Lenin and Coca Cola

Alexander Kosolapov’s works are based on an ironically radical combination of recognizable symbols and stereotypes of Soviet ideology and global mass culture. By playing with images, the artist debunks both the political Soviet myth-making, as well as the capitalist fetishism of commodities. In his work, Alexander Kosolapov often invokes the image of black caviar, the 'calling card' of Soviet and then Russian exports. The classic design of the world-famous can, and Kosolapov, who worked for years in Soviet advertising, knows it as well as anybody. The artist puts flat rows of cans on one canvas, quoting American artist Andy Warhol, who "stamped" endless cans of Campbell's soup in his 1960s paintings and prints. “I was always drawn to social and informational products. I like posters, advertisements, comics, and political slogans. I use the shared language of modern mass culture, addressed to an anonymous viewer… All these elements (of mass culture) are reflected in my Sots-art and pop-art works.” — Alexander Kosolapov