Yevgeniy Fiks Explores Post-Soviet Identity Through American Communist Portraits

In a 2006 conversation with Yulia Tikhonova for ARTMargins, Yevgeniy Fiks, a Russian artist based in New York, delves into his artistic endeavors. He explores the impact of communism through various interventionist initiatives, notably distributing 100 copies of Lenin's "Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism" to companies such as IBM and Amazon. His work "Song of Russia" showcases images from pro-Soviet films produced in Hollywood. Fiks creates portraits of members from the Communist Party USA, including chairman Sam Webb and vice-chair Jarvis Tyner, featuring their insights on the Soviet Union. He has visited the Communist Party USA's New York headquarters and intends to photograph related locations. This interview is part of ARTMargins' exploration of post-Soviet art. Fiks has exhibited at the Lenin-Museo (2007) and the State Museum of Russian Political History (2006).