The post-bulldozer generations. (the artistic presence in the former Soviet Union) (Report From Russia)

One of the paradoxes of post-Soviet Russia has been that chaos can reach a state of equilibrium. Imminent anarchy is the norm, and most people, from politicians to pensioners to artists, have somehow managed to deal with it. The struggle to reform and stabilize the Russian economy and political system isn't over, however, and the present moment is particularly dangerous. The war in Chechnya has unleashed forces that are far less predictable than the quotidian chaos to which Russians have become accustomed over the last few years. The political instability and the reaction that many…