Sots Art

Organized and circulated by the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, SOTS ART is a powerful exhibition of work by Russian emigre artists and one still living in Moscow. SOTS ART came into existence in the early 1970's in Moscow, where the Russian term “Sots” was a short form for “Socialist”. Soviet Socialist Realism, the style officially approved by the government, was based on the ideal cultural and political imagery of various Soviet myths and histories. The artists in this group however, did not see this style as a means of state manipulation and propaganda, but rather as an abundant range of myths and stereotypes for them to turn, or deconstruct, into a powerful contemporary visual language.