Anniversary of the “New artists”. Influences, homages, fakes

Due to the global geopolitical upheavals in 2022, the 40^th anniversary of the group ‘New artists’ in Leningrad, which defined the ‘cultural revolution’ of the 1980s, has gone unnoticed. 2023 marks the 40^th anniversary of the gallery ‘Assa’ that was the focus of the formation of the new culture. The gallery ‘Assa’ was located in resettled communal apartment No 84 on 24 Voinova Street (now Shpalernaya Street), where the leader of the ‘new artists’ Timur Novikov was registered. Exhibitions, concerts, performances, fashion shows, films were made there. The name of the gallery gave its name to the film by Sergei Solovyov, who glorified the new culture throughout the USSR.

The exhibition presents works by more than 20 artists of different generations and reflects the artistic links between the art of the 1980s and the present-day art. It also presents the works of the children of the ‘new artists’. The art of the leading artists of the ‘new’ movement, such as Timur Novikov, Victor Tsoi, Georgy Guryanov, and Vladislav Mamyshev-Monroe, was a commercial success after their death. This gave rise to an industry of fakes and led to discussions in the media. They are also presented at the exhibition.