Apartment exhibitions are a phenomenon of unofficial art of the Soviet period, caused by state censorship. Any art was defined as alternative if it did not meet the needs of the ideological system, even if it was not connected with the political situation. Authors who did not fall within the framework of official art and could not be exhibited in public space found solutions in the form of holding events in private apartments or artists' studios.

The art of this period is characterized by a desire to bypass ideological ideas and was created in conditions of limited freedom and fear. The works reflected the absurdity of the situation and expressed psychological tension. Scraps of paper could be exhibited, drawings on a bathroom curtain, sketch forms of works, everyday objects became part of installations or served as art material. The works had the character of momentary, incompleteness, impersonality, formlessness, reflecting emptiness. The artists worked with a wide range of artistic trends: symbolism, neo-avant-garde, postmodernism and more. The exhibition space also had a varied expression. It could have an improvised character or be inscribed in the everyday life of the tenants of the apartment, it could take place in the attic or squats, in communal houses and Soviet communal apartments. Such exhibitions were mostly attended by guests who were part of the author's trusted circle. However, repressions associated with housing were quite rare.

In addition to art, in such underground impromptu exhibition halls, one could find representations of foreign, unpublished or not yet translated into Russian books, discussions of current philosophical trends or modern concepts of art. The general atmosphere that unites a variety of visitors of different professions and cultural figures, the desire for freedom in any of its manifestations.

With the development and interest in the direction of alternative art, the genre of apartment exhibitions appeared views intended for a wider audience. They were very popular, sometimes collecting queues. In the seventies, informal galleries called apartment salons began to operate. Artists have the opportunity to sell their art. Including foreign buyers-collectors, who were also often organizers of apartment houses.

In contemporary art, apartment exhibitions also take place. In the current socio-cultural and political situation, apartment dwellers can serve as a distancing from the state system. Artists also face censorship and repression, they strive for independence, for the freedom to represent their views and identity.