Picture this: Komar and Melamid

Vitaly Komar (1943-) and Alexander Melamid (1945-) are amongst the most provocative of the post modern artists to grow out of the enclosed Soviet society. During the 1960s and early -70s they founded the Sots Art movement that combined social realism with elements of pop art and dadaism. They were expelled from the youth section of the Union of Soviet Artists in 1973. A year later, they were arrested, and most of their production was destroyed.

After moving to the US, they have continued to produce ironic clichés of traditional Soviet art, like in Lenin Hails a Cab (1993). They have been accused of antisemitism because of the paintings where they combined the Star of David with swastikas. As with the rest of their production the explanation is more probably that they seem to look at public outcry as a value in it’s own right.

Picture this is a standing feature in the weekly journal Flamman.