Russia. Street Performance

Russia. Creature from a nightmare, ugly war worm with seven faces. These seven represent seventy millions Putin’s supporters, brainwashed by propaganda, fuelled by ignorance, fetishising military power, powerless and dangerous.

I wanted to make something big, grotesque, monstrous, but weird and surreal too. Because there is much of surreal in the situation, especially from the inside, from the point of being Russian. My first education in Psychology makes me think a lot about reasons people don’t want to see obvious things. Don’t want to believe. Their eyes are wide open, but they’re blind.

People not always do bad things because they are bad people. People mostly do bad things for a number of other reasons. And it is really sad, really really sad, that some people find themselves in the situation when there is not much choice.

I want you to remember: you were very lucky to be born in a society where you don’t need to make this choice. Be a hero and sacrifice yourself or be a coward, collaborationist? Put your family in danger for the sake of justice, or stay silent? Betray your beloved or betray your country? Go to jail or hate yourself for the rest of your life?

You can’t say: «Russia is a monster», but I invite you to say it. Russia is big, ugly, aggressive, terrible monster of war.