Visitors will see about 50 works of artists from Central Asia and the Caucasus - from nonconformists and socialist realists of the 1960s to contemporary authors

Alimzhan ZHOROBAEV
specter of communism number 1. 1994
Black and white print. 60 x 100
Courtesy: Laura Bulian Gallery, Milan
Source: Press Release Sotheby's

auction house Sotheby's 4-12 March 2013 at the London office will hold on New Bond Street exhibition "At the Crossroads." The exhibition and sale will be presented to the contemporary art of Central Asia and the Caucasus. The exhibition will present a panorama of the art for the first time artists from the Caucasus Mountains to the Kazakh steppe and the border with China.

Visitors will see about 50 works by contemporary artists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The works in the exhibition illustrate the transition from the non-conformity and the social realism of the 1960s to contemporary art.

Commenting on the exhibition, Jo Vickery, head of Sotheby's Russian art in London, said: "In the countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia in recent years there has been rapid development, and it is also for art. Constantly there are new institutions, artists and collectors, and so far for Sotheby's, the area has remained unknown, but very attractive. Therefore, we are pleased to present a brand new show, which will cover all the artistic diversity of this region where the rich history alongside modern and actual tendencies in contemporary art ».

aim of the exhibition - to show the culture of the countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia in all its diversity against their common Soviet past. The name "At the Crossroads" implies a transition period in which the region was both socio-political and artistic points of view. Gained independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union 20 years ago, these countries are now rapidly moving towards the West, combining the latest experience with the historical traditions that existed before communism, and with a common Soviet past. The exhibition highlights the art that came out of non-conformity 1970-80-ies and the official art of socialist realism, and is now trying to find his identity. All of these countries are located between East and West, and the artists manage to combine folklore and national traditions with modern Western art practices.

One of the most notable works on display will be the work Alimjan Zhorobaeva "Ghosts of Communism number 1 "(1994). It is a series of photographs that the artist created in troubled times after the collapse of the Soviet Union, traveling to Kyrgyzstan in search of native symbols of the past. The once-famous symbols of communism - old propaganda slogans to abandoned monuments to Lenin - was a harbinger of a new hope for a better future, a victory of democracy and capitalism. In this work, the slogan "Communism" is seen in the distance on the background of the Tian Shan.

main punktum this picture - the road that goes from the places where communism rules (sign read in reverse direction) open continuous historical narrative.

Source : Press Release Sotheby's