News
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.
Russia
In 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."
News
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.
In 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.
Art
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."
Art
Mining Lady Liberty's Russian Lineage
Legend has it that the copper for America's most famous sculpture — the Statue of Liberty — was produced at the metallurgical factory of Nizhny Tagil, one of the industrial centers of Russia’s Ural region.
Opinion
Artists Confront the Uncomfortable Legacy of Lenin
This week, two men made headlines when they doused the tomb of the Soviet Union's first leader Vladimir Lenin with holy water while reportedly shouting "Rise up and leave!"
In Brief
Why Did Russia's iMonument Disappear?
A public statue of an Apple iPhone installed in St. Petersburg, Russia as a memorial to Steve Jobs was removed on Friday, allegedly in response to the tech company's new chief executive, Tim Cook, coming out as gay.
Art
A Child's Drawings Preserved over the Centuries by "Magical Mud"
In one region of Russia, the consistency of the earth is just right that manuscripts dating back centuries emerge almost perfectly preserved. Over the past year, more than 1,000 of these birch bark artifacts from the 11th to 14th centuries have been exhumed from the soil of Novgorod, adding to a gro
News
750-Year-Old City Founded by Genghis Khan's Grandson Is Unearthed
It's hard to imagine a time when present-day Russia didn't exist. But along the banks of the Volga River in modern-day Saratov, a reminder is being unearthed.
Art
After Alleged Attack, Making Sense of a Chelsea Exhibition's Murky Backing
On October 3rd, an assailant and two accomplices allegedly entered the cavernous gallery at 540 West 21st Street in Manhattan's Chelsea district. What happened next, according to reports published here and in the New York Times, was an assault of the curator, Benjamin Hiller, with pepper spray, and
Opinion
Vladimir Putin's Birthday Art Bash
Pop quiz: What’s the best way to celebrate the 62nd birthday of a "democratic" leader with dictator-like tendencies?