Stas Makarov. Angels of St Petersburg

Angels of St Petersburg. 2000. Gummipigment print on paper 40 x 60 cm. Unique. Stas Makarov was one of the original members of the ‘New Academy of Art’ in St Petersburg in the 1980s and 90s. This was a group of artists who rejected modernism and mined Russia’s imperial and totalitarian past, sometimes ironically, as well as Hollywood movies, western advertising, kitsch and homoerotica for classical ideals of beauty. Makarov’s ‘Angels of St Petersburg’ series of paintings, hand-coloured photographs and prints captures the faded grandeur of Russia’s imperial capital by focussing on details of architectural ornament and public sculpture. The streaky gummiprint process used here is suggestive of peeling paint, washed-up beauty, or worn out ideals.Is prints are in the collection of the V&A Museum, London