Viktor Misiano Analyzes the Transformation of Russia's Art System from Soviet to Hypercapitalist
In a 2009 article for artpress, curator Viktor Misiano examines the evolution of Russia's art scene following the dissolution of the USSR. He posits that a new, market-oriented art system emerged in post-Soviet Russia, supplanting the traditional intelligentsia with a mix of merchants, managers, and sponsors. Unlike their Western counterparts, Russian artists in the 1990s built the market's framework. The piece explores the ideological transition from Soviet Marxism to market capitalism, shaped by leaders like Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. By the 2000s, under Vladimir Putin's regime, cultural policies began to mirror business strategies, resulting in a corporate-style art community. Misiano points to the collective Chto Delat as a significant voice promoting an "exodus" approach and questions if Russia's hypermodernity mirrors Western trends.
Key facts
- Viktor Misiano was director of the Moscow Center for Contemporary Art from 1992 to 1997.
- The essay was published in artpress in 2009.
- Misiano argues post-Soviet Russia built a new market-driven art system rather than modernizing Soviet institutions.
- New art system replaced intelligentsia with merchants, managers, PR agents, fundraisers, collectors, and sponsors.
- Russian artists in the 1990s created market infrastructure, not just critiqued it.
- Under Putin, cultural policy merged with business strategy, using public funds for commercial projects.
- Art community became a corporation with three rules: marketable products, no criticism of market/state, suppress internal critique.
- Chto Delat collective advocates 'exodus' strategy and parallel art production.
- Misiano cites Alain Badiou, Jacques Derrida, Walter Benjamin, Boris Groys, and Giorgio Agamben.
- Essay references Soviet intellectuals' admiration for Thatcher, Reagan, and Pinochet.
Entities
Artists
- Viktor Misiano
- Alain Badiou
- Jacques Derrida
- Walter Benjamin
- Boris Groys
- Giorgio Agamben
- Marquis de Custine
- Vladimir Putin
- Margaret Thatcher
- Ronald Reagan
- Augusto Pinochet
- George Bush Junior
- Silvio Berlusconi
- Alexandre Bondarev
Institutions
- artpress
- Moscow Center for Contemporary Art
- Chto Delat
- Topos
- Prato
- Athens
- Tallinn
- Helsinki
- Ceglie Messapica
- Afterall
- IRWIN
Locations
- Russia
- USSR
- Moscow
- Europe
- West
- Occident
- East
- Prato
- Italy
- Athens
- Greece
- Tallinn
- Estonia
- Helsinki
- Finland
- Ceglie Messapica
- Paris
- France
- London
- United Kingdom
Sources
- artpress —