Abstract

What is it like to make graphic reportage on social topics in post-Soviet countries, and what is the relationship between art and activism?

Victoria Lomasko is an internationally acclaimed artist, whose book Forbidden Art, written with Anton Nikolaev, won Russia’s prestigious Kandinsky prize, and her second book Other Russias won the 2018 Pushkin House prize for best book in translation. She is the co-curator of two long-term art and activist projects: ‘Drawing the Court’ (with Zlata Ponirovska) and ‘The Feminist Pencil’ (with Nadia Plungian). Lomasko’s most recent projects include the ‘On the Eve’ exhibition at Pushkin House and a poetic mural in GRAD ’s new office at Somerset House. The Guardian called Lomasko a ‘brutally funny artist no gallery in Russia will touch,’ as mainstream Russian galleries are afraid to work with the political art Lomasko creates. Victoria calls herself ‘the last Soviet artist’. During the event Victoria will tell more about her latest unfinished work, as well as about the development of activism in contemporary Russia and the connections between personal and societal transitions. The talk will be followed by a discussion and is part of Russian Coffee Break.