Kulturhuset's New Artists project 1987-1988

Chapter 2. Stockholm’s invitation of Leningrad artists and musicians

Because the Swedish proposal to Vasily G Zaharov, Soviet Minister of Culture, refers to the political framework of this Soviet-Swedish co-production, I will first have a look at this proposal, signed by three representatives of the city of Stockholm: Ingemar Josefsson, city councillor, as well as Hans Waldenström and Bo Sylvan from the Stockholm Cultural Administration. This document, a copy of which is at the Kulturhuset archive (see bottom of page), is undated, but looking at her archive, Sara Åkerrén could tell me more (private message from 16 January, 2022): 

Sissi Nilsson sent this version of the document (including the translation) to Magnus Dahnberg at the Swedish consulate in Leningrad on November 4^th, 1987. An earlier version (without two of the signatures and with an incomplete list of artists & musicians, according to Sissi) was sent by her on October 26th to the Swedish Ambassador in Moscow with a request that it be transmitted to the Ministry of Culture.

The signatories propose “Leningrad – Days of Culture in the House of Culture” from 22 January to March 13, 1988, as part of the Swedish-Soviet programme on cooperation in the field of culture, science and education. This programme, signed in Moscow on 17 December 1986, lasted up to 1990. In 1990, there was actually a return visit to Leningrad by a group of Swedish artists. In his article from 2020 “Turning towards the inland sea? Swedish ’soft diplomacy‘ towards the Baltic Soviet republics before independence”, Thomas Lundén sheds some light on this programme, quoting a passage from the preamble of the Swedish-Soviet programme on cooperation:

Referring to the principles, provisions, and objectives in the final document of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe [Stockholm 1986] the parties confirm their ambition for a deepened cultural and scientific exchange between Sweden and the Baltic Soviet Republics[1]

Thus, according to Lundén, the main goal of this programme for the Swedish side was to establish direct relations with the Baltic Soviet Republics, using different channels:

Besides the Local [sic] consular branch of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Leningrad, often acting without clear instructions from Stockholm, the Swedish government preferred to channel its first contacts with the Baltic republics through its primary institution for cultural and public diplomacy, the Swedish Institute (SI), later supplanted in this role by the Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA).[2]

Considering Lundén’s argument, a festival of Leningrad artists and musicians was not the Swedish government’s first priority, but for the curatorial team of Kulturhuset, the bilateral Swedish-Soviet programme offered the possibility to directly address the Soviet government.[3] Furthermore, the Swedish letter stresses the fact that the Stockholm Conference on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures and Disarmament in Europe (1984-1986) took place in the very building earmarked to host the festival, as it had been rebuilt to serve as a “people’s university”. While the aspect of international détente emphasises the importance of the venue, the other argument, the building’s function as a “people’s university”, cherishes a typical Soviet approach to culture, the stereotype of education for the masses.

The letter includes a list of sixteen artists and musicians to be invited (names in Swedish spelling).

• BUGAEV, Sergej Anatolievitj (Africa)

• GUTSEVITJ, Vladislav Bronislavovitj

• JUFIT, Jevgenij

• KOTELNIKOV, Oleg Jevgenijevitj

• KOZLOV, Jevgenij Valentinovitj

• NOVIKOV, Timur Petrovitj

• OVTJINNIKOV, Vadim Jevgenijevitj

• SAVTJENKOV, Inal Inalovitj

• SOTNIKOV, Ivan Jurijevitj

Musicians from POP MECHANIKA

• KURJOCHIN, Sergej Anatolievitj

• GARKUSHA, Oleg

• GURJANOV, Georgij Konstantinovitj

• KASPARJAN, Jurij Dmitrevitj

• LETOV, Sergej

• TICHOMIROV, Igor Rubinovitj

• TSOJ, Viktor Robertovitj

Most participants had no official status as professional artists or musicians. The Swedish Consulate put this problem forward at an early stage of the project: vice-consul Björn Lyrvall explained Sissi Nilsson that artists’ missing official recognition made it more difficult to get support from the Soviet authorities. I assume that this is why the signatories of the letter present Kulturhuset as a venue for experimental, international young art. The letter, however, also states that the “ASSA” group of artists had already gained a reputation at home and abroad. This was not entirely wrong. By 1987, a number of articles had appeared in the national and the international press. Thus, one of the pages of Warhol’s “Interview” no 4, 1986, has an article on the “New Painters” next to a review of Stingray’s “Red Wave”.[4] Perhaps even more important were international reviews on Sergey Kuryokhin and Pop Mekhanika. The Kulturhuset archive has a large number of articles featuring Kuryokhin, all published in English. A different question is whether Soviet cultural politicians regarded such an international echo as a valid argument to support the project. International recognition of Soviet counterculture could just as well have been counterproductive to having the project accepted.

Besides, the list of artists and musicians from the proposal of late 1987 was only partly congruent with the list of those who actually travelled to Sweden in August 1988. The number of visual artists shrank considerably – from nine to one – for the benefit of twelve musicians from the Pop Mekhanika crew. Bugaev and Novikov went as Pop Mekhanika performers, Yufit as film-maker, and from the remaining six artists, only Kotelnikov travelled as “artist”. Guryanov, Gutsevich, Kozlov, Ovchinnikov, and Savchenkov remained in Leningrad.

Final Kulturhuset invitation list of fifiteen Leningrad musicians and artists
and five accompanying persons (Comsomol, TV, interpreter)
for the period from 26 August to 2 September 1988
Courtesy Kulturhuset archive

The letter also includes three annexes, which are not are not part of the documentation in Stockholm’s city archive and therefore unknown to me:

Annex I – Presentation of the ASSA group and biographies

Annex II – Budget

Annex III – photo documentation

In this way, the City of Stockholm proposed a fully worked out project, which, once accepted, could be have been implemented without delay.

City of Stockholm proposal “Leningrad – Days of Culture in the House of Culture”
to Vasily G Zaharov, Soviet Minister of Culture, November 1987, p.1


City of Stockholm proposal “Leningrad – Days of Culture in the House of Culture”
to Vasily G Zaharov, Soviet Minister of Culture, November 1987, p.2


City of Stockholm proposal “Leningrad – Days of Culture in the House of Culture”
to Vasily G Zaharov, Soviet Minister of Culture, November 1987, p.3
Courtesy Kulturhuset archive

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next page: Chapter 3. The correspondence between Kulturhuset and the Swedish Consulate, Leningrad, April-September 1987


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Uploaded 23 February 2022