3. Western “Poison” in the Ukrainian Posters of Late Socialism. Vasyl Kosiv
It was one of the late Soviet Union’s paradoxes: in the 1970s and 1980s, it was still impossible for Western modernism and popular visual culture to be exhibited in public galleries. Nevertheless, surrealism, op-art, pop-art, and psychedelic art were legally present in the urban public space. The lecture analyzes sources of inspiration and technique borrowings that were quite common but slightly different for each of the styles. It highlights particular combinations of Ukrainian content and folk-art patterns with clear non-Soviet visual expression. Interviews with the posters’ authors have brought personal stories to this research and challenge some of the common assumptions.
It was one of the late Soviet Union’s paradoxes: in the 1970s and 1980s, it was still impossible for Western modernism and popular visual culture to be exhibited in public galleries. Nevertheless, surrealism, op-art, pop-art, and psychedelic art were legally present in the urban public space. The lecture analyzes sources of inspiration and technique borrowings that were quite common but slightly different for each of the styles. It highlights particular combinations of Ukrainian content and folk-art patterns with clear non-Soviet visual expression. Interviews with the posters’ authors have brought personal stories to this research and challenge some of the common assumptions.