The Brotherhood of New Blockheads

Vadim Flyagin, Oleg Khvostov, Vladimir Kozin, Alexander Lyashko, Inga Nagel, Igor Panin, Maxim Rayskin, Sergey Spirikhain

The Brotherhood of New Blockheads was a performance group in Saint Petersburg active between 1996 and 2002. Almost unknown in the West (and also in Russia), their art remains largely a mystery to be discovered.

The New Blockheads consisted of Vadim Flyagin, Igor Panin, Sergey Spirikhain, Inga Nagel, Vladimir Kozin, Maxim Rayskin, Oleg Khvostov and Alexander Lyashko and in just five years and they staged over 100 performances. Full of absurdity, poetry and humor, these seemingly useless performances, reflected their time and the disintegrating Soviet union. Art Didn't matter back then, and that was precisely its significance.

The exhibition at BQ Berlin is the first in Germany to show a selection of around 25 artworks and performances. The exhibition is curated by Daniel Baumann (Director Kunstalle Zurich 2015-2025) with the support of Peter Belyi (artist and curator, Saint Petersburg).