DescriptionThis dissertation examines the resurgence of avant-garde art in the work of three performance artists from different post-communist countries under the Soviet sphere of influence: Russia, Latvia and Poland. I examine the work of Latvian artist Miervaldis Polis, Russian artist Sergei Bugaev (Afrika) and Katarzyna Kozyra from Poland as a means of evaluating the changing circumstances in which new art was produced in the late-Soviet and Post-Soviet era. Through a case-study analysis of artistic performances by three artists in these contiguous but contrasting countries of the former communist region of Europe, I demonstrate how the divergent experiences of late and post-socialism were uniquely presented in the visual arts and also uniquely received by audiences. Because performance is ephemeral and foregrounds artist-audience interaction, by focusing on performance art in these countries, I am able to specifically orient my study around the exchange between artist and viewer. The artists represent neither their nation nor their generation, but their performances address both the shared and specific conditions of cultural practice the wake of socio-political change.