Maiana Nasybullova
Lenin-mushroom, “Lenin for one’s own pleasure” series
Lot 62 Year: 2019Material, technique: Plaster, acrylic
Size: 12 х 10 х 10 cm Estimate: $342 Start bidding: $205 SOLD FOR $301
The series “Lenin for one’s pleasure” is based on ironic conceptual gestures reminiscent of the work of Leonid Sokov, the founder of social art, who famously painted Marilyn Monroe next to Stalin, and crossed the dollar sign with a hammer from the Soviet coat of arms. For Maiana, not only is the concept of combining popular images important, but the very form of performance — her Lenin can fit in a pocket or make its presence on a bookshelf. This is “homemade” Lenin: the man who placed the monuments that stood in almost every square of Soviet country, only to be replaced by combative advertising of the new free Russia. In the Maiana statuettes, the Soviet and the capitalist get along with each other, keeping the collective memory of different generations.