ABSTRACT
In 1995 at the prestigious international exhibition Venetian Biennale, a group of Russian artists displayed an installation presenting Russia to the West. Housed for the first time in the “Russia” rather than “USSR” pavilion, the installation consisted of a variety of representational possibilities. In one hall a film ran continuously, displaying a chain of images that fused Russia’s creative and destructive impulses: the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the Palace of the Soviets, the “Moscow” swimming pool, the new Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and so on. (see Box 5.1) Each of these images has a distinct symbolic value in Russian history.
