Dmitry Gutov's 'Used' Exhibition at Guelman Gallery Reanimates Soviet-Era Objects

Dmitry Gutov's exhibition 'Used' took place at Moscow's Guelman Gallery from April 3 to 23, 2008. The showcase included thirteen wall assemblages crafted from discarded items sourced from his parents' garage, all welded onto metal grids measuring 78×46 inches. Featured objects, such as bicycles, vacuum cleaners, radios, and cameras from the 1960s, represent Gutov's interpretation of a hopeful Soviet past. He seeks to reclaim their significance, alluding to themes of de-Stalinization and private ownership. As a supporter of Marxist-Leninist aesthetics, Gutov plans to sell these sculptures, signaling a farewell to the democratic aspirations of the 1960s and modernist art in the context of Russia's current neoliberal transformation. His welding skills, honed during Documenta 2007, resonate with the works of Ilya Kabakov and Joseph Cornell. 'Used' encapsulates 'the future in the past.'