Soviet prisoners: criminal tattoo as "secret code language"

I posted about Russian Criminal Tattoo encyclopaedia and related small exhibit of photographs "Bodies As Text" in London.

The photo above I spotted recently in Saatchi gallery (London) as part of broader exhibit of Russian (ex-Soviet) art.

More about the author Sergei Vasiliev here: "Taken between 1989 and 1993, Sergei Vasiliev’s photographs of Soviet prisoners document the secret code language of criminals in the USSR, evidence of a gritty spirit of picaresque resistance within a violently repressive culture."

Autoassassinatophilia

I selected these three works from the latest display at Saatchi gallery in London (Abstract America: New painting and sculpture; plus modern Korean art).

I thought they are very current and telling.

Some people are just like that. They have autoassassinatophilia. (work by Sterling Ruby. (2008) Kiss Trap Kismet.)


Here is Kirsten Stoltmann’s Spray Boosh (2007).


And finally, this modern Korean art piece.

New art from China at The Saatchi Gallery in London - 'The Revolution Continues'

Wonderfully weird (or weirdly wonderful). I had no idea that Chinese art could be so exciting. This was a discovery for me. Brilliant exhibition. Highly recommend it.

May I just say how much I missed The Saatchi Gallery. It became one of my favourite places in London when it was opened on the South Bank few years ago. Then, in couple of years, the gallery was closed down due to the problems with the lease of the building or so.

This newly opened space in Chelsea is very nice, love it. It was launched only few days ago, and instantly became one of my old new favourite places in London. My only main thumbs down re new Saatchi gallery is the lack of space for a permanent collection of contemporary art. As far as I understand from conversations with staff members, it will effectively be based on temporary exhibitions; there will be no permanent collection displays, which I loved so much in past. But hey, each 3 months or so, the exhibition will change.

Zhang Huan. Ash Head No. 1. 2007 (Mixed media and ash.)

Zhang Xiaogang. My Dream: Little General. 2005

Zhang Xiaogang. Bloodline. 2005

Zhang Huan. Donkey. 2005 (donkey f**king skyscrapers)

Liu Wei. Indigestion II. 2004-05 ("monumental poo"; "on closer inspection, half digested kernels emerge as hundreds of toy soldiers, spilling forth in an unmistakable sentiment of protest.")

Zhang Hongtu. Long Live Chairman Mao Series #29. 1989 (China's answer to Andy Warhol)

Sun Yuan and Peng Yu. Angel. 2008 (Life-size sculpture in fibre-reinforced polimer and silica gel.)

Xiang Jing. Your Body. 2005

Zhang Dali. Chinese Offspring. 2003-05 (each sculpture is a representation of a migrant construction worker; each bears a unique tattoo as a "witting commentary on social engineering and population control.")

Wang Guangyi. Materialist's Art. 2006

For more photos from the exhibit, see my Picasa Web Album