ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the potential of an artefact as an outcome of a practice-based research to leave an impact on the wider world. By focusing on visual art from an art historical perspective as well as contemporary art practices, the method of archive is explored in framing female masculinity as a category in Soviet history. By exploring visual archival materials and interrogating the language assigned to them, this chapter traces the changes in attitudes throughout Soviet history towards representations of female masculinity before considering whether the visual artwork presents an alternative way of transcending the limitations created by ‘gay-propaganda’ law in contemporary Russia. Through the case study of The Green Book, the alternative approach of the ‘pseudo-archive’ is explored for re-constructing historical categories previously considered to be invisible. The results suggest that the act of the viewer’s engagement with an artefact that is removed from its theoretical frames can enable new subjective forms of understanding – sometimes detrimentally. In this light, the research carries the burden of contextualising artefacts, allowing for theoretical support, such as accurate historical terminology, in the exposure of difficult social topics. Nevertheless, the artefact possesses the power to question the status quo by providing a platform for visibility.
