Russian Turbulence

12.09.2011 - 03.04.2012

Opening Hours:

The collection is open by email appointment only.

Rue de la Concorde 21,
1050 Brussels
+32 (0)2 503 04 98


Charles Riva Collection is pleased to present Russian Turbulence, an exhibition curated by Etienne Macret. The show brings together Russian art spanning over ( XXth century ) one hundred years. The works presented offer a view on Russia’s shifting political and artistic ideologies. Turbulence refers to its insistent will for freedom and self-expression from a history of violence, revolution, and re-birth, championing the artistic vision of counter culture and resistance of the underground.

Artworks of forty-two artists from the constructivist, avant-garde, non-conformist, suprematist, and contemporary periods will be presented at the charles Riva collection, located in a 19th century listed house in the heart of Brussels. The relative intimacy of this location offers a space of contemplation for works which so often derive their power from chaos.

While earlier pieces in the exhibition function as time capsules providing a glimpse into a world which was for so long distant to the rest of the world, we find within the work of contemporary artists a struggle with post-Soviet reality entrenched, in a search for often unlikely new Russian icons in a rapidly changing environment. Nevertheless; with each epoch we can witness moments of resistance juxtaposed with humour and a sense of the romantic.

Russian Turbulence does not seek to draw a straight line through 20th and 21st century Russian art, but rather to celebrate its plurality and its frenetic, explosive energy.

Charles Riva Collection wishes to thank various partnering galleries, individuals and institutions for their generous collaboration during this exhibition.