Culver City,
California
x
Maker: Aleksei Rezaev
Sham Reformer
Date Made: 1992
Country: Soviet Union
Method: Tempera paint on fiberboard
Measurements: 60 cm x 90 cm; 23 5/8 in x 35 7/16 in
Gorbachev depicted here as floating away as the Soviet Union falls apart underneath him. Rezaev portrays him as a sham that has feigned all sorts of improvements and changes the Soviet system that turned out really to be empty promises that changed nothing. These changes are symbolized here as balloons labeled “perestroika” and “reform” their depiction here is a pun on the word “дутый” which comes from the word that means “blown up”. Gorbachev's suitcases feature stickers of various foreign flags, showing him as a well-traveled politician. The blue police hat that floats up along with Gorbachev is a commentary on his policies against corruption, and a reference to the period of intense inflation that occurred during the late 1980s after he instituted economic policies that officially devalued the ruble by 69%. Consequentially, the loss of value in the ruble made it so light as to float in this artistic depiction. The flimsy string that held Gorbachev to the Kremlin has been symbolically cut and there is nothing to hold him down in the Kremlin. He has no weight, no gravitas; he is as empty as his promises.
Accession Number: 2009.053.200
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