Happy New Year, Comrades 1962

Valerii Lamakh created this vibrant poster, "Happy New Year, Comrades," to celebrate the new year. The images and visual codes tell us a lot about the cultural context in which it was made. Created in Soviet Ukraine, we see the word "comrade," which indicates that this image comes out of the political and social structures of the Soviet Union. The combination of geometric shapes and stars suggests a connection to constructivism, a Russian art movement that sought to reflect modern industrial society and urban space. The black and white photographs of smiling workers symbolize the socialist ideal of collective effort and the value of ordinary people. The images of Soviet workers in stars suggests an institutional effort to promote Soviet values and to celebrate national identity. To fully understand this work, we might consider the history of Ukrainian art institutions under Soviet control. The poster reminds us that art is always shaped by the social and institutional conditions in which it is made.