The exhibition ‘Art in the Gulag. Vorkuta 1948-1956.’ has opened at the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, Raiņa Bulvāris 7.
Solomon Gershov (1906-1989) was a Russian Post Avant-Garde artist born in Daugavpils, in Latvia. He studied under Marc Chagall in Vitebsk and under Kazimierz Malewicz in Leningrad. He was arrested twice and spent a total of 10 years in exile in Kursk and Vorkuta. After both arrests all of the artist’s work was destroyed.
The exhibition ‘Art in the Gulag’ is dedicated to works of Gershov which have not been officially displayed, which he created as a prisoner in Vorkuta. The works were made with pencil and two or three water colours, on bad paper, packaging and even wallpaper. They document the people and their daily lives during imprisonment, and also after liberation, when the miserable and injustice situation forced them to continue living in Vorkuta.
The exhibition will be available for viewing at the Museum of the Occupation until 12 March.