Greetings from Yeysk!

[Vlada]

I am a researcher at a museum in my city. My research interests are related to graphic art and mail art. In Russia of the twentieth century, there were interesting mail-art artists.

Among them are the participants of the "Uktus school" Sergey Sigey and Anna Tarshis, who lived for some time in my city (formerly Sverdlovsk. Now Yekaterinburg).

After Sverdlovsk, they moved to Yeysk, where they conducted a very active creative activity. Also in 1989, A. Tarshis and S. Sigey organized the "First exhibition of mail art in Russia": first, it was held in Yeysk at the Local History Museum, later in Sverdlovsk and Perm.

Unfortunately, I was not allowed to work with the archive at the museum, the refusal came at the last moment after their consent. It was very frustrating. But on the other hand, I am now in a historic place for Russian mail art.

p. s. Maybe someone has mailings from Tarshis and Sigey? And can you share your memories of them with me?

[Vlada]

Ilya, thank you for your response and information!:)

 Among the links there is a link to the university where I studied. Our faculty has a small collection of artists of the "Ural underground", including works by Tarshis and Sigey

[Ilya Semenenko-Basin]

Sorry, maybe I was mistaken and the photos of Ry Nikonov's artwork were posted on Facebook not by Chuck, but by John Held Jr.
https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/items/detail/ry-nikonova-mail-ar...

We should ask John Held Jr. on Facebook about it.

https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/items/detail/rea-nikonova-ussr-m...

I'll put together more links for you, all of which may come in handy:

https://artpool.hu/MailArt/chrono/1995/Nikonova.html

https://www.transfurism.com/ry-nikonova-biography

https://mailartists.wordpress.com/2008/11/27/rea-nikonova/

https://iuoma-network.ning.com/group/rea-nikonova-1942-2014?overrid...

[Ilya Semenenko-Basin]

Наверное, Вам известны немногочисленные книги Ры Никоновой и Сигея, например:

http://hylaea.ru/202-transfuristi_izbrannie_teksti_ri_nikonovoy_i_d...

Ры Никонова-Таршис А. "Слушайте ушами: пьесы, проза и плюгмы 1961-1979 гг.". М., 2011.
Скачать (купить) книгу "Слушайте ушами" можно здесь:
https://www.litres.ru/anna-ry-nikonova-tarshis/slushayte-ushami-270...

Рецензия на "Слушайте ушами":

http://os.colta.ru/literature/events/details/21928/

В Сети рассеяно немало биографической информации, например: 

http://art-urgi.urfu.ru/index.php/mneniya-i-kommentarii/pamyati-ann...

[Ilya Semenenko-Basin]

I can tell you that Chuck Welch has posted photos of Mail Art from Ry Nikonov on Facebook many times.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007613296639

Chuck Welch is best contacted on Facebook.