Transponans: Het tijdschrift als experiment

The library is working hard to set up the Lemmens-Stommels (LS) Study Centre for Russian and Soviet Art. To give an impression of this extensive book collection, library staff member Anna Tchitcherine put together an exhibition about the magazine Transponans (1979 – 1987). The presentation is based on their thesis about artists Rea Nikonova (1942 – 2014) and Serge Segay (1947 – 2014), founders of this unique magazine. Transponans emerged in the late Soviet Union that banned art that ‘threatened’ the regime. For this reason, many artists shared their work outside official channels. Writers used the samizdat (self-publishing) system, an underground network to create and distribute publications.

Transponans spread information about early avant-garde and alternative contemporary art. But what made the magazine truly special was its form. Nikonova and Segay used surprising materials and techniques that allowed readers to engage with the magazine in new ways. Reading became an interactive experience. Nikonova and Segay encouraged readers to interpret art for themselves rather than prescribing what to believe. In doing so, they playfully explored the boundaries of Soviet culture. The exhibition displays other works alongside Transponans to highlight this experimental approach.

About the LS collection

The Van Abbemuseum is one of the leading museums for contemporary art in Europe. Part of the museum is the Lemmens and Stommels (LS) collection. This collection of over 13,500 titles includes artist's books, children's books and magazines and was donated to the museum in 2012 by Albert Lemmens and Serge Stommels, because the museum pays a lot of attention to Russian art of the 20th century. The collection includes a number of children's books made by Russian artists.

If you have any questions about the exhibition or the LS collection, you can send an email to bibliotheek@vanabbemuseum.nl. We will do our best to respond within two working days!