Yevgeniy Fiks's 'The Song of Russia' Exhibition Explores Soviet Propaganda Through Hollywood Films

Yevgeniy Fiks, a Moscow-born artist based in New York, presented his solo exhibition 'The Song of Russia' at Gallery ArtStrelka Projects in Moscow from 24 December 2005 to 24 January 2006. The project examined a brief period in 1943-44 when the Soviet Union was depicted as a U.S. ally in Hollywood films, including 'The Song of Russia,' 'The North Star,' and 'Mission: Moscow,' produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Warner Brothers. Fiks created oil paintings reproducing close-up shots from these films, each bearing the movie studio's trademark, displayed alongside film screenings to highlight propaganda art's emphasis on copies over originals. This work addressed the ongoing struggle in Russian society to confront its Soviet past, a topic also debated at a November 2005 colloquium during the State Tretyakov Gallery's re-organization. Fiks's approach, characterized by irony and neutrality, avoided radical statements, offering a historical assertion rather than conviction. The exhibition marked his third presentation in Moscow, following a group show at the first Moscow Biennale, and was noted for its 'light' and elegant style, despite some criticism of its technical quality. It contributed to a broader trend among artists, both in Russia and abroad, seeking to represent Russian history without ideological baggage.