creative director, he co-founded design studio Media.Work and game studio Cosmos Interactive.
In these works over the span of the last 5 years, Maxim Zhestkov has been exploring relations between physical and digital spaces and subjects, devising scenarios of the future and experimenting with complex systems and the processes within them. Combining digital simulations, architecture, cinematography and sound, Zhestkov’s art films are intricate captivating pieces that combine aesthetic experience with philosophical investigations of existence, consciousness, agency, progress, and many more. The message of his art exploration is to find ways out of implicit limits of comprehension: capturing the unexpected, Maxim aspires to open doors to the unknown and spotlight the unseen.