«David Borovsky – Vladimir Vysotsky»

Two performances at the Taganka Theatre united the work of an artist David Borovsky and the work of an actor, a poet, a singer Vladimir Vysotsky. Vysotsky has performed such roles as Gamlet /1971/ and Svidrigailov in Crime and Punishment /1978/ – his last performance, which was recorded in Alexander Sternin’s photographs. The Taganka Theatre composed a play «Vladimir Vysotsky» /1981/ as a goodbye with a great actor, colleague and friend.

Alexander Borovsky, a son of the artist and a stage designer, created the exhibition space. The models, shown to the Taganka troupe on the eve of the first rehearsals, are now presented here, at the David Borovsky Memorial Workshop. David Borovsky’s sketches and drawings of all the three plays show the differences in the artist’s decisions in these performances, as well as the unique space, along with the leading artists performing roles: the Hamlet curtain, sweeping away everything in its path, a crime scene that can be seen by the audience, an empty auditorium… And the artist’s gift to hear the unique voice of an actor, his colleague.

«… I want to remember his closest friend of the last years, who in many ways changed his life…

His name was Hamlet and he was a prince. About two years before they met, Volodya, dreaming of a famous Dane, was asking Lyubimov to perform this play.

And apparently, this was not only about acting, but a sign of fate.

In the 70’s they finally met, and everything was not so simple. They were looking closely to each other for a long time, sometimes they did not understand each other’s words and actions.

Words, words… words…

The time has come, they have come closer, and over the years it was as they had become one creature.

And it lasted for almost ten years.»

David Borovsky on Vladimir Vysotsky,

«The Runaway Space», 2006

Exhibition curator and artist – A.D. Borovsky