Gaiety Is the Most Outstanding Feature of the Soviet Union: Art from Russia

Exhibition of works by contemporary Russian artists at the Saatchi Gallery.

Oh dear I think I started by not understanding the title as I found most of the works quite depressing. I liked the way they were shown and allowed to stand on their own without explanation but maybe in my case a bit of explanation was needed!

There were interesting vertigo inducing large photographs of people sitting in the windows of high rise buildings by Vikenti Nilin. However I found the photos of the homeless by Boris Mikhailov moving but profoundly depressing.

I did however love the large townscapes by Yalery Koshlyakov particularly the one of the Paris Opera painted on torn up cardboard boxes. Despite the fact it looks quite coarsely painted they worked from a distance and close to.

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