Culver City,
California
x
Maker: Aleksei Rezaev
AIDS - No
Date Made: 1991
Country: Soviet Union
Measurements: 100 cm x 70.5 cm; 39 3/8 in x 27 3/4 in
While addressing the serious topic of AIDS, this image also treats the subject in a lighthearted manner. The famous sculpture of Vera Mukhina’s “Worker and Kolkhoz Woman,” which was both the centerpiece of the Soviet pavilion at the 1937 International Exhibition in Paris and the logo of Mosfilm Studio, is further taken out of context with its placement in an AIDS awareness campaign. Besides the vivid, cheerful colors and lively tone of the composition, this image relies on the red star, the hammer and the sickle, key symbols of the Soviet Union, which are used here as confetti-like decoration. Taken out of their original context, these symbols lose the power and the significance they once held. Instead of representing Soviet achievements, this monument’s socialist significance is distorted through its promotion of safe sex by dispersing condoms, which are actually collaged to the painting.
Accession Number: 2009.053.066
Item Name: Painting
Credit Line: The Ferris Russian Collection, Donated by Tom and Jeri Ferris
Collection/Series: The Ferris Russian Collection, Donated by Tom and Jeri Ferris