SUPERPUTIN

Sergei Kalenik, the writer of the comic strip “SuperPutin, A Man Like Any Other” in English, has introduced a satirical way to provide even more coverage of the Russian president. His first strip, published in 2011, depicts Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev performing various duties to characterize themselves as heroes.

After blowing up the headquarters of al-Qaeda, Putin rushes to save a bus headed for Moscow containing a bomb. The terrorists had recently watched the movie, “Speed,” and so Putin is tasked with commandeering the bus so the bomb does not blow. Medvedev appears costumed as a bear, and uses his skills with technology to locate and destroy the bomb. 

As they enter Moscow, a traffic jam forces them to use the “nano-flasher,” a blue light that allows them to enter a twilight zone and dodge the jam. However, they can only make it through if they survive the blue-bucket wearing zombies that wish to eat their brains. A clear reference to the Blue Bucket Brigade, these zombies threaten the lives of our heroes and innocent civilians on the bus, yelling “Give us back NTV” and “Let us elect our own governors!” 

The tandem heroes, of course, manage to fight their way through the zombies only to be faced with a giant troll that wants to kill the civilians. Putin, however, challenges the troll to a duel and the comic ends with the two in a face-off.

One can come to his or her own conclusions about the politics of the comic strip, but we can all agree that it is fantastic. Kalenik has made three more strips following the same story of the first, but the worlds have transformed. Unfortunately, it seems that the domain for the site has recently expired, and one can only hope that it will be resurrected in the future.

The site, which once featured both English and Russian translations, was found at www.superputin.ru

The Monument to the Soviet Army in Sofia, Bulgaria has been vandalized several times over the last few years.

The monument was built in 1954 for the 10 year anniversary of the Red Army's "liberalization" of Bulgaria in 1954. It features statues of soldiers in various war scenes as well as scenes with Bulgarian peasants. 

It all began in 2011 when the first major act of vandalism occurred when the soldiers were painted as American superheroes. The meaning of this graffiti is not necessarily politically oriented, but many interpretations have been offered.

This pink graffiti was in 2013 in apology for Bulgaria's involvement in the Prague spring.

In 2014 one soldier was painted in Ukraine's colors to support Ukraine during Maidan. An inscription read, "Glory to Ukraine."

An acknowledgement and solidarity toward Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea painted in 2014. 

Although there has been lots of pressure from Russia to stop the vandalism and introduce more security to the monument, obviously the graffiti continues. This could be because Bulgarians are split in their feelings toward the monument but there has not been enough action on either side to have a permanent effect. 

PHOTO CREDIT: RUETERS

Veselchaki

The film "Veselchaki," produced in 2009 and directed by Feliks Mikhailov, was one of the first to focus specifically on sexual minorities in Russia. Following five men who perform in drag across the country, the film depicts their journey and backgrounds in terms that expose the struggle that drag artists and the LGBT community face. The film is comedic, and through humor it can successfully reach a broader audience while maintaining the delivery of the message it intends.

SPOILER ALERT:
Although it is a comedy, a tragic ending is what really drills the struggle of the LGBT population into our heads. The men are faced with the violence of homophobic thugs, and ultimately perish by their hands. The destructive homophobic tendencies of society were exposed through this film by eliminating characters that we grew attached to, and subsequently raised awareness of the situation.

Since it was produced before the 2013 law on LGBT propaganda, the film was able to enjoy some popularity. Although its release was delayed somewhat due to fears that it would be received poorly, it was eventually praised and taken seriously by the press. We can only imagine the suppression it would have received had it been released after the law was passed, but luckily this was not the case.

Russia and Eurovision

Beginning in 1956, Eurovision is the longest running international TV song competition. In this competition, each country submits an original song preformed on live television and then each country casts votes for other countries songs. This contest is even now broadcasted in the United States.

Eurovision Participation Map

Russia debuted in 1994 along with Estonia, Lithuania, and several other countries. They have participated since then with the exception of 1998 and 1999. They won in 2008 and earned the opportunity to host in 2009. In 2009, Georgia entered song, “We Don’t Wanna Put In,” but this song was banned by Eurovision because it was deemed a criticism of Vladimir Putin. Russia has finished in second place four times. in 2015 Eurovision Poina Gagarina participated for Russia and earned second place. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2gbKglCL5s)

Eurovision 2016 is set for May 10- May 14 in Stockholm.

Vladimir Dubossarsky and Alexander Vinogradov

Born a year apart in Moscow, Vladimir Dubossarsky (43) and Alexander Vinogradov (44) have been an artistic collaboration since 1994. The pair have known each other since they were teenagers and  both studied at the the Surikov Academy. Dubossarsky didn't graduate but after he left the institute and Vinogradov graduated, they decided to paint their first picture together.

Their style began as a parody of socialist realism with their first series informally called, "People Who Never Came to Moscow", which included paintings of Picasso, Andy Warhol and Jesus.

 

Picasso in Moscow, 1994

Dubossarsky commented on when they began painting in 1994,  “You have to understand, when we started working together, there was an opinion here that painting had died. In some way, our first project was alternative at that point in time. We didn’t understand what we were doing, but we understood it was against the trend. Aggressive performance art was very popular here. Art was either depressive or aggressive. We decided to create paradise.” 

Big Paradise, 1994

Their use of bright color, concept of artistic collaboration and their synthesis of nature and pop culture creates a unique style that caught my attention and many others, as shown by their recent successes. Their painting Night Fitness (2004) sold for $250,000 at an auction in London in 2008 and their painting Snow (2005) sold for $225,000 that same year.

Night Fitness, 2004

They were also successful in the Tretyakov Gallery for their picture installation the Four Seasons of Russian Painting which gained them further recognition in Russia. Ken Johnson , New York Times critic, described their style as "a goofy, distinctively Russian satire of consumerist euphoria". I couldn't have put it better myself but New York Times critic or someone who knows nothing about art, their paintings are just interesting to look at.

My Dad's Superman, 2012

Works Cited:
http://www.artnews.com/2008/01/01/sex-money-glamour-tractors/
http://www.dubossarskyvinogradov.ru/add/biography/

The Serbsky Center and Protest Art

The Serbsky State Scientific Center for Social and Forensic Psychiatry, which was founded in 1921 in Moscow for purposes of diagnosing convicts and studying specific psychiatric disorders and remains operational to this day, has had a long and rocky past. It become a sinister symbol of authoritarianism during the Soviet period, when the state used it as a means to control opposition: for example, many dissidents were declared mentally ill, sent to the Serbsky Center for diagnosis, and then involuntary sent to hospitals for treatment. The most common diagnosis was of "sluggish schizophrenia", so-named by Center director Andrei Snezhnevsky. Supposedly, victims would suffer schizophrenia but only such that it affected their social ability. Thus, radical ideas about truth and justice were explained as a consequence of disorder-related paranoia, and dissidents were neatly wiped from the government's plate.

In the modern era, there has been no acknowledgement nor apology for the way these cases were handled. Even worse, it is still used as an instrument of power by the state, although more covertly. Throughout the 2000s, many people "inconvenient" for the Russian state were diagnosed at the Serbsky Center and then sent to psychiatric hospitals. In 2006, the Serbsky Center made an evaluation of the then-recent alleged mass-poisoning of Chechen school children, and declared that the disease was caused by "psycho-emotional tension."

The Serbsky Center's continued relevance in Russia is evident based on the creative endeavors of Petr Pavlensky, well-known protest artist. He made a deliberate reference to political abuse of psychiatry in a performance titled Segregation, in which he cut off his earlobe while sitting naked on the roof of the Serbsky Center. Following a recent performance in which he set the doors of the FSB HQ on fire, he was sent to the Serbsky Center himself for a 21-day examination during the pretrial period. Though he was declared sane, the continued presence of the Serbsky Center in Russia's political horizon represents a haunting vestige of authoritarian control, and it should be paid due attention.

Here is some more information on Petr Pavlensky and the Serbsky Center:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbsky_Center
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petr_Pavlensky
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/29/world/europe/pyotr-pavlensky-is-said-to-be-sent-for-psychiatric-evaluation.html
http://observer.com/2016/01/soviet-throwback-dissident-russian-artist-sent-for-psychiatric-treatment/
https://www.hrw.org/tet/node/286840

Protest Music in Putin's Russia

Music has long provided artists with the means to criticize aspects of society they find to be oppressive or obsolete. This is particularly true in Russia due to some long-standing aspects of protest culture that existed even in the Soviet Union. More recently in Russia there has been a new increase in the prevalence of this music.

One particular group is called the Ensemble of Christ the Savior and Moist Mother Earth. They formed in Tver, Russia in 2007. The group specializes in anti-government and anti-religious sentiment. In particular, the group's lyrics and imagery attack the recent connection between Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church, which has grown stronger over the past several years. They released a song entitled "Kill the President" that features a music video in which animations of Vladimir Putin are shot to death.