Blue Noses Satirize Russian Art Market in 'Proletarian Conceptualism' Exhibition at Guelman Gallery

The Russian artist duo Blue Noses, comprising Alexander Shaburov and Viacheslav Mizin, presented a provocative exhibition titled 'Proletarian Conceptualism' at Guelman Gallery in Moscow from December 22, 2009, to January 21, 2010. Featuring 24 c-prints shot from a bird's-eye view, the works depict the barely dressed artists with two obese, naked women on red fabric reminiscent of the Russian flag, wielding plastic banners shaped as a hammer and circle, dollar sign, or five-point star. One image includes a propaganda portrait of Stalin on a doll nursed by a blond woman wearing a golden crown from Russian folklore, while another shows a woman attempting to fit under a cardboard piece referencing Malevich's Black Square, with her naked buttocks protruding. In a separate photograph, an artist holds a large black star over his genitalia while upside down, gazing at the viewer. The series critiques the burgeoning Russian art market, targeting oligarch collectors and highlighting how nostalgia and specific trends drive commercial success. Blue Noses, known for satirical and humorous provocations since their 1990s origins in Siberia, previously faced censorship when their 2004 work 'An Epoch of Clemency'—depicting two kissing policemen—was banned by Russia's culture minister from a Paris exhibition in 2007. Their approach parallels that of Gilbert & George and the Yes Men, using local cultural themes to challenge social conformity and elite tastes with irony.