Overwhelming Majority? is a gesture of solidarity with the victims of Putin’s war against Ukraine. Gallerist Marina Shtager and cultural critic Denis Maksimov-Gupta set out to provide a public platform for Russian artists to express their individual and very human response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The exhibition takes its title from a recent press briefing during which Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that the president enjoyed the support of the “overwhelming majority” of Russians. Works included in the show are examples of art created despite threats of censorship or imprisonment. Collectively they provide an intimate glimpse into life on the wrong side of history, beyond news headlines and political propaganda.
Performance is one of the most effective forms of protest art, and several current examples are documented in the exhibition, including interventions by Pavel Otdelnov in Moscow and ALJOSHA in Kyiv. Evgenia Isaeva was detained within minutes of starting her recent performance in St Petersburg.
Gluklya is one of the most recognisable pseudonyms for one of Russia’s pioneers of performance and feminist art one of whose installation “Clothes for Demonstration Against False Election of Vladimir Putin” was included in the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015. A selection of her anti-war paintings will be featured here.
Visually striking examples include an art-protest by the anonymous group Nevoina who contrast black body bags with the white snow covering the frozen Volga, while the snow that bears Putin’s portrait slowly melts away in the anonymously submitted video piece “Russian Spring”.
Artists are taking part anonymously or under pseudonyms as they are facing imprisonment for criticising the Russian government. Artworks are continuing to arrive as more artists respond to the curators’ call.
In a curator’s talk on 6th April Denis Maksimov-Gupta shares insights into Russian history, perceived and real Russophobia and the role of contemporary art in achieving a more nuanced understanding of contemporary Russia.
Curated by Denis Maksimov-Gupta and Marina Shtager.
The proceeds from all artwork sales will be directed to the Ukranian Emergency Art Fund.
Overwhelming Majority? Art, Society and War in Contemporary Russia 6th – 10th April 2022
Curators Talk: 6th April, 7pm at 117 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3AD, open daily 11am – 6pm shtagergallery.co.uk/
About Shtager Gallery
Founded in St Petersburg in 2014 and established in London since 2016, discourse across cultures and disciplines is at the core of Shtager Gallery. Founder Marina Shtager has cultivated a standout portfolio of cutting-edge Central European and international artists as the gallery’s initial aim
of introducing contemporary Russian artists to the British public keeps expanding. She believes that the artistic community is the holder of substantial cultural wealth that can help drive the process of change.
About Denis Maksimov-Gupta
Denis Maksimov-Gupta FRSA is an independent curator, cultural critic and educator. His research focuses on aesthetico-political discourse and initiates the dialogue between history, cultural anthropology, critical museology, contemporary art, queer and futures studies. His academic accolades include a BA in Politics and an MA in European Studies from the HSE University in Moscow, as well as diplomas from Stanford University, and both the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Antwerp.
Artists exhibiting:
GLUKLYA (Natalia Pershina-Yakimanskaya) –
MAVR
Hokusai Ivanovich
Roza Gorovitz
