Press information
 |
Philipp Meuser |
New from DOM publishers:
Philipp Meuser
Patterned Panels
Mosaic Façades by the Jarsky Brothers in Soviet and Uzbek Tashkent 1969–1999
Soviet architecture in the Uzbek capital is already well-established under the term Tashkent Modernism. Within this context, the prefabricated apartment blocks with facades designed by Pyotr, Nikolai, and Alexander Jarsky represent an architectural exception among the otherwise often monotonous standardised buildings of the Soviet Union. The three brothers designed colourful mosaics and expressive reliefs for over 200 buildings in Uzbekistan, primarily in Tashkent, where the devastating earthquake of April 26, 1966, will soon mark its 60th anniversary. To commemorate this occasion, the English-language monograph Patterned Panels: Mosaic Façades by the Jarsky Brothers in Soviet and Uzbek Tashkent 1969–1999 is now being published. The German edition, which was released two years ago, quickly sold out.
Although these residential buildings represent some of the most extraordinary examples of Soviet mass housing construction – the world's largest program of its kind – since the early 1970s, the Jarsky brothers' work has received little international attention. This volume aims to change that. For the first time, it is dedicated to the brothers' remarkable oeuvre, presenting a total of 30 projects. The facades designed by the Jarskys represent a link between art and architecture, as they developed a method by which the mosaics and reliefs could be prefabricated along with the concrete slabs, thus integrating them into the building structure. Despite the industrial, highly standardised construction methods and despite political control, they managed to preserve their individual creative freedom and develop artistically. In their floral ornaments and programmatic motifs, they combined the heritage of Islamic architecture with the functionalism of Soviet construction. For example, the subjects of the first phase are traditional Uzbek ornaments, such as those found on historic buildings. From the mid-1970s onward, political content increasingly appeared in the designs. Numerous facades now featured depictions from the fields of space exploration, mathematics, or natural sciences, combined with idealised portrayals of the Soviet citizen. It was only in the 1980s that the trio succeeded in adopting a more abstract and artistically freer formal vocabulary.
This 320-page publication is the result of years of research in Uzbekistan and Russia, where the Jarsky brothers received their training. The study also serves as a foundation for further research at the intersection of standardisation and individualisation. It aims to contribute to the recognition and discussion of the historical value of industrially prefabricated buildings, and in particular the unique facade designs of the Jarsky brothers, before they disappear unnoticed from the cityscape of Tashkent.
 © Family archive Jarsky |
 © Family archive Jarsky |
 © DOM publishers |