On March 10, the opening of the exhibition "And I felt annoyed that I did not have and will not have time to do art" took place. Images of Lenin from the collection of Igor Sukhanov”.
The project talks about the changes in the image, leaving the political figure outside the scope of the study. This project should not be perceived as a parody of the anniversary Soviet exhibitions and Leninians, as a nostalgic show or a joke. The exhibition is an attempt to present a private collection and private interest in a topic that not so long ago enjoyed the status of paramount state importance.
“Among the representatives of the“last Soviet generation”, I am sure, there are many people who are not only accustomed to the Lenin-icon, as in my case, but also really sympathize with the once-lived Vladimir Ilyich and are in awe of the merits of this, one cannot but admit, a brilliant and successful revolutionary and politician. I hope they will be delighted with the classic images of Soviet Leninianism in my collection and will not be particularly saddened by the gentle humor of the artists of the last three decades,”said Igor Sukhanov.
The exhibition presents works by Andy Warhol, Pavel Pepperstein, Georgy Alekseev, the Doping-Pong art group, Slava ATGM, the Blue Noses group, Vladislav Mamyshev-Monroe, Haim Sokol and many others. Together they talk about Lenin as "a restless ghost, as a radioactive legacy."
Curators: Alexander Dashevsky, Igor Sukhanov.
The guests of the evening were: Katya Bochavar, Vasilisa Gusarova, Fyodor Gamaleya, Alisa Prudnikova, Philip Mironov, Alexandra Kheifets, Lydia Lobanova, Salavat Timiryasov, French Ambassador Pierre Levy, German Ambassador Geza Andreas von Gayr, Anton Karetnikov, Vera and Alexey Kalashnikov, Ksenia …
Katya Bochavar: “A colossal and very important exhibition. It reminds us of those times when freedom was growing step by step in our country. The overthrow of idols is the first and important step in this matter. Especially today it is important to mentally return to this state of struggle with phantoms and instilled fears imposed on you. This is exactly what I thought when I started making a series of wearable mini-sculptures "Lenin as a Superhero", one of which is presented at the exhibition, which I am terribly proud of."
Vasilisa Gusarova: “Honestly, I did not expect such vivid impressions from the exhibition and was biased towards the topic. After all, Lenin was such an intrusive, blurry way that it was difficult to imagine more than the work of Warhol. The collection, exhibiting and intelligible curatorial thought made me absolutely delighted. I remembered that Kuryokhin's video, which I watched as a teenager, was one of the first signals: “I understand the deconstruction of meanings, I know postmodernism, it's in my head.” And this is the path that I did myself and early, and millions of people had to accept this state of the world along with its change, sometimes through force."
The exhibition is open until April 11 at the ART4 gallery (Khlynovsky blind alley, 4).
Read more on the website.
