The Ironic Curtain: Art from the Soviet Underground
The Ironic Curtain: Art from the Soviet Underground features artists who worked under political repression in the decades just before the fall of the Soviet Union, often making “official” art by day and their own experimental art in secret. The results are wild and darkly witty, with symbols of the Soviet government used to parody its power rather than to celebrate it. Sots Art, a Soviet version of Pop Art, is well represented in this exhibition among paintings, sculpture, prints, and photography by nearly three dozen artists, including the artist duo Komar and Melamid, Ilya Kabakov, Alexander Kosolapov, Oleg Vassiliev, and Leonid Sokov. Having been officially repressed or relatively contained to émigré centers such as New York City, many of these works are little known, and some works in the exhibition are being shown in the United States for the first time. The CMA has organized this exhibition from the premier Neil K. Rector Collection to create this rare opportunity. On view July 3–September 12, 2021.
Related Events:
Art Class: Colored Pencil Drawing
Learn how to add color to your drawings using pencils in this one-day workshop. Explore the types of colored pencils, paper, and techniques that make adding color to your drawings a fun and successful experience. Taught by local art educator Mary Hendrix, who holds a bachelor’s degree in art from East Tennessee State University and a master’s degree in teaching from UofSC. Ages 15 and up. All materials included.
ArtBreak: Journalism and Fake News
Join us in the CMA Theater to welcome Dr. Nicole Cooke for the return of the ArtBreak series. Finding similarities to Soviet propaganda satirized in The Ironic Curtain and the protest art featured in Hindsight 20/20, Cooke describes her work on misinformation and disinformation and how this knowledge can be used to bridge the gaps between “fake news,” stereotypes, freedom of expression, and the community-building power of art. Begin the morning at the museum at 10:30 a.m. with pastries and coffee sold at a pop-up café from Curiosity Coffee Bar. Free with membership or admission in person; please register in advance as space is limited. Admission includes gallery entry.
Screen and Discuss: Disgraced Monuments
Featuring rare archival footage and interviews with sculptors, art historians, and gallery and museum directors, Disgraced Monuments (1994) is a documentary that looks at the Soviet Union to examine how monuments connect us with the past and spur us to new futures; why so often in times of social cataclysm, old monuments are destroyed and new ones raised; and how every turning point in society has begun history anew in a struggle with old monuments. Following the film, Olga Yukhno (recent McMaster Gallery manager at UofSC and Russian American artist) and Dr. Robert Greene II (assistant professor of history at Claflin University and civil rights scholar) discuss what it means to live amongst monuments to fallen leaders of the past and the implications of destroying or preserving them.
Tour and Tasting Notes from the Underground
Enjoy a guided tour of The Ironic Curtain: Art from the Soviet Underground. Afterward, sample wine expertly paired with works from the exhibition and explained by Danielle Robinson of Advintage Distributing. Includes light refreshments. Please register to reserve your spot. If you are coming with a group of friends, please email dwitkoski@columbiamuseum.org to be seated with one another.
Ask Me About the Art!
Get insight on art from our knowledgeable group of interpretive guides. Docents will be stationed throughout the galleries to chat and answer questions about works on view. Look for their “Ask me about the art!” buttons to learn more.
Free First Thursday at the CMA
Enjoy free admission and extended hours courtesy of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina.
Ask Me About the Art! Head to the galleries at 6:30 p.m. to chat with our friendly docents about the art you see. Get insight on art from our knowledgeable group of interpretive guides. Docents will be stationed throughout the galleries to chat and answer questions about works on view. Look for their “Ask me about the art!” buttons to learn more.
Also at 6:30, catch a live performance from The Dubber and a screening of his new video for "Simple Song (LIES)" in the CMA Theater.
In the evening, be on Boyd Plaza to enjoy live music from Marshall Brown and Rose Hotel, food vendors, and beer and wine available for purchase from The Whig. Plaza events presented by First Thursdays on Main.
Art Class: Experimental Digital Photography
In this two-part class, students experiment with various photographic techniques including multiple exposure and physical print manipulation to create works inspired by the photography on view in the exhibition The Ironic Curtain: Art from the Soviet Underground. Ages 15 and up. Participants must provide their own digital camera. Taught by CMA Senior Multimedia Producer Drew Baron. Baron graduated from UofSC with a Bachelor of Arts degree in media arts. His photography has been used for publication locally and internationally, and he is a member of the South Carolina Arts Commission's S.C. Arts Directory.
Call for Public Art: Great Place to Bee
Keep Gastonia Beautiful’s Art Committee seeks to commission artwork for the downtown area of Gastonia, North Carolina titled “Great Place to Bee” and include interactive smaller art pieces that will weave/waggle their way through Main Street to a larger art piece. The artwork will be sited in a prominent location at a Gateway to the new FUSE Baseball Stadium. Seeking artists who are regional in either North or South Carolina. With the completion of the FUSE District and new baseball stadium and team named, the Honey Hunters, we were motivated to create ways to flourish our downtown with public art and education on bees. We envision groups “buzzing” around downtown searching for metal bees, ending at a bee-related sculpture near the new stadium. RFQ online (PDF).
Opening Reception for “Carolina Knives: The Roots of a Revival”
Join us as we come together to celebrate the opening of "Carolina Knives: The Roots of a Revival," an exhibit showcasing over 100 examples of utilitarian and decorative knives by Carolina knifemakers. This reception is free; register for your tickets online or by calling 803-777-2876.
