DESERT OF FORBIDDEN ART

Directed by Amanda Pope and Tchavdar Georgiev

Opens Thursday, September 15

The Uptown

In one scene from Desert of Forbidden Art, Nukus Museum curator Marinika Babanazorova recalls an act of heroism from her mentor, Igor Savitsky. The embattled gallery founder, on whom the documentary is centred, had once wanted to raise funds for artist Nadezhda Borovaya for her stark portrayal of the Soviet gulags. To obtain the money, he convinced his Soviet culture ministers that the pieces were depicting Nazi concentration camps.

This is just one of many examples of how Savitsky worked tirelessly to ensure that the oppressed artists of the Soviet Union would not let their art die with them. A true Robin Hood of his time, the devoted curator traveled all over Russia collecting over 40,000 pieces for the Nukus Museum — a subversive art gallery he maintained in the Uzbekistan desert.

Many artists in the Soviet era made a living as government-sanctioned creatives, producing propaganda and official state work that depicted happy workers and a society that functioned. Artists who worked outside of this narrow spectrum and toyed with modernist ideas like surrealism and the avant-garde were either shipped to gulags or forced into mental hospitals. Thanks to the work ethic of Savitsky, this important if forgotten corner of world art history survived against all odds at the Nukus Museum.

It’s a complicated story that spans many decades and many perspectives, but it’s told exceptionally well thanks to the efforts of filmmakers Amanda Pope and Tchavdar Georgiev. The scope of the film’s subject matter is thoroughly explored through a clearly well-researched method, as the director sets up the gravity of this regime from a broader viewpoint before zooming in on this small corner of the story.

Sure, the story is more educational than purely entertaining, but it avoids a dry delivery thanks to the filmmaker’s engaging techniques. Combining grainy black-and-white footage of Savitsky in action with historical clips, landscape shots and a near-overwhelming amount of art, the film is visually pleasing yet organized, allowing viewers to build a strong visual understanding of the subject matter.

The film is rounded out by in-depth interviews with a variety of subjects, from those who worked and lived alongside Savitsky to the relatives of the artists themselves. Each of these interviewees is utilized well as they not only round out Savitsky’s story, but more importantly help to capture this oppressive regime with their own heartfelt tales of strife and loss.

With most of the film’s subjects having long since passed away, creating a detailed account of this story could have fallen into the trappings of a yawn-inducing history lesson. Thankfully, the voices of Sally Field, Ed Asner and, most notably, Sir Ben Kingsley were enlisted to add some life to the long sections of vintage film. Kingsley especially brightens the film in his role as Savitsky, allowing viewers to sympathize with the curator’s lifelong struggle for his art.

Ultimately, Savitsky’s dedication to his work was his downfall, as his stubborn use of highly toxic chemicals for art preservation blackened his lungs and caused his death. This works as a striking metaphor for Savitsky’s entire life, as the curator stopped at nothing to collect and protect these works.

Desert of Forbidden Art closes with a tour of the present-day Nukus Museum, which maintains its staunchly purist approach to storing, documenting and preserving Soviet art. Though the influx of attention on this lost art movement has sent collectors in droves, Babanazorova refuses to sell a single piece of art. Watching a broke art gallery located in a broke country withstand the temptation to turn a profit in the name of integrity is a true revelation, and a chill-inducing inspirational moment to conclude a film full of them.