There was a time when it was the East that looked west for cultural
inspiration. From the mid-60s onwards, Russian youth culture enacted its
own form of aesthetic Glasnost. And despite the miles of concrete that
divided Europe in two, the elements of Western culture that did make it
beyond the so-called ‘Iron Curtain’ were consumed and copied with
fervour. Real American jeans soon became an expression of rebellion in
Eastern Europe and also a form of currency, with smuggled denims
exchanging hands for the equivalent of a month’s wages.
But at some point over the past decade, the longing glare that was once
directed westwards started being mirrored back. The inimitable style of a
post-Soviet world has become a fixation for many, with its cold,
imposing Brutalist structures and nostalgia-led sportswear acting as
visual shorthand for what many consider to be the singular aesthetic of
Russia.
The irony of this supposed cultural homogeneity is not lost on Russians,
well aware of the real, vibrant and diverse landscape that is their
culture today. Rather than simply replicate post-Soviet tropes, Russian
photographer Alexey Kiselev takes us inside. Literally. These images are
set within what was once a Moscow automobile factory, built as part of
the Soviet Constructivist movement within architecture, which saw
striking, grey concrete structures rise up all over Russia. The factory
today acts as a cultural centre – and beyond its hard exterior, there is
the opulence of marble walls and the richness of oak floors, even a
succulent plant or two. This is not the brooding, harsh vision of Russia
that we have perhaps come to expect.
Battle-ready camouflage motifs appear throughout, however, these are
less a reflection of renewed tensions between Eastern and Western
powers, but rather of a youthful approach to stylistic bricolage – one
that bridges borders and tribal allegiances. Walls have been dismantled
both literally and culturally for good reason – there are more
important things to be fighting for.
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