ABSTRACT
The present paper is in line with the now popular memory studies and art discourse analysis. The focus of the present research is on how conceptual artists – Grisha Bruskin and Vadim Zakharov – work with the concept of memory, juxtaposing their individual experience and the collective remnants of the Soviet past, thus confronting the all-pervading impact of cultural globalization and the blurring of cultural distinctions by preserving the memory of the country’s recent history and cultural heritage through “archival art”.
In a paper devoted to Bruskin’s two notable projects, Silvia Burini concludes that Bruskin’s supreme goal is the consolidation of a collective memory, which Burini connects with identity and history. Collective memory is a theme shared by many Russian conceptual artists: V. Zakharov, I. Nakhova, and I. Kabakov among others. According to Donald, art is “inherently metacognitive”, the term ‘metacognition’ being used to denote “art’s crucial role as a collective vehicle for self-reflection and as a shared source of cultural identity” (Donald, 2006), with the letter being compromised given the omnipresent globalization. Bruskin is in a constant search for this shared source of cultural identity, sending an artistic message in the form of Soviet symbols (Archaeologist’s Collection) – partly destroyed park sculptures – to future generations, so that the artefacts of Soviet history do not get lost in the ocean of globalized culture and become a link between the country’s own past and future. At the same time, Bruskin aimed to explicate historical continuity. Before displaying the sculptures to the public, Bruskin brought them to Toscana and buried there. Italy is where the two great empires of the past lie in ruins, so, by burying the third one there, he emphasized historical connections.
Vadim Zakharov’s project titled On One Page is also about memory. According to Dorothea Zwirner, “Texts that have been inscribed into our cultural memories often lose their legibility, but are condensed to a text-image, becoming a kind of icon”. Zakharov prints pages of Russian fairy tales on one page so that they become a sort of cognitive imprint on our collective memory. This project, however, is not limited to the Russian collective memory, thus Zakharov addresses the world history in his 100 Dictators on One Page.
Importantly, in conceptualism, word and image become one. Thus, we find no barrier between much of Bruskin’s and Zakharov’s figurative work and literary production, both organized as either archaeological collections or archives, which is key to understanding conceptual art as a means to consolidate collective memory – both Russian and universal.
Keywords: Memory Studies, Metacognition, Art Discourse Analysis, Conceptual Art, Creolized Text, Individual and Universal, Grisha Bruskin, Vadim Zakharov