Aksenov Family Foundation supported the publication of the catalogue to “Balagan!!! Contemporary Art from Former Soviet Union and Other Mythical Places” exhibition curated by David Elliot, and organised by MOMENTUM Berlin for the Nordwind Festival 2015. The exhibition brought together 150 artworks by 75 artists from 14 countries from former USSR and the Eastern Bloc. To accompany the exhibition, a 265-page illustrated catalogue, edited by David Elliot and designed by Barnbrook, was produced. The book also tells the backstory of the “Balagan!!!” in theatre and art.
“Balagan!!!” by David Elliot brings together artists from a region that is not so much defined by geographical borders, but by the shared histories and experiences of the people who live there that circulate further afield in the form of stories and perspectives that all are able to enjoy or appreciate.
Balagan, a word that evokes a multitude of references ricocheting between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, reveals two major aspects of the generation of contemporary artists that are shown in this exhibition. The first is their energy and dynamic diversity, but this is followed by the dissonant unity of their highly individual voices that resounds throughout the world in a complex, polyphonic chorus.
The project of David Elliot brings together artists from a region that is not so much defined by geographical borders, but by the shared histories and experiences of the people who live there that circulate further afield in the form of stories and perspectives that all are able to enjoy or appreciate.
The following artists are represented in the catalogue:
AES + F (Russia), Afrika (Sergey Bugaev) (Russia), Vyacheslav Akhunov (Uzbekistan), Shaarbek Amankul (Kyrgyzstan), Evgeny Antufiev (Russia), Lutz Becker (UK / Germany), Blue Noses Group (Russia), Sergey Bratkov (Ukraine), Yvon Chabrowski (Germany), Olga Chernysheva (Russia), Valery Chtak (Russia), Chto Delat? (Russia), Vladimir Dubossarsky (Russia), Andrej Dubravsky (Slovakia), Natalia Dyu (Kazakhstan), Sasha Frolova (Russia), Ivan Gorshkov (Russia), Georgy Guryanov (Russia), Dmitry Gutov (Russia), Sitara Ibrahimova (Azerbaijan), Nikita Kadan (Ukraine), Aleksey Kallima (Russia), Polina Kanis (Russia), Krištof Kintera (Czech Republic), Francizka Klotz (Germany), Irina Korina (Russia), Egor Koshelev (Russia), Katarzyna Kozyra (Poland), Olya Kroytor (Russia), Gaisha Madanova (Kazakhstan), Vladislav Mamyshev-Monroe (Russia), Natalie Maximova (Russia), Yerbossyn Meldibekov (Kazakhstan), Almagul Menlibayeva (Kazakhstan), Boris Mikhailov (Ukraine), Ciprian Mureşan (Romania), Kriszta Nagy (Tereskova) (Hungary), Deimantas Narkevičius (Lithuania), Ioana Nemes (Romania), Pavel Pepperstein (Russia), Pirate TV (Russia), Sasha Pirogova (Russia), RECYCLE Group (Russia), Mykola Ridnyi (Ukraine), Arsen Savadov (Ukraine), Mariya Sharova / Dmitriy Okruzhnov (Russia), Slavs and Tatars (Eurasia), Haim Sokol (Russia), Leonid Tishkov (Russia), Aleksandr Ugay (Kazakhstan), Oleg Ustinov (Russia), Anastasia Vepreva (Russia), VMS Group (Russia), Stas Volyazlovsky (Ukraine), Viktor Vorobyev / Elena Vorobyeva (Kazakhstan), Vadim Zakharov (Russia), Sergey Zarva (Ukraine), ZIP Group (Russia), Artur Žmijewski (Poland), Constantin Zvezdochotov (Russia).
