Erik Bulatov

Since the beginning of his career in the 1950s, Russian artist Erik Bulatov (born 1933) has investigated the potential of painting as social commentary. A founder of the school of Moscow Conceptualism alongside Ilya Kabakov, Collective Actions and Komar & Melamid, among others, Bulatov developed what has been described as conceptual painting, using text and image to explore spatial preoccupations that mirror his understanding of social relations. This volume follows the making of the artist's largest work to date: a 30-foot-high monumental diptych made in his trademark graphic style, reminiscent of the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky's advertising posters from the 1920s. Introducing an innovative assessment of Bulatov's oeuvre, this richly illustrated book includes an essay by Snejana Krasteva exploring his use of monumental scale, an interview by Hans Ulrich Obrist and several texts by the artist which are translated to English for the first time.