The officials of the Tretyakov Gallery and the curator «Forbidden Art» charged
ARTinvestment.RU   27 мая 2008

Professional art historian, curator, with a worldwide reputation, the head of the Division of the latest trends the State Tretyakov Gallery Andrei Erofeev charged with inciting religious hatred

May 22, the head of the Division of the latest trends the State Tretyakov Gallery Andrei Erofeev charged on sadly famous article 282 of the Penal Code. From Yerofeeva have a subscription to house arrest. Earlier, on 13 May, a similar accusation had been investigating the department for the area Taganskaya Investigations Committee at the Russian prosecutor Yuri Samodurovu, director of community center named after A. Sakharov, where the scandalous exhibition. And Yerofeeva and Samodurovu charged under Article 282 of the Criminal Code, part 2: «incitement to racial, ethnic and religious hatred using the official position». The maximum penalty provided by this article - five years' imprisonment.

Initiation of criminal cases connected with the exhibition «Forbidden Art 2006», which took place in the museum in March 2006 and sparked protests by Orthodox organizations. At an exhibition organized by art critic Yerofeeva «Forbidden Art 2006» works were not selected at the Moscow Biennale and is not allowed to be shown in galleries and museums in Moscow in 2006. Cloth scandalously famous authors Avdeyev Ter-Oganyana, Viacheslav Mizin, Alexander Kosolapov and contain scenes of sex, taboo words and dangerous joke on religious themes.

Among the exhibits, and was forbidden to be shown at the Tretyakov Gallery the work of Alexander Kosolapov «Icon caviar», images Mickey-Maus and Lenin. The painting Kosolapov «Advertising« McDonald »hamburger consumption compared with the ecclesiastical communion, but to work Vyatcheslav Sysoyeva religious progress of the participants are depicted in masks. In the flyers, granted to visitors at the entrance, it was reported that the program «Forbidden Art» is designed for several years, but its purpose - the monitoring and discuss the nature and trends of censorship in the cultural field.

I must say that the organizers of the exhibition tried to protect themselves from possible criticism of insulting the feelings of believers. The exhibition was built on the principle of a pip show - all of the closed falshstenami, and see they can be only partially through the small hole. In doing so, the visitors warned about the nature of work and did not recommend inspection to persons under the age of 16, but was forbidden to photograph the painting.

On the initiation of criminal proceedings against him and the reasons described himself Andrei Erofeev German newspaper in an interview with Deutsche Welle.



Deutsche Welle: How do you assess the charges in a criminal case for the organization of the exhibition «Forbidden Arts» Yuri Samodurovu, director of the museum and community center named Andrei Sakharov?

Andrew Evrofeev: The thing is that it brought not only against Samodurova, but against me as the curator of this exhibition. I made the same accusation, as Yuri Samodurovu.

- Remember, what was the essence of the exhibition organized by you?

- We had a task to monitor emerging new censorship in Russia. Nearly 20 years we have lived without censorship and are accustomed to the fact that you can display and show everything. And what makes the exhibition of professional quality criteria, selected the most characteristic or quality, the best materials.

But, since 2006, exhibits were again intervene chiefs. In fact, this is not a call from the Kremlin or the State Duma, the lower-level officials, direct management that comes to the exhibition before the opening days, and said - this is deleted, it removed, it can not hang. Without any arguments, and any discussion, simply lift and point.

- A is connected, which until 2006 had no such problems, but after 2006 they first appeared?

- This is a breath of time. There is now a self-censorship of cultural institutions, which occurred in the Tretyakov Gallery, and many other museums. The process went on growing, that is, were to withdraw more and more, a growing number of artists came into this self-censorship. And not some marginalized and famous artists such as Ilya Kabakov, Leonid Sokov, Alexander Kosolapov, our major figures.

So, I invited Yuri Samodurovu, when once again I am with the exhibition «Sotsart» filmed work Bakhchinyan, Sysoyeva and others exhibit these works in his small center, where people come on, where the general public do not walk. Exhibit these works are not intended to show that prohibition, and to discuss what to do in this case with the labor problem.

- What works mostly shot?

- Read the works of those in which there are threats, there is nudity, not to mention the sex, if any politician is depicted in the form of inappropriate uses or religious signs and symbols in Noncanonical format. These topics are covered, these things off, whoever wrote them or when they might have been made. For example, I removed the painting from an exhibition 70 years.

So, I suggested Samodurovu fair reflection on the matter, fair discussion of how actually to deal with problematic works. Maybe their great museums do not show, and put in other places, may accompany any signatures, so that parents do not show children.

- And to what conclusion?

- In this debate, many say that such problems do not suck out of her fingers, which are now all open, and everyone does whatever it wants. But such works resentful citizens to write very active on the Internet, pile of letters with the Prosecutor's Office to initiate criminal proceedings against us, claiming that people who come to the exhibition have been offended.

There was a picket, rally the Movement against illegal immigration. It is chernorubashechnaya organization, which is far from orthodox Christians, but, nevertheless, also uses some of the theses of resentment and abuse. In general, I would be so determined, the exhibition was obviously in bad faith interpreted by small groups of political and religious stripes.

The most unpleasant in this, that the statements and claims of citizens heeded the Prosecutor's Office, and the case was prosecuted under Article 282 of «incitement of national and religious hatred». Although, of course, of any inciting or us or the artists of speech can not be.

And now we have received allegation from an investigator, which is associated with the claims of offended citizens. That is, he is six pages, so interpreted the works, as if the view outlined этакого marginal hermit, Penza sectarians. It is all written by a man who has never had to deal with products of modern culture, which in this area is nothing to understand. But it is a deliberate, wicked game position, the investigator pretend nothing simpletons do not understand.

- What are the possible consequences of a criminal case?

- This is, first, to bring to justice, continue to a verdict - to a fine or more serious punishment. This could be the conclusion, because Yuri Samodurova already have one such outstanding conviction, in general, the situation is very serious.

factitious This position is a deliberate misunderstanding, intentional malicious interpretation shown by the result, the destructive and dangerous, and in our particular case, and for social peace in the country. We are professionals, we are ready to seriously discuss and accountable for their actions, but before we cross the party playing the fool.

Sources: www.ej.ru , www.dw-world.de