M HKA Ensembles

° 1991

Born in Grozny,Chechnya (RU), lives in Grozny, Chechnya (RU).

Aslan Gaisumov (Ġoisum) completed his studies at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in Moscow in 2012. As of 2016, he studied at the Higher Institute for Fine Arts (HISK) in Ghent.

In a reaction to the historic fate of his country (not least, also the two wars in Chechnya in 1994 and 2009), Ġoisum develops an oeuvre that bases itself on the personal and collective memory, but where he also knows how to transform and transcend this. His works balance and are positioned between visual directness and social commentary, between the transitory and the monumental. The videos and installations mostly consist of found objects, and of objects that are consciously made by him. Sometimes Ġoisum also exhibits photos and works on paper.

Aslan Ġoisum is loyal to the culture in which he was born, but he is also ready to formulate his own contrary standpoint. He does not avoid major or difficult topics, such as history, culture and identity, and just as little does he let his critical attitude overshadow his search for the aesthetically convincing.

In 2019, the artist officially changed his surname from the Russified version "Gaysumov" to the Chechen "Ġoisum".