INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
From the very first day of the invasion of Ukraine, anti-war art has actually spilled onto the streets and squares of Russian cities
And, in spite of detentions and fines, for 10 months they have continued to oppose versus Russian militarism.The Moscow Times selected seven
of the most engaging anti-war artists and spoke to some of them about their work and their lives.Art group YavArt group Yavs Window onto
Europe Art group Yav/ InstagramThe St
Petersburg experimental art group Yav ( truth ) was established by Anastasia Vladychkina
The slogan of my life is what does not eliminate me makes me stronger, she stated
Prior to February, members ofYav painted their murals on walls that lots of people might see, however after the war began they began to
paint on deserted buildings or fences-- so there would be less chance of a fine
One of their most recent works is called A Window onto Europe and was painted in an industrial district
This popular expression was initially used by Venetian poet Francesco Algarotti while taking a trip in Russia
Later, poet Alexander Pushkin used it in his poem The Bronze Horseman
Petersburg is still typically called Russias window onto Europe, however in Yavs work the window to the West is boarded up with concrete
bricks splattered with blood.KoinKoins Vladimir Solovyov Koin/ InstagramThe confidential underground artist Koin started painting a series
of dreadful creatures when opposition leader Alexei Navalny was jailed in 2021
Ever since, Koin has actually published ravaging pictures of Russias politicians and elites on social networks as monstrous vampires and
While not strictly speaking a street artist, his work is widely available online, especially on social networks
Some time ago I stopped painting because I didnt wish to work on this dreadful style any longer, I didnt desire anything to do with filthy
24 I started again, and now I just cant stop
I was depressed and disappointed by the war and what people thought of it
I was dissatisfied in people
I do not really understand how to deal with it
Maybe it sounds selfish, but I make art since it assists me
I release the hazardous emotions that poison me-- anger, rage, fear, disgust
I understand that my work helps other individuals with that also, Koin told The Moscow Times.Yelena Osipova St
Petersburg artist and activist Yelena Osipova on Nevsky Prospekt.Sergei Rybezhsky/ KommersantYelena Osipova has actually been called the
The 77-year-old pensioner has actually been opposing Putins regime for two decades
She has actually been fined and apprehended lots of times, she wont stop-- even in wartime
On the May 1 vacation, she took her latest work onto the citys main street, Nevsky Prospekt
Her painting had the words worldwide uniformity, no war and 21th century: wars kill mankind on it
Reporters Yelena Lukyanova and Alexei Dushutin from independent media outlet Novaya Gazeta had actually photographed her and were standing
beside her when the cops got here
The reporters were sent to the police headquarters, the police officers took Osipova home-- and the painting was confiscated.FfchwFfchws
Only rain should fall from the sky ffchw.streetart/ InstagramPerm street artist Ffchw creates provocative street art about life in Russia
But often the justification is hardly provocative at all
24 he was detained while dealing with a brand-new piece of street art called See you ..
composed in various languages, consisting of Ukrainian.Ffchws favorite piece is called Only rain ought to fall from the sky
All of my artwork is done from the bottom of my heart, and I do not be sorry for anything, he told The Moscow Times
24 I needed to try to find a new language for my statements
My art is divided into prior to and after
Now it is also accompanied by numerous emotions like guilt and worry over the horrific and devastating events that are occurring
Im sure that art can alter lives, however will it be able to alter the program? I dont understand
Vladimir OvchinnikovVladimir Ovchinnikov next to his graffiti in Borovsk.Vladimir Ovchinnikov/ FacebookVladimir Ovchinnikov, 85, is a
popular figure in Borovsk, a town of 10,000 people not far from Moscow.Ovchinnikov was fined 35,000 rubles ($475) previously this year for
an illustration of a little lady using the colors of the Ukrainian flag with 3 bombs falling onto one of the structures in his town
Below her image he wrote: STOP
The mural was painted over, but later Ovchinnikov painted a new piece on the same place -- the word bezumie ( madness ) in Russian with
the Latin letter Z-- the Kremlin sign of its unique military operation
Misha MarkerMisha Markers Goes ***** Misha Marker/ InstagramThe works of among the most popular Russian street artists, Misha Marker, are
painted over nearly as quickly as they appear on the streets of St
Prior to the war, his work was displayed in numerous galleries and museums, including the Russian Museum
Marker hides his face in public so that nobody understands what he appears like-- or his age.In recent works, he utilizes five
snowflake-like asterisks as a replacement for the Russian word for war (the word is forbidden under Russian law and individuals are
supposed, instead, to use the expression special military operation
)ZoomZooms Repka Zoom/ InstagramLike many other Russian street artists, Zoom does not expose his real name or look and speaks with his
public through social media and graffiti
His works previously appeared on the streets of Moscow, now he works mostly in St
Petersburg.His current painting Turnip is a referral to the popular Russian folk tale The Gigantic Turnip
In this tale, a grandpa plants a turnip, which grows so large that he can not pull it up himself
He asks his other half, but even together they cant pull it up
Then their granddaughter and animals are hired to assist too, till they finally pull the turnip out of the ground
Zoom painted his version of the tale with a nuclear explosion and skeletons on Ulitsa Khersona, called after the Ukrainian city occupied by
Russian forces for 8 months this year
I initially revealed this work a couple of years earlier at a solo show, but the street version of it is now more relevant than ever
Individuals see that this is not a joking matter, Zoom told The Moscow Times
We reside in traumatic however extremely intriguing times
My individual difficulty is to develop works that join individuals and prevent them from dehumanizing others
If thats not what art is for, then what is?
