THE OTHER RUSSIA, 2023-ongoing
5 drawings, 59,4 x 42 × cm (63,5 x 46 cm framed), pencil on paper
For the drawing series, The Other Russia, I’ve appropriated the covers of Popadantsy books, redrawing and combining them with classic anti-war poetry in Russian.
Popadantsy is a popular genre of amateur literature in contemporary Russia. The main plot is that the protagonist travels back in time to change the course of history. Its central themes are dissatisfaction with their country’s history, Soviet or imperial reassertion, and the resulting revanchism.
The book covers are kitschy illustrations of the book’s events. Usually, these are scenes of violence involving the protagonist and other characters. The anti-war texts are known to almost everyone from Russia as they reflect the part of the population for which war is unacceptable. With these drawings, I negotiated the different positions on the war in Russia, which pushed a deep social division.
I don't give a damn, I don't give a damn, I'm tired of fighting,
I don't know anything, my house is on the edge.
Text by Yuliy Kim
A uniform full of holes, Commander Moidodyr -
Enough of this bloody struggle for peace,
We don’t need war,
Fuck it! -
Enough of this bloody struggle for peace!
Text by Olga Arefieva
The house that we will build,
Time will not destroy,
The sun will not give way to blackness.
Because friendship is a mighty weapon,
The greatest weapon on Earth!
Text by Nikolai Dobronravov