Odessa's Second Avant-Garde: City and Myth

Odessa historically mediated access to the outside world, as part of both the Russian (1721-1917) and Soviet (1922-1991) Empires. The myth of a dreamlike city of many cultures provided an abundant source of meanings for the artists who worked there. This exhibition explores the formal and conceptual trends in unofficial art created from the 1960s to the 1980s that helped to constitute Odessa's image and mythography. Themes range from a revival of interest in avant-garde traditions of the early twentieth century to the transformation of cultural life in the city through intricate networks of apartment shows and underground—though public—exhibitions. 

Organized by Olena Martynyuk, Dodge Fellow at the Zimmerli and Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Art History at Rutgers

This exhibition is made possible by the Avenir Foundation Endowment Fund, with additional support from Arts Trend Company.