Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Pandgt;In andlt;Iandgt;The Museological Unconscious,andlt;/Iandgt; Victor Tupitsyn views the history of Russian contemporary art through a distinctly Russian lens, a andquot;communal opticandquot; that registers the influence of such characteristically Russian phenomena as communal living, communal perception, and communal speech practices. This way of looking at the subject allows him to gather together a range of artists and art movements--from socialist realism to its andquot;dangerous supplement,andquot; sots art, and from alternative photography to feminism--as if they were tenants in a large Moscow apartment. Describing the notion of andquot;communal optics,andquot; Tupitsyn argues that socialist realism does not work without communal perception--which, as he notes, does not easily fit into crates when paintings travel out of Russia for exhibition in Kassel or New York. Russian artists, critics, and art historians, having lived for decades in a society that ignored or suppressed avant-garde art, have compensated, Tupitsyn claims, by developing a andquot;museological unconsciousandquot;--the andquot;museificationandquot; of the inner world and the collective psyche.andlt;/Pandgt;
Review
"The Museological Unconscious is a compelling and challenging analysis of the dynamics between Russian art practices and East-West sociocultural politics of the past sixty years by one of contemporary art's most provocative commentators. Imbued with a rare wit and humour, Victor Tupitsyn's agile intellect navigates us through the treacherous waters of cultural translation and aesthetic theory, providing liberating insights into both the aspirations and strategies of Russian artists under Soviet, post-Soviet, and Western institutional constraints and the structural complicity of contemporary art museums with the culture industry." --Jean Fisher, Professor of Fine Art and Transcultural Studies, Middlesex University The MIT Press
Review
"In this long-awaited book, Victor Tupitsyn asks a highly important theoretical question: what are the optical conditions that provide the context necessary to understand a work of art? The Museological Unconscious reveals the perceptual gap between Western and Russian views of allegedly 'the same' art phenomena." Victor Mazin , Head of the Department of Theoretical Psychoanalysis at East-European Institute of Psychoanalysis and founder of Freud's Dream Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia The MIT Press
Review
"This is a big and beautiful book, illuminating and idiosyncratic at once....Tupitsyn's mix of art reviews, political meditations, and personal memories provide a unique and valuable perspective on post-Soviet culture in Russia and the West." Alexander Etkind The Russian Review The MIT Press
Review
andlt;Pandgt;andquot;The Museological Unconscious is a compelling and challenging analysis of the dynamics between Russian art practices and East-West sociocultural politics of the past sixty years by one of contemporary art's most provocative commentators. Imbued with a rare wit and humour, Victor Tupitsyn's agile intellect navigates us through the treacherous waters of cultural translation and aesthetic theory, providing liberating insights into both the aspirations and strategies of Russian artists under Soviet, post-Soviet, and Western institutional constraints and the structural complicity of contemporary art museums with the culture industry.andquot; --Jean Fisher, Professor of Fine Art and Transcultural Studies, Middlesex Universityandlt;/Pandgt; The MIT Press
Review
andlt;Pandgt;"In this long-awaited book, Victor Tupitsyn asks a highly important theoretical question: what are the optical conditions that provide the context necessary to understand a work of art? andlt;Iandgt;The Museological Unconsciousandlt;/Iandgt; reveals the perceptual gap between Western and Russian views of allegedly 'the same' art phenomena." andlt;Bandgt;Victor Mazin andlt;/Bandgt;, Head of the Department of Theoretical Psychoanalysis at East-European Institute of Psychoanalysis and founder of Freud's Dream Museum in St. Petersburg, Russiaandlt;/Pandgt; The MIT Press The MIT Press The MIT Press
Review
andlt;Pandgt;"This is a big and beautiful book, illuminating and idiosyncratic at once....Tupitsyn's mix of art reviews, political meditations, and personal memories provide a unique and valuable perspective on post-Soviet culture in Russia and the West." Alexander Etkind The Russian Reviewandlt;/Pandgt;
Synopsis
The history of contemporary art in Russia, from socialist realism to the post-Soviet alternative art scene.
In The Museological Unconscious, Victor Tupitsyn views the history of Russian contemporary art through a distinctly Russian lens, a "communal optic" that registers the influence of such characteristically Russian phenomena as communal living, communal perception, and communal speech practices. This way of looking at the subject allows him to gather together a range of artists and art movements -- from socialist realism to its "dangerous supplement," sots art, and from alternative photography to feminism -- as if they were tenants in a large Moscow apartment.
Describing the notion of "communal optics," Tupitsyn argues that socialist realism does not work without communal perception -- which, as he notes, does not easily fit into crates when paintings travel out of Russia for exhibition in Kassel or New York. Russian artists, critics, and art historians, having lived for decades in a society that ignored or suppressed avant-garde art, have compensated, Tupitsyn claims, by developing a "museological unconscious" -- the "museification" of the inner world and the collective psyche.
Synopsis
In The Museological Unconscious, Victor Tupitsyn views the history of Russian contemporary art through a distinctly Russian lens, a "communal optic" that registers the influence of such characteristically Russian phenomena as communal living, communal perception, and communal speech practices. This way of looking at the subject allows him to gather together a range of artists and art movements--from socialist realism to its "dangerous supplement," sots art, and from alternative photography to feminism--as if they were tenants in a large Moscow apartment. Describing the notion of "communal optics," Tupitsyn argues that socialist realism does not work without communal perception--which, as he notes, does not easily fit into crates when paintings travel out of Russia for exhibition in Kassel or New York. Russian artists, critics, and art historians, having lived for decades in a society that ignored or suppressed avant-garde art, have compensated, Tupitsyn claims, by developing a "museological unconscious"--the "museification" of the inner world and the collective psyche.
Synopsis
The history of contemporary art in Russia, from socialist realism to the post-Soviet alternative art scene.
Synopsis
andlt;Pandgt;The history of contemporary art in Russia, from socialist realism to the post-Soviet alternative art scene.andlt;/Pandgt;
About the Author
Victor Tupitsyn is a critic and theorist living in New York City and Paris. He is on the advisory board of Third Text, London.Susan Buck-Morss is Professor of Political Philosophy and Social Theory, Department of Government, and Professor of Visual Culture, Department of Art History, Cornell University.Victor Tupitsyn is a critic and theorist living in New York City and Paris. He is on the advisory board of Third Text, London.