Authors

Elena Konyushihina¹;  ¹ The Courtauld Institute of Art, UK

Discussion

The Russian imperial syndrome, an enduring legacy of Soviet heritage, combined with a failure to confront past traumas, played a pivotal role in causing the war in Ukraine. This paper delves into the unaddressed facets of former Soviet ambitions that continue to trouble Russian authorities, leading to a denial of Ukraine's sovereignty. The ensuing dehumanization processes within Russia have manifested in brutal violence, impacting both internal and external populations, signifying the erosion of peaceful coexistence in the post-Soviet region. What will follow in the aftermath of the war? The responsibility of national repentance looms large, primarily on the millennial generation. The initial steps toward reconciliation necessitate a reevaluation of the Soviet legacy, with a particular focus on addressing the imperial complex and the traumas stemming from the Soviet Union's dissolution. Millennial mindset is increasingly preoccupied with memories of this past, and the complex imagery associated with it, whether nostalgic, critical, or disdainful, possesses the power to hunt individuals back to an era they struggle to move beyond.

This paper represents an early exploration in this direction, aiming to elucidate how millennial artists perceive the Soviet past, with a particular emphasis on the visual expressions found in the works of Pavel Otdelnov. As a member of the postmemory generation, Otdelnov lacks direct experience of adult life in the Soviet Union and offers a diverse artistic response to contemporary interpretations of Soviet history. His artistic practice encompasses various methodologies, including storytelling, fiction, research, documentary methods, and interviews, often drawing from his family’s historical narratives. The core premise of this study centers on Otdelnov’s liberation of the “docile” (post) Soviet body from the disciplinary mechanisms of the repressive state, drawing upon Michel Foucault’s concepts and providing a comparative analysis with Ilya Kabakov’s work.

To frame Otdelnov’s work within a broader context, his political stance aligns with a decolonial paradigm viewed through the perspective of postcolonial scholar, Madina Tlostanova, revealing imperial designs within post-Soviet memory. Otdelnov’s artistic practice engages in the decolonization of knowledge, subjectivity, and sensuality by adopting a dual position that is both detached and deeply connected to their Soviet origins. Otdelnov’s art elevates the voices abandoned and overlooked by the late Soviet machinery, fostering public awareness, dialogue, and critical inquiry. This paper aims to be a starting point for understanding the dynamic interplay between memory, art, and decolonization in the post-Soviet era, offering valuable insights into the complex terrain of post-Soviet visual culture.