La mélancolie de la résistance at Znaki Czasu, Toruń

The exhibition 'La mélancolie de la résistance' at Centre d'art contemporain Znaki Czasu in Toruń, Poland (November 6, 2010 – January 30, 2011) explores how artists from former Soviet republics grapple with the legacy of the Soviet regime. All works are lent by the Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp (M HKA). The title borrows from László Krasznahorkai's novel about a retired music professor who isolates himself to develop a new theory of harmony. The exhibition highlights tensions between isolation and engagement, individual and collective—characteristic of the 'Soviet condition.' Ilya Kabakov's 'In the Closet' (1998) exemplifies the desire for isolation, recreating a closet where the artist hid as a child. Koka Ramishvili's 'War from my Window' (1991) photographs Tbilisi under siege from his window. Andrei Monastyrski, part of the Collective Actions group, creates humorous performances like 'The Slogan' (1978), parodying Soviet graphic design. Vyacheslav Akhunov and Victor Alimpiev deconstruct Soviet propaganda; Alimpiev's 'Ode' (2001) addresses dehumanization. Sergey Bratkov's 'Kuzminki' (2002) depicts a park as a meeting place for Moscow retirees. Curators Daniel Muzyczuk and Agnieszka Pindera successfully fuse personal and political narratives.