ALEXANDER KRILOV (b. 1964)

The art object “Koleya”, created by Alexander Krilov in 2015, combines authentic autographs of Vladimir Vysotsky with a musical artifact reinterpreted in a conceptual form.

At the core of the work is a vinyl record from the French release Le Chant du Monde (1977), the first official edition of Vysotsky’s recordings outside the USSR. The record bears two autographs, signed on both sides. The signatures were obtained during a concert in Belgorod in April 1978.

The title “Koleya” (“Rut”) refers to a central theme in Vysotsky’s творчество — the inevitability of one’s path. The line “But he crushed the edges — and the rut became wider” reinforces the conceptual meaning of the piece.

The composition transforms a musical medium into a visual art object, where the autograph serves not only as historical evidence but as a symbol of an era.

The work functions as an art object combining poetry, music, and material memory.

Concept by Alexander Krilov