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      (E-E) Evgenij Kozlov: Leningrad 80s >>

The New Artists and the Mayakovsky Friends Club (1986-1990)

Text: Hannelore Fobo, 2021
Chapter 16. The Mayakovsky Friends Club Party 1990
previous page: Chapter 15. The Nch-Vch Club
next page: Chapter 17. The Mayakovsky Friends Club in Europe, 1988-1989
Table of contents: see bottom of page >>



Chapter 16. The Mayakovsky Friends Club Party 1990


Invitation card to the Mayakovsky Friends’
club party, Leningrad,14 July 1990.
The Kozlov & Fobo Collection, Berlin

The period of 1988 to 1990 coincides with the end of the New Artists as a group organising collective events. The lineup of artists had been growing constantly, and in my article Timur Novikov’s New Artists Lists I came to the conclusion that it "proved to be impossible to keep the lineup growing without releasing centrifugal forces: if everybody is a New artist, then no one is a New Artist.” more >> This is why I fixed the end of the New Artists’ lifespan to the last major group exhibition announced with groups‘ name, И снится нам / And We Dream Of , 29 May to 29 June 1989 at the Leningrad Railroad Workers Palace of Culture. (see chapter 1 more >>).

In contrast, the last event of the Mayakovsky Friends Club was not an exhibition, but a dance party at the Radio Workers’ House of Culture on 14 July 1990. I had the pleasure to attend it and still have the invitation card. Its text is printed in Russian and English: КЛУБ ДРУЗЕЙ МАЯКOВСКОГО ПРИГЛАШАЕТ ВАС НА НОЧНУЮ ПАРТИЮ — * —  MAIAKOVSKI FRIENDS CLUB INVITES YOU TO NIGHT PARTY. The hand-made stamp with a square in a circle is remiscent of Malevich rather than Mayakovsky, but there is an interesting detail is in the upper right corner – the word sign "E + E”. Pronounced "Ye-Ye”, it was used by Oleg Kotelnikov and Evgenij Kozlov in the 1980s with a hyphen (or minus) between the two letters. In 2005, Kozlov made it his signature, and in 2013 started adding it to his proper name.


E-E-pho-BS35
Detail from (E-E) Evgenij Kozlov’s photocollage-triptych from 1984 (Collection of the State Russian Museum) more>>.
Kozlov took this picture during a New Artists exhibition at Timur Novikov’s ASSA Gallery, 1984 more>>
On the wall are Novikov's paintings. Novikov is carrying a mattress displaying the letters E-E.
Kozlov scratched the letters into the moist emulsion of the negative while processing the film.



This Mayakovsky Friends Club Night Party stood at the beginning of the Russian Rave period; perhaps it was even the first large public party in Leningrad. It featured several transvestites and was attended by emerging celebrities, such Vladislav Mamyshev dressed up as Marilyn Monroe, or DJ Alexei Haas (Хаас, Khaas), co-founder of the first private Russian dance club “Tanzpol” located in Leningrad‘s famous art-squat “Fontanka 145” more >>.


Mayakovsky Friends Club Night Party, Leningrad,14 July 1990.
Standing on the right: Timur Novikov. Painting by Denis Egelsky.
Photo: Hannelore Fobo
Mayakovsky Friends Club Night Party, Leningrad,14 July 1990.
Vladislav Mamyshev-Monroe
Photo: Hannelore Fobo




If the last "proper” New Artists group activity was in 1989, and the last activity of the Mayakovsky Friends Club was in 1990, can we infer from this that between 1988 and 1990, the newer label gradually superseded the older one?

In my opinion, the answer must be – no. The fact the Timur Novikov organised or co-organised the party doesn't mean that the New Artists continued their activities under the label Friends Mayakovsky Club.


Mayakovsky Friends Club Night Party, Leningrad,14 July 1990.
Left: Vladislav Gutsevich
Photo: Hannelore Fobo
Mayakovsky Friends Club Night Party, Leningrad,14 July 1990.
Andrey Fitenko and (E-E) Evgenij Kozlov
Photo: Hannelore Fobo




Some other New artists were actually present at the Mayakovsky Friends Club party; in my photographic documentation are pictures of Kozlov and Gutsevich, and there might have been others, too. However, concerning art, the party stood in direct opposition to Novikov’s statement in his New Artists text from 1986 “The ‘New Artists’ formed the Club of Friends of V. V. Mayakovsky with the purpose of strengthening and developing a patriotic, innovative tradition (or, alternatively, domestic innovative traditions, see introduction, footnote 2. more >>) With a painting by Denis Egelsky as stage backdrop, the party represented Neoacademism – Novikov’s next project following the New Artists.

But the spirit of the party was also diametrically opposed to Novikov's a claim in the same text: “The process of perestroika under way in the country has stimulated self-consciousness and a victory for our own native roots over western influences.” more >> Rave parties and techno music came from the West and young Russians adapted them with great enthusiasm.


Mayakovsky Friends Club Night Party, Leningrad,14 July 1990.
Right: Alexei Haas.
Photo: Hannelore Fobo
Mayakovsky Friends Club Night Party, Leningrad,14 July 1990.
Hannelore Fobo
Photo: (E-E) Evgenij Kozlov




From here it follows that with its last event, the Mayakovsky Friends Club did not supersede the New Artists, but was acquiring a new image. If the New Artists were related to Pop Mekhanika performances of the perestroika period, the Mayakovsky Friends Club was now connected to the next musical period – rave parties. Whether the Mayakovsky Friends Club had the potential to fully develop this brand is now difficult to say, because the party remained a one-off event, and its concept was not pursued further.

Instead, a new label was created for the first large Russian techno party on 14 December 1991 at the Cosmos pavilion of the VDNKh (ВДНХ), Moscow: "Gagarin Party”. As the first man in space, Gagarin‘s name was definitely a stronger and trendier brand than that of Mayakovsky, and it was also more in line with the idea of cosmos. The poster for the Gagarin party was designed by Andrey Medvedev, one of the artists close to the New Artists – and later becoming a member of Neoacademism.

Besides, the name Club of Friends reappeared many years later, this time unrelated to Mayakovsky. Ekaterina Andreeva chose it as a title for an exhibtion in 2014 at the Calvert 22 Foundation, London, bringing together artists of both of Novikov’s groups, the New Artists and the Neoacademists more >>.

Synopsis and Introduction

Chаpter 1. Soviet Clubs and Houses of Culture

Chapter 2. Chapter 2. Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky

Chapter 3: Source material and references

Chapter 4. Index of documents 1986-1987

Chapter 5. Document A. Charter of the New Creative Association

Chapter 6. Document B. Application by the New Creative Association, 4. 8. 1986

Chapter 7. Document C. Application by the New Creative Association, 5. 8. 1986

Chapter 8. Document D. Front page of the Mayakovsky Friends Club charter, 3. 9. 1986

Chapter 9. Document E. Registration card for young associations

Chapter 10. Document F. Mayakovsky Friends Club. Working plan for 1986-1987

Chapter 11. Document G. Mayakovsky Friends Club. Invitation card, 21. 12. 1986

Chapter 12. Document H. Mayakovsky Friends Club. Report about the first year (Sept.86-Sep. 87)

Chapter 13. The Report about the first year and corresponding New Artists chronicle entries

Chapter 14. Document I. Mayakovsky Friends Club. Application to the Main Department of Culture 1987

Chapter 15. The Nch-Vch Club

Chapter 16. The Mayakovsky Friends Club Party 1990

Chapter 17. The Mayakovsky Friends Club in Europe, 1988-1989

Chapter 18. The Mayakovsky Friends Club in the USA, 1989-1990

Chapter 19. Concluding remarks


Research / text / layout: Hannelore Fobo, March 2020 / August 2021

Uploaded 17 August 2021