Mr Gorbachev, Tear Down This Art!
The moment when Mr Gorbachev was asked to "Tear down that wall" was huge, but the fall of the wall was an even greater event in history. The physicality of removing an object that stands for something so loathed and detested is so emotionally rewarding that we see it frequently in history. Not all works can and will be torn down in the heat of revolution or freedom, so after the political movement has come and gone, what happens to this art? After the fall of the Soviet Union, previously subjugated countries exercised their new power in deciding what to do with symbols of the old regime. Specifically in Russia, the topic was more complicated. They were not oppressed by a distant power, but rather by people who were their neighbors and countrymen. With the policy of Glasnost, Russia slowly turned away from communism. The official end of the Soviet Union in December of 1991 also functions as the official start of the Russian Federation as it is known today. Statues of Lenin we...
