Practical Constructivism: Utopia Ltd @ GRAD, London

History has left us with many documents, sketches, drawings and books containing the mechanical and architectural fantasies of many artists, researchers and thinkers. Most of these projects are destined to remain in the realm of formal inventions and speculations, but an exhibition at the Gallery for Russian Arts and Design (GRAD), a not-for-profit space showcasing Russian art in central London, is attempting to reconstruct some of them.

Co-curated by Courtauld Professor of 20th Century Russian Art John Milner and GRAD's Principal Curator Elena Sudakova, "Utopia Ltd: Reconstructions" features Soviet avant-garde artworks recreated for a contemporary audience by model maker Henry Milner.

Moving from works by the Constructivists, Milner made striking sculptures inspired by the geometric experiments of Soviet artists El Lissitzky and Aleksandr Rodchenko, bringing to life designs by Vladimir Tatlin and the pioneering graphic artist from Latvia Gustavs Klucis, the youngest of the Constructivists.

One of the pieces that strikes the visitors upon entering the gallery is the "Letatlin", an experimental flying machine designed by Vladimir Tatlin that mixed a skeletal frame with avian forms and was inspired by the anatomical study of seabirds.

This attempt at combining man and machine in one unit could be considered as the physical representation of the Soviet mystique of the machine considered as a way out of poverty and backwardness.

The theme of flying also characterises El Lissitzky's dynamic "New Man", a representation of body movements. One of the most progressive artists of the early 20th century, Lissitzky stated indeed that the Egyptian pyramid was obsolete and that "the flying human being" was going to be at the frontier, adding "A new energy must be released, which provides us with a new system of movement…Even for revolutions, new forms must be invented."

Visitors who are into architecture will find the model of Tatlin's Tower or Monument to the Third International extremely fascinating.

Designed in 1925, the tower was a quest for an innovative architectural form. A functional monument made of iron and glass and built in the form of a spiral to call to mind a Theosophist symbol, the tower had three sections that revolved independently at different speeds hinting in this way at the power of kineticism.

Kineticism also characterises other models by Milner, including Rodchenko's Oval Hanging Construction, one of the early examples of mobiles, and some of Klucis' works.

Klucis was fascinated by the theme of reversibility when it came to his perspective, while his vertical stand with rotating slogan at the top that looks a bit like a trasmitting mast, reminds of Lissitzky's words, "The center of collective effort is the radio trasmitting mast which sends out bursts of creative energy into the world. By means of it we are able to throw off the shackles that bind us to the earth and rise above it."

Klucis filtered indeed radio trasmitting masts and means of communications through the eyes of the propaganda, constructing visual montages that had strong social and political purposes.

Apart from Milner's models of these pieces, the "Utopia Ltd" exhibition also features source materials, prints and documentary film and photography from the period.

A final note for visitors who may also looking for Christmas presents: check out the posters, the volume Re-Constructivism, the cotton/silk scarves with prints celebrating the Soviet aircraft industry and the Second Congress of Textile Workers, and the limited edition miniatures of Henry Milner's models of Aleksandr Rodchenko's Spatial Contructions, all on sale at the gallery.
Utopia Ltd: Reconstructions by Henry Milner is at the Gallery for Russian Arts and Design (GRAD) until 20th December 2013 (opening times: Tue – Fri 11am-7pm; Sat 11am-5pm). Russian Art Week in London finishes on 29th November 2013.