Voina

VOINA on Reuters tv from VIUlyanov on Vimeo.

Voina (Russian: Война = War) is a Russian performance group known for their provocative and politically charged works of performance art. Voina was founded in 2007 by philosophy students at Lomonosov Moscow State University Oleg Vorotnikov and Natalia Sokol. At the present moment the activists Oleg Vorotnikov and Leonid Nikolayev are detained by the Moscow police in connection with an anti-corruption protest, facing up to seven year prison sentences. In response to the detention, graffiti artist Banksy decided to raise money for the artists. They have also been denounced by right-wing groups like the People's Synod.

“…The most notorious Voina action was last June, when several members of the group painted a penis on the Liteiny Bridge in St Petersburg. Evading and fighting off security, the 65-meter high image was completed just before the bridge opened, as it does each evening to let ships pass through. The penis ‘erected,’ directly facing the St Petersburg headquarters of the FSB, the KGB’s successor. The group called the artwork Dick Captured by KGB.”

More: The artists who crossed the line: An art group that stages orgies, throws cats at cashiers and has Banksy as a fan has enraged the Russian authorities (The Independent)

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