Alexander Petrelli (Overcoat Gallery) Archive

The archive contains materials related to the activities of Alexander Petrelli’s Overcoat Gallery from the 1990s to 2024. Overcoat is a mobile gallery of contemporary art and Petrelli is its only employee, or, as he calls himself, “gallery carrier.” Exhibitions take place in his overcoat, with works—often made specifically for the gallery—fixed to the lining with safety pins. The works often respond to the event where Petrelli takes his gallery, be it an exhibition or an art fair.

The project was invented by the group Pertsy [Peppers] (Oleg Petrenko and Ludmila Skripkina), but since 1996 Petrelli has been the only organizer of its exhibitions. Since its launch, the gallery has shown works by many artists, including the older generation (Igor Makarevich and Elena Elagina, Konstantin Zvezdochotov, Viktor Pivovarov, Mitki Group, George Kiesewalter) and younger creators (Irina Korina, Dmitry Gutov, MishMash Group, Daria Konovalova‑Infante, David Ter‑Oganyan, Rostan Tavasiev, Valery Chtak).

The archive includes exhibits from various years, wall texts, photographs, pricelists, ephemera, and a selection of press clippings about the gallery. It also contains works by artists not directly related to Overcoat Gallery: screenprints by AES+F and Blue Noses, Oleg Petrenko’s works on paper, and objects by Pertsy and Konstantin Zvezdochotov.

About the Archivist

Alexander Petrelli (b. 1968 Odessa) is a Russian artist and organizer of exhibitions at Overcoat Gallery. In the 1990s, he was part of the artists’ circle at Furmanny Lane and Chistoprudny Boulevard. In 1995, together with the group Pertsy, he founded Overcoat Gallery. From 1997 to 2004 he was the organizer and a member of the Group Di Papl pod faneru. Since 2011, he has been part of the New Normal movement as a member of the group Vydelenia with Konstantin Zvezdochotov and Alena Ivanova‑Johanson. He lives and works in Moscow.