Nowadays, Paris 2011.
Three old men, three Russian famous artists are walking along the streets in Paris. It seems like they are going to meet each other but it just seems so. In fact, they will not meet; they are just walking in parallel streets.
Why are these three artists in Paris now? Why they had to leave their country? Did they find a freedom of art in France?
Streets of Paris are transforming into the old Moscow streets: history archives and memories appear.
Through the old camera, viewers we are, are getting into the unrealistic reality of ex-soviet times. Soviet propaganda posters are in the streets and on the buildings, as some monuments to Lenin, the propaganda paintings promoting a happy life in USSR. These gigantic architectural and sculptural ensembles are overwhelming. Among all those memories pictures from Oscar Rabin, he appears with vodka, fish and portrait of Lenin in the Russian money. The archives materials of the Soviet era remained as huge parades, marching pioneers, Komsomol, military, huge masses of people marching like one another. The soviet propaganda posters in the streets are transforming into the painting of Eric Bulatov. Through the painting, the historical archives are changing the one after the other. The reality of Soviet times is transforming into the surrealistic reality. The context of the other side of the happy life is transforming itself into the context of the absurdity of conformism. Upon the surrealistic Sots Art paintings, the printed stamp appears with the words : “NO VALUE. Approved for export.”
Through the exploration of the history of art in the former USSR and through the lives of the well-known artists who emigrated from the ex-soviet union, will be disclosed the idea of the human and artistic freedom to choose.
Oscar Rabin - a non-conformist Russian painter of Jewish origin, was stripped of his Soviet citizenship in 1978, during a trip to Paris with his family. He was obliged to live in Paris and the Russian government gave him back his Russian citizenship only when he was 79 years old. He was happy that he wasn’t sent to Siberia, what was very common during the soviet regime…
The Ukrainian artist Sergej Chepik couldn’t exhibit his religious painting in ex-soviet union and immigrated to France. It happened after he tried to exhibit his picture “Dead House”. On this picture the artist depicted in the background of the ruins of the church the patients of the mad house that symbolized the Soviet Union.
Eric Bulatov- a Russian artist, founder of Sots Art, created the artistic theory of unrealistic reality of ex-USSR and became famous abroad. Then, he immigrated to Paris.
"Banned artists" worked in tough conditions. The Ukrainian artist Sergei Chepik had to work like a nurse in the crazy house, since his paintings weren't exhibited and the artist had no place to live, so such work provided a roof over his head. Oscar Rabin – was living in the barracks for the prisoners in Lionozovo (near Moscow) and working hard on the railway station…But the artists continued to create and to move their art and ideas forward.
Three different lives, three different stories that were crossing through the streets of Paris, through the art works and history, war, suffering during ex-USSR regime, escaping from the totalitarian power. There is one search that all those three artists are sharing: the search for freedom…
But, if those artists did not please the Soviet authorities, it is not about the technique and subject matter. The soviet government felt that they can’t control the minds of the artists, that’s why they must be eliminated.
Now almost all of the previously banned artists got their citizenship back, have famous exhibitions in many museums and got permission to return to their motherland – former USSR.
Sergej Chepik introduced many innovations in religious painting. After emigration to France, his paintings were presented in the St. Paul cathedral in London. It was a huge success. After that, Chepik was recognized in London and all over Europe. Even Margaret Thatcher invited the artist to her personal residence. No other artist were allowed for a personal visit. Afterwards, the “iron lady” visited the workshop of the artist in Paris and posed for her aut- portrait. The portraits of numerous prominent personalities were made by Chepik, among them the one of Rudolf Nureyev, Pierre Richard (a star in USSR). A crowd of important people was on the Chepik’s funeral in Paris. He died the 18th of November 2011, all of a sudden, and never got back to his motherland after immigration to France.
Among the people who paid a last tribute on the tombstone of Chepik: the old artist and his friend Oscar Rabin. The most famous picture is depicting the VISA to the DEATH. On the other painting of Rabine, the rising sun with a red sky and the portrait of Stalin in the background. He was one of the most active artist to defend the freedom of speech in USSR and became a founder of non-conformism in the contemporary art.
Other picture of the sunset appears. But instead of the sun there is a coat of arms of the Soviet Union. Surrealistic Soviet reality, lost in the mysterious atmosphere of absurd and bright propagandist posters on the picture of Eric Bulatov, who created the new style -"Sots Art ". All pictures of him were exported from the Soviet Union with a stamp of the Ministry of Culture printed with the words "Approved for export from USSR. Art has no value." Today his paintings cost millions.
Stories of those three artists tell one unique story… All narration comes from the intimate conversations of the artists, through the art works, through the streets of Paris today, through the history. The boundaries of space and time that separate the three stories become invisible.
The stories of three different people will be built as a story of one artist, as the fate of one man, with all ups and downs. Thus three stories will become an allegory of Soviet contemporary art history.
The artists are going back to the past. As the old radio recorder is translating the historical old archives with old voice of Soviet radio speaker, it is suddenly transforming into the nowadays Paris news. We are following one story through the three roads of lives, which brought from ex USSR to Paris where the artist lives now.
Paris. Nowadays.
Three old artists Rabine, Chepik and Bulatov are walking parallel streets in Paris. They are disappearing in the crowd of people. As their art works is dissolving through the time borders and is going into people's minds, art reach the spectator. Through the boundaries of space and time three artists and their art works are among us.
