Photo by Ilya Nodia
In 1978, five young guys — Sven Gundlach, Konstantin Zvezdochotov, Alexey Kamenski, Sergey and Vladimir Mironenko — have founded “Muhomor” art group (“fly amanita” in Russian).
The Muhomors used postmodernism, mocking, and daring humor as their artistic tools. Now the group is rated as a part of Moscow Conceptualism but back then they were making fun of the pathetic older artists, the art in general, and anything and everything.
In 1982, the Muhomors recorded their only conditionally musical tape album “Golden Disc” that was later chosen by Aleksander Kushnir as a part of his Soviet Rock encyclopedia:
The birth of “Golden Disc” was revolutionary for the Soviet underground, signifying the beginning of the new era. It was the triumph of liberated consciousness, the triumph of free creativity over technical limitations and convention. A collection of provocative, derisive poems masterfully performed over a mix of popular instrumental tracks has driven the development of Soviet (and later — Russian) rock culture in many ways. The album had a big impact on a number of rock bands, such as “Bahyt Kompot”, “Kommunizm”, “Vodopad Imeni Vahtanga Kikabidze”, “Bad Boys”, “Hooy Zabey”, and, naturally, “DK”.
Muhomor’s art is organized by German Titov into a volume of the Library of Moscow Conceptualism. In 2015, Peresvetov Pereulok gallery has exhibited works by the art group. I’ve visited the exhibition with a book and collected autographs from four muhomors — that is all except Sven Gundlach.
Sven Gundlach passed away mid-December, taken by Corona virus. A few days later, I spied a beaten road sign “6.8.1 Dead End”, resembling a fly amanita, and in a three-week period completed my dedication.
