soviet modernism 1955-1991: unknown stories

residential building on minskaya street, 1980s, bobruisk, belarus.

holiday home for writers, 1965-69, sevan lake, armenia.

ministry of highways, 1974, tbilisi, georgia.

circus, 1976, tashkent, uzbekistan.

park of memory (crematorium), 1968–1980, kiev, ukraine.

bazar, 1983, baku, azerbaijan.

lenin square, 1966–1972, tashkent, uzbekistan.

lenin museum (now historical museum), 1984, bishkek, kyrgystan.

lenin palace, 1970, almaty, kazakhstan.

state library named after karl marx, 1969-1975, ashgabat, turkmenistan.

central aquatic sports center (now laguna vere), 1978, tbilisi, georgia.

soviet modernism 1955 - 1991: unknown stories explores the architecture of the non-russian soviet republics completed between the late 1950s & the end of the USSR in 1991.

while constructivism & stalinist architecture have largely been included in western architecture history, the soviet modern architecture of the second half of the 20th century have remained practically unknown to date.

working in collaboration with local experts & architects, a research group at the architekturzentrum wien has pursued the specialities in the architecture of the period & its 'stories'.  interviews conducted with eyewitnesses of the time have been documented in writing.

time is running out as the poor construction techniques of these rapidly aging buildings is threatening their existence.

the exhibition runs through 25 february, 2013 at the architekturzentrum wien - old hall & is curated by katharina ritter, ekaterina shapiro-obermair & alexandra wachter.