Orthodox Christian activists vandalized a Soviet art exhibition. Now the artwork is under scrutiny for extremism.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched an inspection of the Moscow exhibition center Manege in order to determine if the works of Soviet avant-garde artist Vadim Sidur from the 1950s-1960s “inspire hatred.”
The Investigative Committee will inspect Sidur’s sculptures and linoleum prints for signs of offending anyone along religious lines. Employees of the exhibition center confirmed that the inspection began on Friday, September 25.
Last month, religious activists twice vandalized the exhibition “The Sculptures We Do Not See.” The first act of vandalism was organized by “God’s Will,” an ultra-conservative, right-wing movement led by Dmitry “Enteo” Tsorionov, who is known for his attacks on high-profile cultural events. He was sentenced to 10 days in prison for hooliganism. Two weeks later, the exhibition was attacked a second time by a man and a woman who ripped down a linoleum print by Sidur and yelled that the entire exhibition will be destroyed in a “pogrom.”
The exhibition “The Sculptures We Do Not See” is dedicated to Soviet formalism of the 1950s and 1960s. It features sculptures by Vadim Sidur, Nikolai Silis, and Vladimir Lemport, and others. These works had been censored during the Soviet era for ideological reasons. The exhibition is on display at the Central exhibition hall Manege in central Moscow from August 14 to September 6.
Four linoleum prints from the series “101” by Vadim Sidur were damaged in the attack staged by Orthodox Christian activists on August 14. The activists, who belong to the group “God’s Will,” barged into the exhibition and announced that the works on display are offensive to religious people. They subsequently damaged several of the display pieces. On August 26, during another attack by a man and a woman, another Linoleum print was torn down and damaged.
After the first attack, State Duma deputy Yaroslav Nilov, head of the parliamentary committee on NGOs and religious organizations, asked the Attorney General to launch an investigation into the actions of both the Orthodox Christian attackers and into the exhibition organizers. Nilov said he denounces “the actions of these so-called Orthodox activists who violated the law and damaged the reputation of the Russian Orthodox Church,” but also added that some of the exhibited works may indeed be offensive to the feelings of religious people. According to Nilov, “some of the exhibited works may be controversial, as they picture famous biblical scenes in a grotesque and even caricature-like manner.”
Several federal laws criminalizing offenses towards religious feelings have been passed in Russia since 2013. On June 30, 2013, a law was passed to counteract offenses against citizens’ religious convictions and feelings, and against the desecration of facilities and items of religious veneration. The law came into effect despite opposition from the Supreme Court of Russia and from the Presidential Council on Human Rights.