Expo 'The Paper Revolution' shows the face of the Soviet state

After the Russian Revolution in 1917, the young Soviet state needed a new language. The Russian avant-garde became one of the most creative and influential art movements.

Exactly one hundred years after the Russian Revolution, one of the most important events of the 20th century, ADAM is organising an exhibition devoted to Soviet Russian graphic design. Original posters, magazines, and book covers adorn the walls or are shown in minimalist display cases.

Influenced by the many “isms” in Europe (Cubism, Futurism, Dadaism), Russian artists devised their very own “ism”. Constructivism or Russian avant-garde declared every other art form to be dead, and that the only worthwhile activity was the production of objects and buildings. Many of their designs remained dreams on paper; graphic design was the only thing to really take off. The daring typography, photo montages, and their bold use of colour were perfect tools to efficiently promote the new Soviet state.

The most important Russian avant-garde artist Alexander Rodchenko was noted for a book cover for There and Back Again by Vladimir Mayakovsky. The cover is a classic example of constructivist graphic design, including arrows as graphic elements, strongly contrasting colours, and the use of different font sizes. The 1924 poster that Rodchenko designed for the Leningrad State Publishing House to encourage people to visit libraries so they would learn to read and write, is an eye-catcher.

Almost literally: a woman screams the written word through a megaphone. The primary colours of red, blue, and green reinforce the message. Rodchenko was not only innovative as a graphic artist, his photography with unusual perspectives and refined graphic forms also broke with the past and with tradition.

The book covers by Lazar Markovich Lissitzky, known as El Lissitzky, are also striking. He not only had a profound influence on Bauhaus, but his production techniques and style also dominated graphic design throughout the 20th century.

Russian avant-garde was a style guide for numerous arts, including graphic design, abstraction, pop art, and much more. That alone makes a detour to ADAM absolutely worth it. The beautifully preserved magazines and posters are also a plus.

> The Paper Revolution. Soviet Graphic Design and Constructivism (1920-1930s). 05/06 > 08/10, ADAM, Brussels