Sots art

Alexander Kosolapov is one of the most remarkable "go-betweeners" of contemporary art, a nomadic presence across ideologies and cultures and a hero of Russian Conceptualism alongside Ilya Kabakov, Boris Mikhailov and Dmitri Prigov. In 1973, he cofounded the Sots-Art movement, which satirically conflated Soviet and American capitalist iconographies; in 1975 he relocated to New York, remaining there for 30 years and immersing himself in the American art scene. Dovetailing Russian political art with American Pop, Kosolapov created such well-known images as the "Lenin Coca Cola" (1985), "Malevich Marlborough" and "Lenin McDonald's." In his most recent works, Kosolapov proposes new, nonexistent brands for post-Soviet Russia. This substantial survey appraises the entirety of his career to date.