Historian Inna Ganschow, delivers a lecture on non-conformism in the Soviet Union and the art of Vyacheslav Akhunov.

In this lecture, Dr. Inna Ganschow explores the history of artistic resistance and post-modernism in the late Soviet period. She focuses on Uzbek artist Vyacheslav Akhunov (b. 1948), who worked in relative isolation in Tashkent and became a pioneering figure of conceptual art in Central Asia. Rejecting the official doctrine of socialist realism, Akhunov developed a subversive practice, most notably in his conceptual Lenin-Art or Leniniana (1977-1982) series, which ironically deconstructs Soviet propaganda and symbols of power. The series is currently on view at Kulturhuef.

Dr. Inna Ganschow examines the broader context of Soviet censorship while highlighting the critical strategies in Akhunov’s work, particularly its engagement with themes of dissent, memory, and individual expression under authoritarian rule.

The lecture will be followed by a screening of Partisan Songspiel. A Belgrade Story (2009) by the artist collective Chto Delat, from the Mudam Collection. This musical video work addresses political repression and resistance, drawing parallels between historical and contemporary struggles against authoritarianism.

Biography: 

Inna Ganschow is a scholar, writer and journalist with deep expertise in the history of migration, media, and literature of the 20th and 21st centuries, focusing on Eastern Europe and Luxembourg.