Unmasking the Spectacle: Ivan Dikunov’s Parade and the Performance of Memory

Dikunov’s gaze is unwavering yet empathetic; his camera follows the faces and gestures of participants, each suspended between performative patriotism and ritualistic submission. Here, Victory Day is neither fully a celebration nor merely a spectacle—it is an event that operates within a paradox, capturing genuine human emotions while reflecting collective compliance with an imposed narrative. The crowds chant, cheer, and wave flags, but each movement feels tinged with an uncertainty that Dikunov masterfully captures. What might appear as spontaneous joy may equally be read as an instinctive response to expectations of patriotism.

Through a blend of documentary observation and interpretive video art, Dikunov invites viewers to question the reality of what they are witnessing. In the tradition of Sergei Loznitsa and Omer Fast, he moves beyond conventional narrative structures, creating a meditative space where the boundaries between reality and performance dissolve.

In Parade, we sense both a desire for collective belonging and an underlying unease, with Dikunov neither condemning nor celebrating. Instead, he reveals the fragile emotional currents that underscore public rituals. It’s within these seemingly ordinary details—the unthinking sway of a flag, a child’s confused expression, a fleeting glance to the side—that Parade unfolds its critique. This is not simply an expression of unity; it is a subtle challenge to the homogenizing force of collective memory.

As viewers, we are left not with answers but with questions, each as layered and conflicted as the faces in Dikunov’s crowd. With Parade, Ivan Dikunov compels us to look harder at the social contracts implicit in public rituals and, in doing so, opens a necessary conversation about the cost of national identity when authenticity is sacrificed on the altar of spectacle.

Exhibition information: “Parade” (2023, color video, 7 min 28 sec, with sound) by Ivan Dikunov is on view at Pushkin House from May 10-23, 2024 as part of the Pushkin House Screen program.

About the artist: Ivan Dikunov is a Moscow-based artist whose work explores social and political issues through themes of memory and identity. His video works, photographs and sculpture have been widely exhibited in Russia and abroad, including at Solyanka Gallery, All-Russian Museum of Decorative Arts and ArtPlay Center as part of the III Moscow International Biennale of Young Art.