All news
The dying painting "The Road", a tape with a favorite film and a record book: How the exhibition "Tsoi. Legend" in St. Petersburg about the group "Kino" differs from the Moscow one
"Tsoi. "Legend" - this is the name of the new exhibition in the space "Sevkabel Port", which opened on October 12. Guests of the project will be able to not only see 300 personal items of the legendary musician, but also immerse themselves in the work of the group "Kino" and the aesthetics of the era of the late 80s. The exhibits of this exhibition were donated by the companion of the rock star Natalia Razlogova and the musician's son Alexander Tsoi. The exhibition has already been held in Moscow and has become a blockbuster.
"This project is worthy of my dad, everything is done at a high level," Alexander Tsoi told SPB.KP.RU. - The misconception that "cinema" is darkness, cigarette smoke and the surrounding aesthetics. The group gravitated towards rock themes, sang with guitars in the kitchen. It's cool. It enjoys mass dominance and popularity. But this is not the only and not the main thing. These were very fashionable friends, people of something new and bright. So the reason they became popular was not because they had kitchens or fire stations.
This exhibition is to be heard, not just seen. Each guest is provided with an audio guide on a cassette. Instead of a boring story about the exhibits, Kino's music plays in the headphones, changing from hole to hole.
"We decided to start with a joke," the organizers said. - In the first hall you can see rare photographs of Leningrad streets taken by Tsoi, and "I Don't Like a City Called Moscow" plays in the headphones.
Among the artifacts are original documents, including Tsoi's report card, the schedule of the Kamchatka boiler house, and even his resignation letter. An outstanding item is the silver fox fur coat that Tsoi first bought for a lot of money for her friend Natalia Razlogova in 1989. It was a completely voluntary purchase. The couple had nowhere to live, but the musician spent all his money on the coat.
"What we see is a time capsule in real time," says exhibition curator Dmitry Mishenin. - These objects were put into boxes and stored in Natalia Razlogova's house for about 20 years. In 2010, she and I opened it, and Georgy Guryanov, the drummer of Kino, advised us and helped us edit the catalog. It is amazing that everything has been preserved in such quantity and condition. I could not even finish the last pack of cigarettes. Plasticine figures molded by Viktor for Razlogova's son and his son Alexander. Behind his back, everyone can see his personality. For example, he brought chopsticks from a restaurant in Japan. It was the 80s, and no one had ever seen such a stick in our country. What surprised me most was the video recording of "The Neverending Story." We once discussed with Guryanov that he adores this film and has watched it 30 times, leaving Tsoi at home to watch it with the children. Each one is a whole story.
In the hall dedicated to the legendary Kamchatka boiler house, they decided to add another level of awareness. Perfumers were asked to create stalker-like smells such as dust, smoke and gasoline.
“When Yuri Kasparyan heard the first version of the perfume, he suggested adding cat urine to complete the image,” the organizers said.
A real discovery will be the hall with paintings by Viktor Tsoi. According to Dmitry Mishenin, Tsoi left behind hundreds of works.
"He was ahead of his peers in many ways, and it was Tsoi who invented something, but his contribution was erased and forgotten," said the curator of the exhibition. - However, expensive paintings worth more than 2 million rubles are now being sold at auctions. At the same time, there are many fake or supposedly "joint" works by Tsoi on the market, but almost all of his legacy is kept in the family and is not sold.
One of the most amazing paintings is “The Road.” The viewer sees a man driving a car. Mr. Choi wrote this article right before the car accident. What is this if not an ominous omen? At the same time, we can see how this painting was created. An unwashed brush lies nearby, and a jar of black caviar still retains the most saturated purple paint in the painting. In the next room are objects that the musician used shortly before his death. These are video camera tapes, fishing rods and a radio, which Choi never parted with.
One of those who helped create the exhibition was Joel Bastener, a friend of Viktor Tsoi and the organizer of his French performances. He met the Kino Group while studying in the Soviet Union and still remembers his friendship with Tsoi.
Joel Bastener recalls: "In France, Tsoi received an indifferent response, but in Japan, he received a great response. - Moreover, it was in France that Tsoi signed a contract with an agent who had a contract with Gerard Depardieu in his portfolio. They wanted to cast Victor as Genghis Khan in a blockbuster. It was very promising.
According to the French producer, Tsoi demonstrated a relaxed attitude towards foreign countries. He visited the United States, Japan and France, viewing these countries more as a tourist than as a musician dreaming of fame. Tsoi's American girlfriend Joanna Stingray translated several Kino songs into English. Tsoi was happy, but he refused to sing.
"We were once jokingly discussing whether he should acquire foreign citizenship," says Bastener. "He regretted that there was no Disneyland in France and said he would get citizenship. And the park was just being built. I said, 'Wait a minute. It will be here soon,' he said. But he didn't wait.
Don't miss anything by subscribing to the Telegram channel "KP-Petersburg".