"Diary of a Conformist" 2008 (Privatly owned)
Wallpaper, corrugated cardboard, acrylic paint, ballpoint pen, 50 x 50 cm each
The Diary of a Conformist comprises a graphic series that takes Koneva’s own childhood and youth in the former Soviet Union as its theme. Her existence in the historically uneventful Brezhnev era, a period of stagnation, was entirely in accordance with the Soviet norms, clichés, and standards. A special aspect of the 16-part work consists of pieces of original wallpaper from this time. The ballpoint pen drawings on the wallpaper palpably recall remnants of childhood memories in which the dictatorship was still a radiant model. Other recollections from Soviet life, by contrast, make it clear how infinite the chaos was, how extreme the uncertainty was, and how blurred every boundary was. But up until the collapse of the Soviet Union, the aspects of pure trust and joy outweighed the rest for Koneva.
Wallpaper, corrugated cardboard, acrylic paint, ballpoint pen, 50 x 50 cm each
The Diary of a Conformist comprises a graphic series that takes Koneva’s own childhood and youth in the former Soviet Union as its theme. Her existence in the historically uneventful Brezhnev era, a period of stagnation, was entirely in accordance with the Soviet norms, clichés, and standards. A special aspect of the 16-part work consists of pieces of original wallpaper from this time. The ballpoint pen drawings on the wallpaper palpably recall remnants of childhood memories in which the dictatorship was still a radiant model. Other recollections from Soviet life, by contrast, make it clear how infinite the chaos was, how extreme the uncertainty was, and how blurred every boundary was. But up until the collapse of the Soviet Union, the aspects of pure trust and joy outweighed the rest for Koneva.