Saatchi Gallery

A few weekends ago we finally visited the Saatchi Gallery to see the current exhibit "Gaiety Is the Most Outstanding Feature of the Soviet Union" which includes a collection of Russian artists portraying life in modern Russian after the end of communism...  

"Heart, Organ of Love (Sometimes My Heart Turns Into a Chicken),"
Daria Krotova, Russia.

"Case Studies," Boris Mikhailov, Ukraine.

"What happened on the ruins of the ex-Soviet Empire is still unique ... 
These guys’ shabbiness is the mirror of the ruin and disappointment of a much larger number of people, most of whom no longer feel safe and wealthy as in the Soviet era; many people’s ideals are gone forever, others have simply gone mad!" (Saatchi Gallery).

"Russian Landscape," Sergey Pakhomov, Russia.

"Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Print No. 12," Sergei Vasiliev, Russia.

The artist sought to portray the secret prison language of tattoos. "Tattooing was illegal, so these images were made using scalpels and melted boot heels, often diluted with blood. They were a form of defiance from the very first cut" (Guardian).

"What Does It Matter To Her Ever Creating Womb If 
Today Matter Is Flesh and Tomorrow Worms," 
Dasha Shishkin, Russia.