Existing comment:
Ry Nikonova (1942–2014, Russian)
Mail art to John Held Jr., 1988
This work is part of a letter that Russian artist Ry Nikonova (aka Rea Nikonova) sent to John Held Jr. in 1988 as a response to his invitation to attend an international mail art symposium in Japan. In the text, she explains that she and her husband cannot go, and would not be able to go to any foreign country, because the Soviet government does not allow them to leave. Nikonova depicts Held and herself beneath their respective country names -- the USA and the USSR -- visually dividing the image into two parts. In his speech bubble, Held suggests that Nikonova "go to symposium in Japan." His figure reaches out his hands toward Nikonova, crossing an invisible border between the two countries and almost touching her, a gesture of embrace. Nikonova's representation, in a more pragmatic pose, replies "I cannot," while a disembodied hand firmly tugs at a rope encircling her neck, underscoring her lack of autonomy and the danger she faces if she defies it. In many of her artworks -- mail art, visual poetry, and drawings -- Nikonova made a critique of the Soviet regime and ideology. Personal freedoms restricted by politics was one of her main concerns.
-- Mariia Spirina |