Voina Art-ivists Reject Russian Culture Ministry's Prize Nomination
Animal NY reported that the Russian art collective Voina has been shortlisted for the Russian state prize for contemporary art for the memorable phallus they painted on a drawbridge opposite KBG headquarters in St Petersburg. But the group doesn't want the prize.
Animal NY reported that the Russian art collective Voina has been shortlisted for the Russian state prize for contemporary art, Innovation 2010, for the memorable phallus they painted on a drawbridge opposite KBG headquarters in St Petersburg. But the group doesn’t want the prize, which comes with a 400,000 RUB (US$13,600) purse.
The nomination for the governmental prize comes as the group continues to be persecuted by Russian authorities for an art performance last year, when two Voina activists overturned a police car. Two members of Voina have so far spent three months in pre-trial detention for the incident.
Voina’s Alexei Plutser-Sarno told Animal NY that he condemns the nomination:
We consider the Innovation award as a proposal of dirty money from the Mafioso-like authorities – by giving artists a dole, they test them for conformism and loyalty to the executioners of the Russian contemporary art.
On the art group’s tumblelog, art-ivist Kozlenok released the following statement:
Voina never has and never will participate in any awards or money prizes. We make free, non-whoring art. Our art is our gift to the world and to each and every person. If reading the reports of our actions makes you feel joy or, on the contrary, provokes deep gloomy meditations, then we become happy. Our art touches people. And no one dares fix a price to it … There is no product to our art, it is not aimed at creating a product and evaluating it.
Moscow News says the nomination will not impact the trial.
