|
|
Пишет plucer (![[info]](http://lj.rossia.org/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} plucer)@ 2011-09-30 13:36:00 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
Anna Nemtsova, correspondent for Newsweek, about VOINA on Radio Studio360, NYC
- Did you hear the big 2012 election news this week?
Anna Nemtsova: ...I'm talking about the Russian elections. That's president Dmitri Medvedev announcing that Vladimir Putin will be United Russia's presidential candidate for 2012 elections. Putin is all but assured of victory and he'll potentially remain in power until 2024. Of course, Russian artists have seen this coming for a while. Anna Nemtsova is the Moscow correspondent for Newsweek and she has been closely following how the creative class has been protesting Russia's ruling regime. You know, we have a beautiful movement, underground movement of street artists all across Russia. It started a few years ago from a group called Voina, St. Petersburg street artists who declared a war, an art war to corruption, to state corruption, to injustice and more or less political regime. It was quite amazing what this group of artists were doing.
- Well, what are examples of some of the things, some of the best things they did?
Anna Nemtsova: I don't know if you would call it best, but I would say one of the most daring projects was this 60 feet long phallus that they painted all over a bridge, Liteyny bridge in St. Petersburg. And when the bridge opened to allow the boats to pass, this big penis was erected right opposite the headquarters of Federal Security...
- The former KGB?
Anna Nemtsova: The former KGB, that's right. And nobody could do anything, because the bridge was open and it was too late to bring it down. So this giant penis was sticking out for a few hours and lots of people took pictures of that and loaded on Internet. So now most of leaders of Voina group are wanted by police, they're on the federal list, they're wanted. So they're deep underground.
- As you say, the leaders of Voina are underground and they are wanted for hooliganism. How seriously apprehended have they been and have their art projects been by the government? Has it been somewhat allowed or they've gotten away with it?
Anna Nemtsova: They've gotten away for a while. Thing is, they even got a prize, you know, the best prize for modern art for that penis that I described.
- They got a prize from the govenrment ministry of culture?
Anna Nemtsova: From the government. From the government. From the ministry of culture, that's right. It's a very interesting phenomenon we have in Russia. There are different corners of political power. One hand is giving the prize, the other hand is punishing. And here's what is happening now. To pull Voina and artsts like them out of the underground and bring them, you know, to light, and make them official and some sort of pro-state, Moscow authorities decided to put them on the list of participants for modern art biennale that takes place in Moscow this week. And that happened against Voina's will because Voina does not want to participate in an official art event.
- It's so interesting that on the one hand they're doing these outrageous regime-challenging acts, part of the regime is attempting to co-opt them by making them part of this Biennale, and they're refusing to be co-opted!
Anna Nemtsova: You know, it is interesting, but they are in deep underground. You need to understand that most of these artists... I could not meet with Voina. I was only able to correspond with them by email.
- Are people beyond the art world talking about them? Is it having an impact among regular Russians?
Anna Nemtsova: I think that the sense of humor these artists have is obviously inspiring young people. They try to express their protest in different ways. Mostly mocking Medvedev and Putin, the prime minister. And that was long before the news we have now. The artists kind of predicted that humiliating act of two leaders deciding for people what they are going to do with Russia's future. They predicted that would happen. And they want to be free, they don't want to be what to do, whether to participate in some state events or not. They want to be independent and be able to decide for themselves.
Anna Nemtsova is the Moscow correspondent for Newsweek. You can see and read more about Russian protest art at http://www.studio360.org/2011/sep/30/st
- Did you hear the big 2012 election news this week?
Anna Nemtsova: ...I'm talking about the Russian elections. That's president Dmitri Medvedev announcing that Vladimir Putin will be United Russia's presidential candidate for 2012 elections. Putin is all but assured of victory and he'll potentially remain in power until 2024. Of course, Russian artists have seen this coming for a while. Anna Nemtsova is the Moscow correspondent for Newsweek and she has been closely following how the creative class has been protesting Russia's ruling regime. You know, we have a beautiful movement, underground movement of street artists all across Russia. It started a few years ago from a group called Voina, St. Petersburg street artists who declared a war, an art war to corruption, to state corruption, to injustice and more or less political regime. It was quite amazing what this group of artists were doing.
- Well, what are examples of some of the things, some of the best things they did?
Anna Nemtsova: I don't know if you would call it best, but I would say one of the most daring projects was this 60 feet long phallus that they painted all over a bridge, Liteyny bridge in St. Petersburg. And when the bridge opened to allow the boats to pass, this big penis was erected right opposite the headquarters of Federal Security...
- The former KGB?
Anna Nemtsova: The former KGB, that's right. And nobody could do anything, because the bridge was open and it was too late to bring it down. So this giant penis was sticking out for a few hours and lots of people took pictures of that and loaded on Internet. So now most of leaders of Voina group are wanted by police, they're on the federal list, they're wanted. So they're deep underground.
- As you say, the leaders of Voina are underground and they are wanted for hooliganism. How seriously apprehended have they been and have their art projects been by the government? Has it been somewhat allowed or they've gotten away with it?
Anna Nemtsova: They've gotten away for a while. Thing is, they even got a prize, you know, the best prize for modern art for that penis that I described.
- They got a prize from the govenrment ministry of culture?
Anna Nemtsova: From the government. From the government. From the ministry of culture, that's right. It's a very interesting phenomenon we have in Russia. There are different corners of political power. One hand is giving the prize, the other hand is punishing. And here's what is happening now. To pull Voina and artsts like them out of the underground and bring them, you know, to light, and make them official and some sort of pro-state, Moscow authorities decided to put them on the list of participants for modern art biennale that takes place in Moscow this week. And that happened against Voina's will because Voina does not want to participate in an official art event.
- It's so interesting that on the one hand they're doing these outrageous regime-challenging acts, part of the regime is attempting to co-opt them by making them part of this Biennale, and they're refusing to be co-opted!
Anna Nemtsova: You know, it is interesting, but they are in deep underground. You need to understand that most of these artists... I could not meet with Voina. I was only able to correspond with them by email.
- Are people beyond the art world talking about them? Is it having an impact among regular Russians?
Anna Nemtsova: I think that the sense of humor these artists have is obviously inspiring young people. They try to express their protest in different ways. Mostly mocking Medvedev and Putin, the prime minister. And that was long before the news we have now. The artists kind of predicted that humiliating act of two leaders deciding for people what they are going to do with Russia's future. They predicted that would happen. And they want to be free, they don't want to be what to do, whether to participate in some state events or not. They want to be independent and be able to decide for themselves.
Anna Nemtsova is the Moscow correspondent for Newsweek. You can see and read more about Russian protest art at http://www.studio360.org/2011/sep/30/st
