Following the Shared Factory, a talk about media activism in the young Russian art scene, lead by Tatiana Volkova, the ZHIR gallery in Moscow.
Skype presence – Affinity art-group (Sankt-Petersburg), Artem Loskutov
and Anton Nilokaev (Novosibirsk)

Media Activism in Russia

Media Activism in Russia is a presentation of the young media activist art
that emerged at the beginning of the century and is quickly developing. The
presentation intends to highlight this phenomenon within Russia and also
some post-Soviet territories, such as Armenia and Ukraine.

Today, we witness important changes in Russian contemporary art.
Artists come out from studios, museums and galleries to make interventions
in the streets and online social networks. They take part in different forms
of social activism from political to ecological actions, community work. The
new type of artists emerging call themselves activists: no analogues to that
had been known in Russian art before. They refuse to work with institutions,
search for their own forms of artistic existence, cooperate with subcultures
and social movements.

INTERVENTIONISTS exhibition includes quite famous artists such as the
leaders of Moscow anarchistic anti-fascist movement – PG group and the
Agenda collective.

Also Kiss my Ba group is internationally known for its “Monstrations”
happenings that have spread from Novo-
sibirsk to many other cities throughout Russia and also abroad.
Members of Affinity art-group (Saint Petersburg) are the leaders of AIDS
activists fighting for its right.
The Artlaboratory (Yerevan) is unique art-group in Armenia sharply stating
the disagreement with the existing political and social system.

The exhibition also shows emerging artists such as the Art_buzz group,
Ekaterina Samuzevich, Denis Mustafin and some others who represent the
youngest generation of the Russian art engaged in media-activism.