EXHIBITION REVIEW - THE TATE MODERN

The most striking display I observed at the Tate Modern conveyed a sense of drive and direction. Located in the 'Poetry and Dream' room are over 70 artworks each inspired by the power of the unconscious and the world of dreams. Specifically I was drawn to Room 5's 'Russian Revolutionary Posters' with its many pieces of propaganda from artists such as Dimitrii Moor and Viktor Deni. 

Curated by Matt Gale, this exhibition is a permanent collection amongst the several temporary at the Tate Modern and it feels as though the display has a firm grip on those who pass through as it seemed to be the most populated room on the floor. It is not arranged in a particular order or laid out chronologically although It appears as though the exhibition has many different stories on different walls of the room, as it dominates and makes full use of the wall space. The themes of the exhibition are the ideas and illusions possessed by the Soviet Union citizens and politicians which at the time were far from reality, therefore it warrants its place in the 'Poetry and Dreams' section of the Tate. 

The target of the many posters, newpapers and leaflets ws to reinforce the fundamental messages of power and society and has actually been dubbed as street art. The scarlet red of Russia's soviet past is a prominent and uniform feature throughout every piece of propaganda therefore all the Russian artists share a common link. Physically and psychologically I do feel overwhelmed by the amount of posters that are in the room but eventually I begin to feel inspired by the sheer depth and powerful imagery that the propaganda conveys, I feel as though these illustrations depict a strong, all-conquering and thriving community however this is perhaps what the aim of the posters are and in doing so they cover up the fragile community and political unrest. 

The vast majority of the text on these posters are in Russian which obviously makes it difficult to directly comprehend the motif but even still, visually, it starts to make more sense. In my view this is also an education into the Soviet Union. Personally, I find the the work relates to my graphic side as I tend to favour 2D design and illustration, therefore this work really appeals to me more than for instance a sculpture would. The typographic nature of the posters is also quite varied and intriguing in my view because of the vivid colour and unusual nature of the Russian text compared to Western or English text.

In conclusion, I feel this work relates to me the most out of all the works at the Tate Modern purely because of its graphic and illustrative nature, I find the work inspires me to create a response and also combines an element of photography, graphics and illustration.

'Fascism – The most evil enemy of women' Nina Vatolina

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Image - Author's Own
Exhibition/Visits - Tate Modern 16/09/13
Internet - No author. (2013) Russian Revolutionary Posters. [online] London. Tate Modern. Available at - http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/display/russian-revolutionary-posters
Quote - Vatolina, Nina. (2013) Russian Revolutionary Posters. [online] London. Tate Modern. Available at - http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/display/russian-revolutionary-posters