Another Punch in the Nose from Russia
Filed under: Russia
Almost exactly a year ago, we reported on the shockingly blatant actions of the neo-Soviet Kremlin operated by dictator Vladimir Putin to control what Russian art was allowed to be displayed in the West based on political standards. They're at it again.
As the Moscow Times reports, Russia has banned the above work (showing two Russian policemen in a grove of classic Russian birch trees and made by the same Blue Noses group that was the subject of the earlier attack) and 16 others from traveling to France for an exhibition organized by Moscow's world famous Tretyakov Gallery of Russian Art. The Times reports Culture and Press Minister Alexander Sokolov declaring: "If this exhibition appears there, it will bring shame on Russia, and in this case all of us will bear full responsibility." In response, the Times quotes "Daniil Dondurei, a film critic and editor of the Iskusstvo Kino magazine" as saying "that even the culture minister's personal opinion could now push museum workers across Russia to impose self-censorship." He states: "It's his attempt to outline the future borders of state cultural policy. It's his attempt to erect new ideological barriers."
The Russia Journal exposes how pathetically paranoid this view is, since such images are common in the West -- a sign of our profound strength and Russia's deep abiding weakness.
If actions that bring shame and disgrace upon Russia are of real concern to the Kremlin, then its first step should be to force Putin out of office. How do Russians think the world reacts to the free election of a proud KGB spy to lead Russia barely a decade after the end of the cold war? What is the world to think of Russia crushing the media, killing and jailing political opponents, destroying opposition political parties, sending aid to Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah and reviving the hymn of the Soviet Union? And what, pray tell, will the world think about Putin's Russia repeatedly receiving Africa-like failing scores when its regime is evaluated by international experts on various standards of objective performance?
Do Russians really believe these actions inspire awe and admiration in the West? Is Russia's reputation really so vulnerable than an art exhibition can damage it? If so, Russia's problems are weighty indeed -- and Putin's 70% public approval hardly seems justified.
How long before the Kremlin starts deciding what kind of art Russians themselves are allowed to see? How long before it becomes a crime to make art of this kind, the Noses don't just get punched but jailed? Welcome back to the USSR.