New Museum's Ostalgia Exhibition Surveys Eastern European Art Under Socialism
From July 14 to October 2, 2011, the New Museum in New York showcased "Ostalgia," a project that examined artistic interpretations of Soviet socialism across Eastern Europe and former Soviet states. Curated by Massimiliano Gioni, the exhibition included over 50 artists, such as Mirosław Bałka, Anri Sala, and Boris Mikhailov. The term "Ostalgia," inspired by nostalgia for East Germany, set the tone for the event. The Petersburg group Chto Delat? provided a timeline detailing Cold War socialism, featuring video pieces like "Vysocany Congress." Notable works included Kovanda's performances, Hajas's Self Fashion Show, and Mekas's compilation on Lithuanian independence. The catalog contained essays by Viktor Misiano and others, addressing themes of nostalgia and the repoliticization of art amidst survival and resistance under socialism.
Key facts
- Exhibition titled Ostalgia at New Museum, New York
- Ran from July 14 to October 2, 2011
- Curated by Massimiliano Gioni
- Featured over 50 artists from Eastern Europe and former Soviet republics
- Included West European artists Thomas Schütte, Simon Starling, Susan Philipsz, Phil Collins
- Title derived from German term Ostalgie meaning nostalgia for the East
- Exhibition explored artistic responses to Soviet socialism
- Catalog included essays by Viktor Misiano, Joanna Mytkowska, Boris Groys, Bojana Pejić
Entities
Artists
- Mirosław Bałka
- Anri Sala
- Roman Ondák
- Thomas Schütte
- Simon Starling
- Susan Philipsz
- Phil Collins
- Jiří Kovanda
- Tibor Hajas
- Stanislav Filko
- Julius Koller
- Boris Mikhailov
- Nikolay Bakharev
- Evgenij Kozlov (E-E)
- Aneta Grzeszykowska
- Hamlet Hovsepian
- Vladimir Arkhipov
- Deimantas Narkevičius
- Jonas Mekas
- Irina Botea
- Harun Farocki
- Andrei Ujica
- Jasmila Žbanić
- Andra Ursuţa
- David Ter-Oganyan
- Yael Bartana
- Neo Rauch
- Edi Rama
- Massimiliano Gioni
- Viktor Misiano
- Joanna Mytkowska
- Boris Groys
- Bojana Pejić
- Charity Scribner
- Susan Stewart
- Walter Benjamin
- Alise Tifentale
- Slavenka Drakulić
- Artis Svece
- Éva Forgács
- Alexander Lobanov
- Anna Zemánková
- Evgeny Antufiev
- Evgeny Kozlov
- Geta Bratescu
- Bruce Nauman
- Richard Serra
- Vito Acconci
- Joseph Beuys
- Fischli and Weiss
- Roger Fry
- Svetlana Boym
- Victor Misiano
- Ekaterina Degot
- Vladimir Nabokov
- Joseph Brodsky
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
- Milan Kundera
- Václav Havel
- Nana Asfour
- Walter Robinson
- Peter Osnos
- Aleksis Osmanis
- Hal Foster
- Claire Bishop
- Mark Allen Svede
- Susan Snodgrass
- Māra Rubene
- Valdis Bērziņš
- Inese Baranovska
Institutions
- New Museum
- Chto Delat? (What is to Be Done?)
- Learning Film Group
- University of Chicago
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- MIT Press
- ARTMargins Online
- Norton and Nancy Dodge Collection of Soviet Nonconformist Art
- Washington Post
- Artnet Magazine
- Time Out New York
- The Atlantic
- Village Voice
- Centropa
- October
- Studija
- Foto Kvartals
- Artists’ Union of Latvia
- Tapals
- Neputns
- HarperPerennial
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Petersburg
- Russia
- Prague
- Czech Republic
- Belgrade
- Serbia
- Budapest
- Hungary
- St. Petersburg
- Warsaw
- Poland
- Vilnius
- Lithuania
- Chicago
- Tirana
- Albania
- Baltimore
- London
- Cambridge
- Yalta
- Riga
- Latvia
- Moscow
- Romania
- Croatia
- Eastern Europe
- Soviet Republics
- Central Europe
- Southern Europe
- Northern Europe
- Asia
- Western Europe
Sources
- ARTMargins —
- ARTMargins —