Community 2019

Danil Nemirovsky made this black ink drawing, titled "Community", without indication of a specific date. It features an interior scene populated by figures, some possibly portraits. The word 'Utopia' looms large in the composition, maybe suggesting an ironic intent. Russia, where Nemirovsky lives and works, has a long and complex history with utopian thought. We might ask whether his “Community” seeks to critique the legacy of failed attempts to enact radical social change. Nemirovsky seems attuned to a post-Soviet and post-internet world of individuals seeking identity and connection. The work could be seen as an exploration of the way people build communities in the digital age and how this impacts our engagement with the world around us. To dig deeper, we could research the artistic and political debates taking place in Russia during Nemirovsky's lifetime, tracing the artist's social networks and exhibition history, and conducting interviews with the artist himself.