
Maker: Alexandr Vaganov
An apparatus of that period of stagnation?
Date Made: 1990
Country: Soviet Union
Method: Tempera paint on fiberboard
Measurements: 60 cm x 90 cm; 23 5/8 in x 35 7/16 in
Painting of cassette tape and phone. The telephone is deicted here in its dual role of being, first, a device thorugh which commands used to be issued and deals used to be arranged in the 1970s and 1980s under Brezhnev those days were called the period of stagnation when the telephone law of those in power was practiced) and, secondly, it was public knowledge that the KGS or, "the competent organs" tap all the telephone conversations. The fear and questions about the KGB are still depcited here in the print: do they continue to monitor all the words and deeds of ordinary people during the days of perestroika? The russian text states, "apparat zasia" translated: apparat.
Accession Number: 2009.053.208
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