In 1986, the Soviet government created a statute enabling citizens to form associations and clubs for the first time since the 1920s. This-and the 1988 law on cooperatives which permitted private enterprise-gave rise to the first official organizations created by unofficial artists, as well as the beginning of a vibrant gallery scene. Run by artists, curators, and cultural entrepreneurs, these spaces unleashed the creative energy that now characterizes early post-Soviet Russia. Access Moscow examines the key role which the first independent galleries played in the emergence of Moscow's art scene in the 1990s. Through historical texts from leading practitioners of the period-some of which are translated into English for the first time-and essays by Valentin Diaconov, Kate Fowle, Andrei Kovalev, and Elena Selina, this book provides a first-hand account of an art community in formation. A chronology of art and political events shows the development of art life in Moscow over the course of the decade. Access Moscow is the second in a new series of books by Garage Museum of Contemporary Art on research and materials in Garage Archive Collection.
