Vladimir Paperny's 'Mos-Angeles Two' collects essays on Soviet dissident culture and architecture

In 2009, Vladimir Paperny's book 'Mos-Angeles Two' was released by NLO in Moscow, gathering various essays and writings from his extensive career as an art historian and designer. This 216-page work delves into the intellectual climate of the Soviet era, focusing on 'kitchen conversations' from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. Paperny, who left Moscow during the 'third wave' of emigration, incorporates early art critiques and previously unpublished sketches. The essays cover artists such as Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid, explore sots art, and analyze figures like Kosolapov and Ilya Kabakov. Additionally, the book contrasts aesthetic movements in the U.S. and the Soviet Union, while examining architecture's relationship with politics and the environment. The latter half presents literary exercises that connect disparate themes.