Revolution is an Abstraction
Radical movements and their discontents
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Revolution is an Abstraction deconstructs the Soviet propaganda and iconography that once symbolized utopian ideals, revealing the underlying themes of power and control and the failure of these revolutionary dreams.
The Soviets originally regarded propaganda as a Marxist technology to influence public opinion and awaken a revolutionary consciousness. Through a process of subtraction and recontextualization, Novo strips away images, text, and symbols from this propaganda, transforming them into an empty and abstract technology bereft of its original ideological intent.
First exhibited at the 2019 Aichi Triennale at the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art in Japan, and later in the solo exhibition Former Present Today at the University of Houston’s Blaffer Art Museum, the series includes paintings derived from Soviet posters by avant-garde artists like El Lissitzky, Alexander Rodchenko, Varvara Stepanova, and other artists who once rejected aesthetic values in favor of revolutionary goals. That the technology of propaganda can be so easily emptied and turned into a vessel for other aims raises deep questions about present-day social technologies and their ability to achieve intended outcomes.
This exhibition is displayed in a historic bunker at POST, where it served as a nuclear bomb shelter during the Cold War.
Artist
Reynier Leyva Novo
Reynier Leyva Novo is a Cuban artist known for his innovative works that explore themes of identity, memory, and global socio-political landscapes through various mediums, including painting, photography and sculpture. His exhibitions have gained international recognition, prompting discussions on contemporary issues and cultural narratives.