6.00- 7.15pm, at Art Exchange. Admission Free
Almost straight after the revolution of 1917 the former Russian Empire saw a wave first of statue-toppling and then of statue building. Art, propaganda and power became inextricably linked. The eventual result was an enormous legacy of monumental statuary – usually gigantic, usually figurative, often quasi-architectural – scattered across a territory stretching from the Baltic to the Pacific. This talk will attempt to explain how the ‘Soviet monument’ and its architectural setting came about, how it developed, and the different ways it is dealt with today.
Owen Hatherley writes on Soviet and British architecture, politics and culture. He has published numerous books including A New Kind of Bleak and Landscapes of Communism.
Please join us for a wonderful evening of discussion and debate, followed by a reception.
