Orthodox Christian activists vandalize ‘blasphemous’ Soviet art exhibition

A representative of Moscow’s Manege exhibition center has disclosed that four pieces of art were damaged in an attack staged by Orthodox Christian activists. The damaged pieces are all linoleum prints by Vadim Sidur, a Russian avant-garde artist known for his sculptures from the 1950s and 1960s.

The attack took place on August 14 and was led by the Orthodox Christian organization “God’s Will.” The activists barged into the exhibition called “The Sculptures We Do Not See” at the Central exhibition hall Manege and announced that the works on display are offensive to religious people. They subsequently damaged several of the display pieces.

The cost of the damage has not yet been announced. The exhibition's organizers have said they are planning to sue the attackers. The leader of “God’s Will,” Dmitry “Enteo” Tsorionov claims the group only broke one plate.

At the moment, the exhibition is still open to the public, and police are conducting an investigation into the incident.

Update: Duma deputy Yaroslav Nilov, head of the parliamentary committee on NGOs and religious organizations, has asked the Attorney General to launch an investigation into the actions of both the attackers and the exhibition organizers. Nilov says 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.”

Tsorionov told Interfax: “This is a blasphemous exhibition. For example, Jesus Christ is depicted in an obscene manner… We want this exhibition to be closed down. We want the law on protecting religious feelings to actually be followed, so that the main exhibition center in the country does not display this kind of dirty, foul mockery of Jesus Christ and the saints.”

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.

“God’s Will” is an ultra-conservative, right-wing movement led by Dmitry “Enteo” Tsorionov, who is known for his attacks on high-profile cultural events.

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.

The Moscow Orthodox Church's spokesperson, Vladimir Legoida, responded to the incident by writing on Facebook that Vadim Sidur is "an artist acclaimed around the world."