Exhibition Review: Matthew Moore: Post-Socialist Landscapes
Private Collection, Czech Republic © Matthew Moore
Written by Parker Renick
Photo Edited by Lucia Luzzani
As our world shifts, countries and leaders rise and fall from power, and events of the past leave lasting impacts on the present. In Post-Socialist Landscapes, Matthew Moore captures these impacts as he explores the effects of the USSR, capturing the lasting scars left on the countries that were once controlled by the Soviet Union.
Post-Socialist Landscapes is divided into two separate sections—the Scars and the Idols. The first captures the locations that previously served as homes for statues of Lenin and Stalin. Spaces in the center of city squares across the former Eastern Bloc sit seemingly bare, reminding the public of a very different past. The latter captures the final resting places of the monuments. Tucked away behind buildings or in private collections, they serve as a constant reminder of their power in the last, but at the same time, now lie powerless and out of view of the public.
Lenin, Vilnius, Lithuania © Matthew Moore
Lenin, Riga, Latvia © Matthew Moore
Lenin, Vilnius, Lithuania, 2014, beautifully captures the empty space where a statue once sat. In the park’s center, a light mark on the ground serves as a constant reminder of the statue that once dominated the space.
Some spaces have been transformed; rather than appearing as an empty stage for a now missing monument, they have been redesigned to bring new beauty to the area. Lenin, Riga, Latvia, 2019 demonstrates a sense of growth and progress with a new piece of art taking the place of a point once dominated by a statue of Lenin.
Tallinn, Estonia © Matthew Moore
While the scars set the scene of what once was, the idols show what is left of the monuments. Each image reminds the viewer of the total control that the leaders had in the past but also illustrates the vast transformation that has occurred since the fall of the Soviet Union.
Tallinn, Estonia, 2015 depicts the head of Lenin lying in the grass, seemingly abandoned. A shadow cast across the face gives a feeling of defeat as it sits next to a rock and the country moves on without it.
Memento Park, Hungary © Matthew Moore
Memento Park, Hungary © Matthew Moore
Photographs from Memento Park in Hungary illustrate a different final resting place for the statues. Rather than ending up forgotten in a private collection or behind buildings, Memento Park, Hungary, 2017 demonstrates the importance of remembering the past. Here the space serves as a reminder to the public of the dictatorships of the past, just as Moore’s work keeps the audience from forgetting history.
Matthew Moore’s Post-Socialist Landscapes is on display at the Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, Oregon, until May 28, 2022.
