Vladimir Dubossarsky

Russian Art Focus met with Vladimir Dubossarsky (b.1964), who became known during the 1990s when working together with Alexander Vinogradov (b.1963). He describes their paintings as posters for films that do not exist. The duo rose to fame by combining familiar imagery in pictures which they painted in the style of Socialist Realism with absurd subject matter, all with a dash of postmodernist irony. Since 2014, the artists have pursued independent careers.

During his artistic career Dubossarsky has shot movies, worked as a photographer, participated in performances, and curated large scale art festivals. Generally, he considers himself as a conceptual artist, his paintings conceptual and not to be taken at face value.

Vladimir told us about his most recent project started during the pandemic. It is a series of paintings which explore the private life of Leonid Brezhnev, a relatively feeble politician who, however, had half the world under his watch. Dubossarsky is also a curator of the “painting” program at the Higher School of Economics’ School of Design.