Edited by Damon Murray, Stephen Sorrell. Photography by Roberto Conte, Stefano Perego.
Brutalism East: majestic concrete meets ornament and color in the revelatory world of Soviet Asian architecture
Soviet Asia explores the Soviet modernist architecture of Central Asia. Italian photographers Roberto Conte and Stefano Perego crossed the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, documenting buildings constructed from the 1950s until the fall of the USSR.
The resulting images showcase the majestic, largely unknown, modernist buildings of the region. Museums, housing complexes, universities, circuses, ritual palaces—all were constructed using a composite aesthetic. Influenced by Persian and Islamic architecture, pattern and mosaic motifs articulated a connection with Central Asia. Gray concrete slabs were juxtaposed with colourful tiling and rectilinear shapes broken by ornate curved forms: the brutal designs normally associated with Soviet-era architecture were reconstructed with Eastern characteristics.
Many of the buildings shown in Soviet Asia are recorded here for the first time, making this book an important document, as, despite the recent revival of interest in Brutalist and modernist architecture, a number of them remain under threat of demolition. The publication includes two contextual essays by Alessandro De Magistris and Marco Buttino.
Featured image is reproduced from 'Soviet Asia.'
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In recent years, much has been published on Soviet architecture, monuments, public transportation shelters and graphic design. (Have a look at @_brutal_architecture on Instagram or FUEL's publisher page on artbook.com for a snapshot of the global craze.) Well, this week, we're delighted to announce the release of Fuel's newest, Soviet Asia, collecting 140 eye-opening photographs by Roberto Conte and Stefano Perego. Featured here are: Hotel Uzbekistan by I. Merport, L. Yershova and V. Rashchupkin (1974) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan; Lenin Monument, Istaravshan Dam (1965) in Istaravshan, Tajikistan; and Chorsu Bazaar by S. Adylov, Y. Miroshnichenko and V. Ishkakbayev (1980) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. "The rewriting of the cities of Central Asia continues," Marco Buttino writes. "These photographs represent an important record of the buildings that survive, documented before they disappear forever." continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 8 x 6.5 in. / 192 pgs / 140 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $34.95 LIST PRICE: CANADA $48.95 ISBN: 9780995745551 PUBLISHER: FUEL Publishing AVAILABLE: 5/21/2019 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: NA ONLY
Soviet Asia Soviet Modernist Architecture in Central Asia
Published by FUEL Publishing. Edited by Damon Murray, Stephen Sorrell. Photography by Roberto Conte, Stefano Perego.
Brutalism East: majestic concrete meets ornament and color in the revelatory world of Soviet Asian architecture
Soviet Asia explores the Soviet modernist architecture of Central Asia. Italian photographers Roberto Conte and Stefano Perego crossed the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, documenting buildings constructed from the 1950s until the fall of the USSR.
The resulting images showcase the majestic, largely unknown, modernist buildings of the region. Museums, housing complexes, universities, circuses, ritual palaces—all were constructed using a composite aesthetic. Influenced by Persian and Islamic architecture, pattern and mosaic motifs articulated a connection with Central Asia. Gray concrete slabs were juxtaposed with colourful tiling and rectilinear shapes broken by ornate curved forms: the brutal designs normally associated with Soviet-era architecture were reconstructed with Eastern characteristics.
Many of the buildings shown in Soviet Asia are recorded here for the first time, making this book an important document, as, despite the recent revival of interest in Brutalist and modernist architecture, a number of them remain under threat of demolition. The publication includes two contextual essays by Alessandro De Magistris and Marco Buttino.
