Kholin and Sapgir Triumphant

Igor Kholin and Genrikh Sapgir were two of the foremost poets of the unofficial literary scene of the 1960s and 1970s. Their contribution to Russian literature has only been fully appreciated in recent years, due to the fact that their experimental poetry was not published officially until the advent of perestroika in the mid-1980s. Both poets were closely connected to the unofficial artists of the Lianozovo circle, such as Evgeny Kropivnitsky and Oskar Rabin, links which were founded both on friendship and on mutual appreciation of and support for each other’s work.

By compiling extracts from texts by artists and writers who knew Kholin and Sapgir, Pivovarov presents an intimate portrait of two poets who were close friends, but very different characters. He has long referenced both writers in his paintings, albums, and drawings, and this volume is illustrated with a number of these works, as well as rare photographs from his personal archive. Pivovarov’s archival approach mirrors that of the exhibition, which comprises material from Garage Archive Collection, a unique public resource for unofficial Soviet and Russian contemporary art which comprises thousands of documents, images, and videos.