When curator and Wallpaper* editor-at-large Suzanne Trocmé was looking through Russian resumés for the designers who would ultimately form Born in the USSR, launched at Gallery Elena Shchukina as part of the London Design Festival, she noticed a peculiarity in the bio. 'It said he was born in Leningrad, but he studied in St Petersburg,' says the London-based designer and curator. 'It made me wonder what it means to be born into one cultural environment and practicing in another.'
Trocmé cast her net wider to include designers born in the former USSR before 1991, pre-Perestroika, yet on the cusp of their nation's dissolution - which eventually exposed them to a world of imagery. A student in Russia in the 1980s, she had a unique perspective in the matter. 'There was no advertising,' she says of life behind the curtain then. 'No one else's opinion got in the way. In fact, that absence of visual bombardment was a luxury.'
The final cut of 14 includes some designers who have never left what is now Russia. And yet they design with sophisticated clarity, humour and national spirit. 'The designs I found, out of hundreds of pieces,' says Trocmé, 'embrace Russian traditions but are truly contemporary.'
She points to the wood 'Dot' table by Lera Moiseeva, born to space engineers in Tarusa, Central Russia, in 1986. It is mobile, like a wheelbarrow, with a front wheel that pivots around the main surface 'like in the cosmos'. A collection of clay whistles in the shape of birds by Siberian-born Anna Denisenko reference the old acorn whistles used by Slavic watchmen to warn of approaching enemies.
The exhibition, launched in partnership with Wallpaper*, aims to upturn the stereotype of Russians in London. That the hub of Russian activity in London overlaps, Venn-like, with the Knightsbridge hub of the Design Festival is a stroke of luck.
As for the wider relationship between the two cultures, 'Sanctions are not always useful. It's important to support good talent wherever in the world you find it,' says Trocmé. 'I just wanted to show that Russian design is very cool and has a place in the world, and to support it - despite the geopolitical situation.'
Curated by Wallpaper* editor-at-large Suzanne Trocmé, the exhibition features the work of 14 designers who were born in the former USSR before 1991. Pictured is 'Imenno-Lavka', by Yaroslav Misonzhnikov, is a bicycle-advertising system and mobile shop.
Felt iPhone covers and business-card holders in the basket of Yaroslav Misonzhnikov's 'ad-bike'.
'Vool' by Meta Works is a laptop stand and storage unit crafted from Russian pine.
Detail of Kopytina's 'LightBeans', which are made from natural local oak and coloured textile cord.
'Red Corner', by Maxim Maximov. Traditionally the 'red corner' was a place to pray and display treasured items in the Russian home.
'The Bear Coffee Table', in walnut veneer and MDF, is a tongue-in-cheek take on the iconic Russian symbol by St Petersburg-based designer Alexander Kanygin.
Another playful piece by Kanygin, 'Monkey No 1', is finely wrought from oak, sipo and gum.
'Reconciliation', a brass samovar by Alina Tukhvatullina, in the foreground.
Lera Moiseeva's 'Dot' table has an attached wheel that pivots around the main table leg like an orbiting moon.
'Cararosa' porcelain vase, by Lera Moiseeva. The designer, from a family of space engineers in Tarusa, Russia, is inspired by images of the cosmos.
'Quick USB Flash Drives' with silicone casing by Yury Veredyuk, who was born in the Carpathians but works out of St Petersburg. Veredyuk also designed a traditional Russian rubakha with intricate embroidery that is revealed, on closer look, to be a series of QR codes linked to a Russian portal.
ADDRESS
Gallery Elena Shchukina
18 Beauchamp Place
Knightsbridge
London SW3 1NQ
-
All-In is the Paris-based label making full-force fashion for main character dressingPart of our monthly Uprising series, Wallpaper* meets Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø of All-In, the LVMH Prize-nominated label which bases its collections on a riotous cast of characters – real and imagined
-
Maserati joins forces with Giorgetti for a turbo-charged relationshipAnnouncing their marriage during Milan Design Week, the brands unveiled a collection, a car and a long term commitment
-
Through an innovative new training program, Poltrona Frau aims to safeguard Italian craftThe heritage furniture manufacturer is training a new generation of leather artisans
-
Basic.Space launches its first IRL shopping event – in an empty West Hollywood mallWith the launch of its first in-person event in LA this weekend, the e-commerce platform is looking to bring collectible design to a whole new audience
-
Design Miami 2024 is alive with possibility: here are 14 things to seeDesign Miami 2024 opens 4-8 December – let Wallpaper* guide you to the highlights, from dazzling installations to plump sofas and anthropomorphic sculptures
-
Nendo’s collaborations with Kyoto artisans go on view in New York‘Nendo sees Kyoto’ is on view at Friedman Benda (until 15 October 2022), showcasing the design studio's collaboration with six artisans specialised in ancient Japanese crafts
-
Italian craftsmanship comes to Los Angeles in this eclectic Venice Canals apartmentBoffi Los Angeles celebrates a juxtaposition of texture throughout a waterside bolthole
-
Design Miami/Basel 2022 explores the Golden AgeDesign Miami/Basel 2022, led by curatorial director Maria Cristina Didero, offers a positive spin after the unprecedented times of the pandemic, and looks at the history and spirit of design
-
Kvadrat’s flagship New York showrooms encompass colourful design codesIndustrial designer Jonathan Olivares and architect Vincent Van Duysen have worked with Danish textile brand Kvadrat on the vast new space, also featuring furniture by Moroso
-
What to see at New York Design Week 2022Discover Wallpaper’s highlights from New York Design Week 2022 (10 – 20 May 2022): the fairs, exhibitions and design openings to discover
-
Colour defines LA ceramics studio and showroom of Bari ZipersteinStep inside the multifunctional ceramics studio, office and showroom of designer and artist Bari Ziperstein, designed by local firm Foss Hildreth
