The Brotherhood of New Blockheads was a Saint Petersburg-based performance collective active from 1996 to 2002. Little-known in the West and even in Russia, their enigmatic art is a hidden gem waiting to be explored. Comprising Vadim Flyagin, Igor Panin, Sergey Spirikhin, Inga Nagel, Vladimir Kozin, Maxim Rayskin, Oleg Khvostov, and Alexander Lyashko, the group staged over 100 performances in just five years. Infused with absurdity, humor, and poetic flair, their seemingly trivial acts captured the essence of a crumbling Soviet Union, where art’s irrelevance became its power.
The exhibition at the gallery BQ in Berlin, which was unveiled during Gallery Weekend Berlin 2025, marks the first showcase of their work in Germany, featuring around 25 selected artworks and performances. Curated by Daniel Baumann (Director of Kunsthalle Zürich, 2015–2025) and supported by Saint Petersburg-based artist and curator Peter Belyi, this display unveils a unique chapter of art history.
This video consists of three parts: a short tour of the exhibition, a conversation between the curator Daniel Baumann and the curator and artist Peter Belyi, and a look at some selected works.
The Brotherhood of New Blockheads (1996-2002) / Retrospective at BQ Berlin. Berlin (Germany), May 2, 2025.
The exhibition at the gallery BQ in Berlin, which was unveiled during Gallery Weekend Berlin 2025, marks the first showcase of their work in Germany, featuring around 25 selected artworks and performances. Curated by Daniel Baumann (Director of Kunsthalle Zürich, 2015–2025) and supported by Saint Petersburg-based artist and curator Peter Belyi, this display unveils a unique chapter of art history.
This video consists of three parts: a short tour of the exhibition, a conversation between the curator Daniel Baumann and the curator and artist Peter Belyi, and a look at some selected works.
The Brotherhood of New Blockheads (1996-2002) / Retrospective at BQ Berlin. Berlin (Germany), May 2, 2025.
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Creativity