I don’t just see the images as documents of atrocity. I also see them as aesthetic, and that doesn’t sit easily. Indeed, it feels immoral. It feels wrong.
Russia
Posted inIn Brief
Russian Ambassador to Turkey Assassinated at Art Opening in Ankara
Ambassador Andrey Karlov was killed by an off-duty police officer who, after firing the fatal shots, shouted, “Don’t forget Aleppo. Don’t forget Syria.”
Posted inIn Brief
Russians Vote to Dress Up “David” Replica to Appease Local Prudes
St. Petersburg residents will vote on how to dress a replica statue of Michelangelo’s “David” that came to the city in May, following a complaint from a woman who said his nudity “spoils the city’s historic appearance and warps children’s souls.”
Posted inFilm
An Artist’s Quest to Confirm a Chernobyl Conspiracy Theory
The Russian Woodpecker is a documentary about zombies.
Posted inNews
Discovery in a Cathedral Attic Suggests Birds Are the Best Archivists
Archaeologists restoring a cathedral in Zvenigorod, an old town 40 miles west of Moscow, recently stumbled upon stacks of centuries-old documents hoarded by an unexpected breed of collectors: birds.
Posted inNews
Major Russian Gallery Forced to Close After Supporting Political Prisoners
A legendary Russian gallery is being evicted after holding a charity event supporting political prisoners.
Posted inIn Brief
Dissident Artist Convinces Russian Detective to Quit His Job
A Russian police investigator interrogates a detained political artist, with the end result being that the detective — his eyes opened to the state’s abuses of power — renounces his badge.
Posted inNews
Soviet Symbols Going Up and Coming Down
It’s been nearly a quarter century since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, but the physical reminders of Central and Eastern Europe’s communist past are still provoking controversy.
Posted inIn Brief
Russia’s Ruling Party Unveils Anti-Gay “Heterosexual Flag”
Yesterday, as Russians celebrated the annual Day of Family, Love, and Fidelity, Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party unveiled a “heterosexual flag.”
Posted inNews
Russia Releases “Safe Selfie” Guide After String of Deaths and Injuries
Snapping selfies can have pretty serious effects, like damaging art in the quest for likes. In Russia, though, death has become a troublingly common consequence of taking selfies.
Posted inIn Brief
Archaeologists Find Solid Gold Scythian Vessels for Opium and Weed
In “a once-in-a-century discovery,” archaeologists excavating in the Caucasus Mountains of Russia have discovered two intact, solid gold vessels used by the Scythians.
Posted inArt
Be the Bolshevik Wedge in a Game Inspired by El Lissitzky’s 1919 Propaganda Art
In the game Lissitzky’s Revenge, you are the tiny red triangle against the mighty white circle depicted in El Lissitzky’s 1919 Suprematist poster “Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge.”
