Artwork
Subaquatic Swimming Troops
Subaquatic Swimming Troops is a print by Olga Florenskaya. It dates from 2002 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
“Subaquatic Swimming Troops” is a print taken from the collaborative project “Russian Trophy” (2002) by Olga Florenskaya and Alexander Florensky. The work belongs to a larger assemblage that mimics the contents of a fictitious military museum, presented in a wooden crate sealed with wingnuts and stamped with the project title.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a fabricated flag naming an imaginary unit, the “Subaquatic Swimming Troops.” Alongside similarly absurd banners—such as “North‑Western Enemy” or “Military Therapy Troops”—the piece satirizes the defensive, xenophobic posture of the Russian Empire and its Soviet successor, hinting at historical rivals without naming them directly.
Technique & Style
Executed as a printed image, the work adopts the visual language of official military insignia: bold lettering, simplified heraldic forms, and a utilitarian aesthetic that evokes genuine wartime paraphernalia. The flat graphic treatment reinforces the tongue‑in‑cheek nature of the fabricated symbols.
History & Provenance
Created as part of the 2002 “Russian Trophy” series, the print was originally housed within a wooden box designed to resemble a crate of supplies. The project was presented as a multidisciplinary installation, incorporating sculpture, found‑object constructions, banners, paintings, and film, all unified by the satirical museum concept.
Context
The early 2000s saw renewed interest in revisiting Soviet and imperial narratives through irony and parody. Florenskaya and Florensky’s work engages this discourse by constructing a mock museum that critiques the mythologizing of military power and the persistent “fortress mentality” in Russian cultural memory.
Artist & collection
Artist
Olga Florenskaya’s prints from 2002 turn Cold War fears into bold, graphic shapes.
