“Hope Will Not Replace Insurance for Luck” (1988) by Alexander Georgievich Ksenita captures a moment when the Soviet Union, deep into Gorbachev’s perestroika reforms, leaned hard into messaging about personal responsibility and preparedness. Created for Agitplakat Don, this oil-on-card sketch is one of the few surviving drafts from a period when most preparatory works were destroyed after printing.
At the center, three climbers climb a stylised peak. The lowest figure pauses—pole planted—while the second, clad in red, pushes upward. At the summit, a third stands triumphant. Their ascent follows a crisp diagonal, a visual shorthand for effort-driven progress. Threaded through their path is the script Росгосстрах (Rosgosstrakh) the Soviet state insurance agency, binding each foothold to the promise of protection. Above them floats the slogan “На удачу упования не заменят страхования!” (“Hope will not replace insurance for luck!”)—direct and unmissable.
The palette—flat fields of red, blue, yellow, and white—warms the sketch and echoes classic Soviet poster design. The mountaineering motif draws on the USSR’s deeply engrained hiking culture: organised trips by workplaces and schools, nights around campfires and river rafting, where lasting friendships formed. Ksenita uses that shared experience to tie state messaging to real-life lessons in cooperation and self-reliance.
Born in 1951 in Rostov-on-Don, Ksenita trained at the M.B. Grekov Rostov Art School (1970–1974) under Victor Grigoryevich Len, and later at the Kharkov Art and Industrial Institute (1976–1981), specializing in industrial graphics and packaging design. His artistic career is closely tied to his work with Agitplakat Don, where he produced posters on public safety, social themes, and civic values. Since 1981, he has participated in national and international exhibitions.
