Erik Bulatov – ‘The New Generation is Important’ | TateShots

Erik Bulatov is a Russian artist best known for his paintings that explore the politically charged language of the Soviet and post-Soviet eras. ​Now in his eighties, his use of bold color and striking images continues to inspire a new generation of artists and designers across the world. ​ In this film, he meets with close friend and collaborator artist Andrei Molodkin and filmmaker Gaspar Noé who reflect on Erik’s influence on their own work. Born in Russia in 1933 Erik Bulatov became a leading underground artist in 1960’s Moscow. Not wanting to depend on state commissions, Erik used supplies from his day job, illustrating children’s books, to create work that explored the difficulties and isolation of living under the Soviet regime. In response to ’today’s political situation’, Erik’s work Forward (2016) was displayed outside Tate Modern in 2017. Standing ten feet high, Erik created a painting ’which the viewer can enter’. Its placement in a closed loop implies that moving ’Forward’ may never be possible.​