Work Of Independent Russian Artist Vladimir Chaika Highlights International Poster Exhibition Opening At Lincoln Center
Monday, August 11, 1997
NOTE TO EDITORS: To arrange an interview with Vladimir
Chaika during his visit to Fort Collins for the poster
exhibition, call Carrie Schafer in the Public Relations
Office, (970) 491-6432. Copies of articles about Chaika
also are available.
FORT COLLINS--Vladimir Chaika considers himself an artist
swimming against the current in an attempt to create meaningful
images in a changing Russian society.
To reach his goals, Chaika--honor laureate for the 10th
Colorado International Invitational Poster Exhibition--creates
posters that mirror Russia's struggle to balance post-communist
ideals with the economic, political and social realities a new
democracy brings to daily life.
A collection of Chaika's work and a presentation by the
laureate will kick off the 10th Colorado International
Invitational Poster Exhibition, the only event of its kind held
in the United States. The exhibition begins with a presentation
by Chaika and a reception 5-7 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Fort Collins
Lincoln Center, 417 W. Magnolia St. Chaika's work, along with
posters by the juror, exhibition directors and high-school
students from the Northern Front Range, also will be part of the
Lincoln Center exhibition. The show, which runs through Oct. 27,
is free and open to the public.
Chaika, 41, started his career when communism still burned
bright in Russia. The Moscow native studied at the USSR Academy
of the Arts, where he took part in exhibitions that quickly drew
attention from professional design circles. Immediately following
his studies, Chaika was offered a position at the Arts Fund's
Graphic Arts Complex, a showcase for top designers in Moscow.
During his tenure at the complex, Chaika worked on many projects
that gained him more professional acclaim and ultimately netted
him an offer to serve as chief artist and artistic director of
the agency.
But in the late 1980s, Chaika abruptly ended his
professional career by turning down the job offer and quitting
all contact with official organizations, including the Communist
Party. Ever since, Chaika has worked as an independent designer,
a move some critics believe liberated the artist to reach new
heights in his work.
"It is impossible to do graphic design in the Soviet Union,"
Chaika said in a recent interview in GRAPHIS, an art publication.
"When there is not enough bread on the shelves, there is no need
for attractive packaging. No choice eliminates any need for
advertising...In a country of constant deprivation, design
becomes a superfluous decision."
Some of Chaika's best known work brings that message home in
exquisite forms. To announce his departure from Moscow's graphic
design community, Chaika took out a one-page ad in a widely read
Russian publication. Taking one of the most prominent graphic
symbols in Russia--the Coca Cola logo--Chaika reproduced a sign
posted on outdoor pavilions in Moscow when there is no more beer:
"Beer nyet," meaning, "There is no beer." For his own declaration
of independence, Chaika added, "And I don't need beer."
Chaika's departure from the official Moscow graphic design
milieu did no harm to his stature as a premier artist. Chaika has
earned numerous awards for his work, including honors at the
Ninth Colorado International Poster Exhibition and from official
artist circles in Moscow. His poster, "For Rent," was one of
three gold medal winners at the CIIPE poster exhibition in 1995.
Last year, Chaika received the National Award for Culture and
Fine Art in Moscow and the Alfons Mucha Prize at the 17th
International Biennial of Graphic Design in Brno, Czech Republic.
Although optimistic about what democracy might eventually
bring to Russia, Chaika often speaks about his frustrations as an
artist in a country where materials are often of poor quality or
difficult to find.
"I am a designer without technology," he told GRAPHIS.
Regarding technology, he added, "I need it, but it's impossible.
Let me explain. A good musician can actually play on the tabletop
without any sound, because he hears inside."
The 10th Colorado International Poster Exhibition runs
Sept. 11-Oct. 24 at Colorado State University. More than 400
posters from 124 artists worldwide will be showcased as part of
the event.
Exhibition sponsors include Colorado State University, the
Fort Collins Lincoln Center, Poudre School District, the Fort
Collins Chamber of Commerce and the Fort Collins Convention and
Visitors Bureau. Financial sponsors include Colorado State's
department of art, the Colorado Council on the Arts, Fort Fund
from the city of Fort Collins, the Elizabeth Firestone Graham
Foundation and many private donors.
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