The exhibition also includes drawings, film stills, magazine articles, and historical timelines that chronicle the genealogy of this often overlooked period in 20th century design. Also featured are the political, historical, and intellectual undercurrents that served as a background and often inspiration for the constructs. For instance, the exhibit tells how one of the photographed hotels was once mistaken for a missile silo by US agents monitoring the USSR.
''Operating in a cultural context hermetically sealed from the influence of their Western counterparts, they drew inspiration from sources ranging from expressionism, science fiction, early European modernism, and the Russian Suprematist legacy to produce an idiosyncratic, flamboyant, and often imaginative architectural ménage. Unexpected in their contexts, these monumental buildings stand in stark contrast to the stereotypical understanding of late Soviet architecture in which monotonously repetitive urban landscapes were punctuated by vapid exercises in architectural propaganda,'' reports the Storefront for Art and Architecture newsletter.
The buildings captured in the exhibition are located in such regions as Estonia, Georgia, Armenia, Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Russia and have never been documented or exhibited until now. The constructs feature great creativity, many by architects who achieved little recognition or remain unknown.
''These images show creative freedom from a nation usually thought to be devoid of imaginative work,'' says Gregory Dreicer, vice president of exhibitions and programs, according to the exhibition’s press release. ''They are comparable in imaginative force to the designs of Bertrand Goldberg and Harry Weese.''
A nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and advancing education and the public interest in design and architecture, the CAF will host special programs that correspond with the exhibition, which is presented in partnership with the Chicago Sister Cities International Program and the University of Chicago Center for Eastern European and Russian/Eurasian Studies. Running through October 3, the exhibit is open daily and free to the public.
