Russian Bronze

Moscow Street Art – Russian Banksy

“Moving with the times”

Apparently, Russian CCTV (closed circuit television) caught footage of a street artist, the press has dubbed the ”Russian Banksy”, “desecrating” a Soviet-era monument. Dating back to 1954, this monument was erected as a dedication to soldiers of the Red Army, who fought valiantly to liberate Bulgaria from the Nazis in the Great Patriotic War (WWII). Whilst the Bulgarian city of Sofia slept, the “Russian Banksy” was busy at work remixing these bronzed statues of Communist war heroes.

As you can see in the above ‘before & after’, what was once a tribute, immortalizing Russian soldiers and Bulgarian citizens banding together for one common cause, has been technicolor’d into the satirical revue of American comic-lore characters you see now - Superman, Captain America, the Joker, Santa Claus, Ronald McDonald and Robin (Batman’s sidekick). Tagged in black below the eclectic collect of  fictional heroes is the sentiment, “moving with the times,” which may or may not have something to do with Russia’s new leanings towards Capitalist ideologies.

In America, we have a similar saying, “out with the old and in with the new.”  Whether or not, this was the “Russian Banksy’s” underlying message is mute. What is most significant is since the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1991, social commentary in the form of street art has flared up all over Russia.  Although not all street art is as provocative as the aforementioned, there has, nevertheless, been a sudden rash of graffiti and “supergraphics” breaking out all over Russia.

PM Putin and Pres. Medvedev Posing for Fictional Clothing Line

It is especially tough to be a graffiti artist in Russia. The state invests millions of rubles in hunting down graffiti artists and painting over the works.

- Oxana Bondarenko, curator of street art in Moscow and Paris.

Playing the yin to street artists’ yang, the government has made it publicly known there is a no-tolerance policy in effect for this brand of vandalism. Pricey fines slapped on the unfortunate few, who are caught slipping by the Russian polizia, is common practice. However, there isn’t one street artist, who wouldn’t prefer taking a hit to their pocket rather than endure the fate that would have befallen them had they “desecrated” a Communist monument 20+ years ago.

Not all street art is intended to stir up controversy. There are the massive murals sprawled on the walls of once drab Soviet-era tenement blocks. Many Muscovite residents, old and young, absolutely love the dazzling array of colors that street artists like Russian duo, Interesni Kazki (translated: Interesting Fairy Tales), add to everyday society. More and more galleries are providing these street artists with an outlet to exhibit their work to the masses such as the Street Kit Gallery and ArtPlay in Moscow. As a result, the rest of the world has bore witness to a new breed of street artist hailing from the former USSR. Among those artists are RUS crew founder, MAKE, and the Paris-based, Russian street artist, ZEVS as pictured below.

ZEVS’ live installation of “Red”

Granted, the street art scene in Russia is still in its fledgling phases; however, you can’t help but make comparisons to the American graffiti boom in the 80s. The cultural divide between post-Cold War rivals, Russia and United States, is quickly being bridged through the language of art.

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