Artworks Document Soviet Mega-Dams as Socialist Anthropocene Landmarks

A scholarly article examines state-commissioned artworks depicting four mega-dams built in Ukraine, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Siberia from the 1930s to 1960s. These hydroforming projects were central to the planned economy, driving heavy industry expansion, resource extraction, and social mobilization while enlisting nature for socialist construction. Artists Gustavs Klucis, Issak Brodsky, Mikayil Abdullayev, Ural Tansykbayev, and Wolfgang Mattheuer created representations analyzed through the Socialist Anthropocene concept. The study reveals the geological scale of hydraulic interventions, their ties to social transformation goals, and shifting environmental policies. It questions whether socialist realism merely celebrated Soviet industrialization or also offered implicit critique of social and ecological impacts. Published in ARTMargins Volume 14, Issue 2, pages 11-38, with a DOI of 10.1162/artm_a_00411, the article is available via MIT Press under subscription access. Authored by Maja Fowkes and Reuben Fowkes, it was published on June 25, 2025.