ESPACE MVG is presenting a compelling photography exhibition titled "Back in the USSR – The Artists of Perestroika," featuring a collection of photographs captured by Michael von Graffenried during a pivotal moment in Soviet history. The exhibition showcases images taken in Moscow during the spring of 1988, at a time when the Soviet Union stood on the brink of an uncertain transformation that would reshape the nation's future.
The photographs were captured just months before the historic fall of the Berlin Wall, during a period when Mikhail Gorbachev's policies of Perestroika (restructuring) and Glasnost (transparency) were introducing winds of reform into a struggling Soviet system. During this critical juncture, photographer Michael von Graffenried immersed himself in the underground Moscow art scene, documenting artists who operated on the margins of society. He gained access to private studios and, on rare occasions, public spaces where these creative individuals worked under the constant shadow of political uncertainty.
The exhibition documents the work and lives of several prominent artists whose freedom of expression remained precarious despite the political relaxation promised by Gorbachev's reforms. Among those featured are Erik Bulatov, Eduard Gorokhovsky, and Georgy Litichevsky, whose artistic resistance played a crucial role in envisioning a post-Soviet future. These artists employed various strategies to challenge the existing system, with some cleverly subverting the established codes of socialist realism to expose its inherent contradictions and weaknesses.
Other artists, including Dmitri Prigov, pushed creative boundaries by exploring innovative artistic forms that had previously been forbidden or discouraged. These pioneering individuals experimented with performances, ephemeral installations, and hidden artworks, often putting their personal freedom and safety at risk in pursuit of artistic expression. Their creative practice required them to work in silence and secrecy, operating on the margins of society while anticipating the day when public spaces could be reclaimed for free artistic expression.
The photographic series gained international recognition when it was first presented in Berlin during 1988-89 at the nGbK (neue Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst). The work's significance was further validated when it received a prestigious World Press Photo award in 1989, acknowledging its important documentation of this transformative period in Soviet history.
The exhibition serves as a testament to a budding generation of artists who were already creating alternative narratives that challenged state-imposed aesthetics. These creative individuals were developing more open and free forms of artistic expression, laying the groundwork for the cultural transformation that would follow the Soviet Union's collapse. Their work represented hope and resilience during a time of political uncertainty and social upheaval.
"Michael von Graffenried: Back in the USSR – The Artists of Perestroika" will be on display from September 11 through December 13, 2025, at ESPACE MVG, located at 36 Rue Falguière in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. The gallery will be open to visitors on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., with additional information available at www.mvgphoto.com.
