Viktor Misiano Analyzes 'Tusovka' as Post-Corporate Artistic Self-Organization in 1990s Russia

Viktor Misiano explores 'tusovka,' a cultural movement in Russia that arose in the 1990s after the decline of official culture. This informal assembly exists independently of state-approved institutions, shunning both official culture and underground models. Unlike traditional bohemianism, tusovka embraces commercial elements and thrives as a community formed through personal interactions. It operates without strict norms or ideological unity, relying on symbolic representatives like critics who lack publications. Its characteristics include growth, internal disputes, and inflated projects, highlighted by aspirations for a Moscow Biennale. The conversation emphasizes spoken language, with poetics divided into appealing, disastrous, and secretive exchanges. Contradictions arise between openness and constraints, as well as individualism and resistance to conversation. This analysis, first published in 1999, references thinkers such as Francesco Alberoni and Emile Durkheim.