They were “The New Artists” of St. Petersburg, an underground collective operating out of communal apartment in the early 1980s, influenced by German Expressionism, Pop Art and Primitivism. The collective was founded by artist/philosopher Timur Novikov, attracted the likes of Brian Eno, Andy Warhol and John Cage, and sprouted the sexually ambiguous and homoerotic “New Academy” movement. The work and documentation of the collective is currently on view in the “Club of Friends” exhibition at the London Calvert 22 Gallery.
The New Artists made work in varying genres, but I could care less for paintings with heavy brush strokes. The art-house film Assa (which turned artist Sergei “Afrika” Bugaev into a sort of a cult-figure) looks fucking awesome. Thanks, DAZED.
“Club of Friends,” Apr 2 – May 25, Calvert 22 Gallery, London (Images: DAZED)
