Moscow Conceptualism and the (Mis)Translation of American Art

Abstract This essay examines the strategies used by artists in the Soviet Union to access censored publications about contemporary American art between the 1950s and 1980s. It weaves together the personal recollections of artists associated with Moscow Conceptualism to consider the effect that smuggled or secretly reproduced texts and images had on those among whom they were circulated. The essay explores how the literal and metaphorical translation of artistic concepts into an environment with a contrasting normative background destabilized what is often assumed to be an instance of unidirectional West-to-East influence, with experiences such as misunderstanding and self-exoticization provoking new creative possibilities.