Exhibitions
Photo Oxford 8–24 September 2017
Russian Criminal Tattoos: A Lexicon of Crime
Curators Greg Hobson and Tim Clark selected thirty-four photographs from the Russian Criminal Tattoo Archive as part of the Photo Oxford photography festival with the collective theme: Conceal/Reveal. ‘The medium is the perfect vehicle for an enquiry of this duality given its unique link to notions of perception and reality, truth and knowledge since the photograph is both exalted and decried for playing with appearances.’
Grimaldi Gavin 17 October–22 November 2014
Russian Criminal Tattoo Police Files
FUEL present: Photographs from the Arkady Bronnikov collection at Grimaldi Gavin gallery in Albemarle Street, London W1. Including three 100x140cm prints and twenty at 30x40cm. These photographs sourced from Soviet Police Files date from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s and have never been exhibited before.
Saatchi Gallery 21 Nov 2012–9 June 2013
Gaiety Is The Most Outstanding Feature Of The Soviet Union
The Saatchi Gallery is currently showing thirteen large format prints of Sergei Vasiliev’s work as part of the exhibition Gaiety Is The Most Outstanding Feature Of The Soviet Union. The exhibition which runs from 21 November 2012 – 9 June 2013, also includes work from artists including Boris Mikhailov, Gosha Ostretsov and Yelena Popova.
Galerie Max Hetzer 27 April–16 June 2012
Russian Criminal Tattoos
This exhibition at Galerie Max Hetzler opened during Berlin Galleries Weekend 2012, alongside a show by the sculptor Rebecca Warren. For this show FUEL curated a further 16 photographs from the archive of Sergei Vasiliev, making a total of 32 prints. As well as including a number of new portraits, these prints highlight tattoos that appear on specific parts of the criminal’s body.
Nottingham Contemporary 16 July–2 October 2011
The Small Collections Room
The Small Collections Room at Nottingham Contemporary consists of four antique cabinets. Artworks sit within the drawers of each cabinet and the public are encouraged to open the drawers and explore the contents.
Spitalfields, London 30 October–28 November 2010
Russian Criminal Tattoo Exhibition
Between 30 October and 28 November 2010 FUEL curated and held the first Russian Criminal Tattoo Exhibition at 4 Wilkes Street, an empty textile warehouse in Spitalfields, east London. For the first time the public were able to view the exquisitely detailed ink drawings of Danzig Baldaev alongside a limited edition set of photographs from Sergei Vasiliev. The exhibition was open for 18 days and had over 4,500 visitors.