As one of Russia’s leading contemporary photographers, Sergei Borisov’s body of work is widely acclaimed for its subtle documentation of the social figures who dominated the Underground movement at the tail end of the Soviet Union. Indeed, Borisov's depictions of his subjects as emblems of a shifting socio-cultural paradigm are considered among the earliest and strongest examples of the “new Russians”— individuals whose forward thinking was neatly interwoven with their appreciation for the history of their beloved homeland. In lot 85 Borisov positioned his subject in the context of an upward curving architectural landmark, alluding to the progress—and challenges—associated with the formation of a new social-political landscape. Similarly, in lot 84 Borisov’s subject is re-appropriating the Soviet Union flag, demonstrating the shift in national identity that typified the nation in the late 1980s. Together, the two images reflect the artist’s continuous vision for his native land, at once filled with pride of the past but bracing of the many shifts belying an exciting future.