When I was young there were artists who copied one another, artists who studied hard, and the usual quota of plagiarists. Our generation was like any other, although the period of Stalinism might be said to have been exceptional because art almost died altogether. Art cannot use poor education and a lack of information as an excuse. The past was a bad time. Pretending that things are beautiful in a world that is so clouded in obscurity does not serve art.
Art needs light and clarity everywhere.
Our culture is like a sick, ugly child, which we should bring out into the light so that it doesn't die, diseased, pretending that it is healthy. The market is not the main problem. It may be a dangerous creature, but it is not beyond human will to resist its temptations. Our art and culture are ailing from having suffered from more than half a century of isolation. The Oppositional stance we took against the West was one of the worst symptoms of our illness.