Russian Artist Pavel Otdelnov Reflects on Kremlin’s War in Ukraine
Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, many Russian artists have been using their craft to show their resistance to the war and the Kremlin’s ever-widening crackdown on Russian society.
With his latest collection of paintings, “Acting Out,” award-winning artist Pavel Otdelnov sought to produce a “reflection on the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe caused by the Russian war in Ukraine” and “an attempt to find signs hidden throughout history, leading to the war we have today.”
The paintings in “Acting Out” address themes ranging from the Soviet Union and the disillusionment sparked by its collapse to the current generation of Russians who have protested and demanded change despite the risk of arrest.
“Acting Out” was first exhibited at Pushkin House in London last fall. The Moscow Times is republishing the series with the artist’s permission:
With his latest collection of paintings, “Acting Out,” award-winning artist Pavel Otdelnov sought to produce a “reflection on the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe caused by the Russian war in Ukraine” and “an attempt to find signs hidden throughout history, leading to the war we have today.”
The paintings in “Acting Out” address themes ranging from the Soviet Union and the disillusionment sparked by its collapse to the current generation of Russians who have protested and demanded change despite the risk of arrest.
“Acting Out” was first exhibited at Pushkin House in London last fall. The Moscow Times is republishing the series with the artist’s permission:
The Path. 2022. acrylic on canvas. 110x150. Private collection
From the artist: “There is a popular idea among many Russians that their country follows a special path, that it has a calling, or even a historical mission. This idea is actively cultivated, and human rights and human lives are often sacrificed for its sake. Nevertheless, it is not clear what exactly this mission might be.”
From the artist: “There is a popular idea among many Russians that their country follows a special path, that it has a calling, or even a historical mission. This idea is actively cultivated, and human rights and human lives are often sacrificed for its sake. Nevertheless, it is not clear what exactly this mission might be.”
Courtesy: Pavel Otdelnov
Bunker. 2022. acrylic on canvas. d 67.5. Private collection
From the artist: "The bunker is an underground shelter that ensures safety at a time of conflict. In Moscow, many of these bunkers were declassified and one of them now houses the Museum of the Cold War."
From the artist: "The bunker is an underground shelter that ensures safety at a time of conflict. In Moscow, many of these bunkers were declassified and one of them now houses the Museum of the Cold War."
Courtesy: Pavel Otdelnov
Nuclear briefcase. 2022. acrylic on canvas. 40x50
From the artist: "The briefcase is a portable system that operates Russia’s nuclear arsenal. The President of the Russian Federation — the supreme commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces — wields control over it. Officers follow the head of state carrying the nuclear briefcase. The computer memory modules house the codes for activating horrific weapons."
From the artist: "The briefcase is a portable system that operates Russia’s nuclear arsenal. The President of the Russian Federation — the supreme commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces — wields control over it. Officers follow the head of state carrying the nuclear briefcase. The computer memory modules house the codes for activating horrific weapons."
Courtesy: Pavel Otdelnov
Throne. 2022. mixed media. 210x260
From the artist: "An abandoned Byzantine throne demonstrates the stark contrast between the decay of the political system and the idea of
limitless power, concentrated in the hands of an autocrat."
From the artist: "An abandoned Byzantine throne demonstrates the stark contrast between the decay of the political system and the idea of
limitless power, concentrated in the hands of an autocrat."
Courtesy: Pavel Otdelnov
Tsar Bomba. 2022. oil on canvas. 67.5x67.5
From the artist: "The Tsar Bomba (also known as Kuzma’s Mother) is the most powerful thermonuclear bomb in history, developed in the Soviet Union between 1956-1961. The nickname Kuzma’s Mother is part of the Russian proverb 'to show someone Kuzma’s mother,' meaning 'to teach someone a lesson.' It emerged after Khrushchev’s threat to the U.S. government: 'We have means at our disposal that will have serious consequences for you. That will teach you a lesson!'”
From the artist: "The Tsar Bomba (also known as Kuzma’s Mother) is the most powerful thermonuclear bomb in history, developed in the Soviet Union between 1956-1961. The nickname Kuzma’s Mother is part of the Russian proverb 'to show someone Kuzma’s mother,' meaning 'to teach someone a lesson.' It emerged after Khrushchev’s threat to the U.S. government: 'We have means at our disposal that will have serious consequences for you. That will teach you a lesson!'”
Courtesy: Pavel Otdelnov
Missile Silo 1, Missile Silo 2. 2022. oil on canvas. 67.5x67.5
From the artist: “Following the 1991 monetary reforms, a vast sum of now-obsolete money appeared in the state’s coffers. The banknotes were simply dumped into empty missile silos which had been mothballed after the USSR and the U.S. signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in the summer of 1991 (aka START I).”
From the artist: “Following the 1991 monetary reforms, a vast sum of now-obsolete money appeared in the state’s coffers. The banknotes were simply dumped into empty missile silos which had been mothballed after the USSR and the U.S. signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in the summer of 1991 (aka START I).”
Courtesy: Pavel Otdelnov
Money. 2022. Mixed media. 210x260
From the artist: “At the start of 1991 the government decided to implement unprecedented reforms in response to the worsening economic crisis in the country and withdraw the old banknotes from circulation. People had just a three-day window to exchange old roubles for new banknotes, and could exchange a maximum of 1,000 roubles per person (approximately two to three monthly salaries). Simultaneously, the government froze all bank accounts. People’s life savings were wiped out overnight.”
From the artist: “At the start of 1991 the government decided to implement unprecedented reforms in response to the worsening economic crisis in the country and withdraw the old banknotes from circulation. People had just a three-day window to exchange old roubles for new banknotes, and could exchange a maximum of 1,000 roubles per person (approximately two to three monthly salaries). Simultaneously, the government froze all bank accounts. People’s life savings were wiped out overnight.”
Courtesy: Pavel Otdelnov
Grey Suits. 2022. Acrylic on canvas. 110x150
From the artist: "The State Committee on the State of Emergency of the U.S.S.R. (SCSE) was the self-proclaimed authority of the U.S.S.R. between Aug. 18-21, 1991. Members of the SCSE opposed Gorbachev’s policy of perestroika and the new union treaty which was to transform the U.S.S.R. into a confederation of Soviet sovereign states. The actions of the SCSE caused mass protests and resulted in the further dismantling of the Soviet system. This painting reimagines a famous archival photograph that depicts members of the SCSE during a press conference."
From the artist: "The State Committee on the State of Emergency of the U.S.S.R. (SCSE) was the self-proclaimed authority of the U.S.S.R. between Aug. 18-21, 1991. Members of the SCSE opposed Gorbachev’s policy of perestroika and the new union treaty which was to transform the U.S.S.R. into a confederation of Soviet sovereign states. The actions of the SCSE caused mass protests and resulted in the further dismantling of the Soviet system. This painting reimagines a famous archival photograph that depicts members of the SCSE during a press conference."
Courtesy: Pavel Otdelnov
Swan Lake. 2022. Acrylic on MDF. 32x40
From the artist: "Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake is one of the symbols of the revolutionary events of August 1991. During the mass protests, the ballet was broadcast across every television channel for three days straight. Since then, Swan Lake has become a meme, a synonym of political change."
From the artist: "Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake is one of the symbols of the revolutionary events of August 1991. During the mass protests, the ballet was broadcast across every television channel for three days straight. Since then, Swan Lake has become a meme, a synonym of political change."
Courtesy: Pavel Otdelnov
Seats. 2022. Oil pastel on canvas. 60x80
From the artist: "The painting depicts a thermal trace as seen with a thermal imager. It is a trace left by those who have just left. There have
been two waves of emigration after the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine. The country is now missing those who could
have lived there and made it a better place."
From the artist: "The painting depicts a thermal trace as seen with a thermal imager. It is a trace left by those who have just left. There have
been two waves of emigration after the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine. The country is now missing those who could
have lived there and made it a better place."
Courtesy: Pavel Otdelnov
Cargo 200. 2022. Mixed media. 120x150
From the artist: "The coded expression signifies the transport of military fatalities to their place of burial. Their bodies are usually transported in special refrigerated train carriages."
From the artist: "The coded expression signifies the transport of military fatalities to their place of burial. Their bodies are usually transported in special refrigerated train carriages."
Courtesy: Pavel Otdelnov
Generation. 2022. Mixed media. 210x260. Private collection
From the artist: "A lot of people watch television, trust the official propaganda and support Putin’s policies. On the other hand, many people, mainly the younger generation, are dissatisfied with the status quo. They have no influence over the political course and their
attempts to self-organize meet significant and harsh repression. Those who protest against the war and choose to stay in Russia risk house raids, arrests, fines, and lengthy prison sentences. The legal and judicial systems serve the authorities. The
whole generation, and maybe even more than one, is deprived of a future in their own country."
From the artist: "A lot of people watch television, trust the official propaganda and support Putin’s policies. On the other hand, many people, mainly the younger generation, are dissatisfied with the status quo. They have no influence over the political course and their
attempts to self-organize meet significant and harsh repression. Those who protest against the war and choose to stay in Russia risk house raids, arrests, fines, and lengthy prison sentences. The legal and judicial systems serve the authorities. The
whole generation, and maybe even more than one, is deprived of a future in their own country."
Courtesy: Pavel Otdelnov
Parade. 2022. Mixed media. 210x260
From the artist: "A great number of older people feel nostalgic towards the Soviet Union and treasure its paraphernalia, including May Day parades and Soviet slogans. The government wagers on their electoral support."
From the artist: "A great number of older people feel nostalgic towards the Soviet Union and treasure its paraphernalia, including May Day parades and Soviet slogans. The government wagers on their electoral support."
Courtesy: Pavel Otdelnov
The Wall. 2022. Mixed media. 210x26
From the artist: "The wall has become a symbol of Putin’s Russia. It is a symbol of prohibitions, restrictions and isolation from the surrounding adverse world — and the dead-end of its political course."
From the artist: "The wall has become a symbol of Putin’s Russia. It is a symbol of prohibitions, restrictions and isolation from the surrounding adverse world — and the dead-end of its political course."
Courtesy: Pavel Otdelnov
Time machine. 2022. Acrylic on canvas. 40x50
From the artist: "Guest from the Future was based on Kir Bulychev’s novel One Hundred Years Ahead, which showed the beautiful future of the year 2084. In the 21st century, the now grown-up children of the ’80s have begun to see the show as a failed utopia.
The control panel of the time machine that featured in the series was created by its artistic director Olga Kravchenya. It now looks like a monument of Soviet retrofuturism and resembles the buttons inside the nuclear briefcase."
From the artist: "Guest from the Future was based on Kir Bulychev’s novel One Hundred Years Ahead, which showed the beautiful future of the year 2084. In the 21st century, the now grown-up children of the ’80s have begun to see the show as a failed utopia.
The control panel of the time machine that featured in the series was created by its artistic director Olga Kravchenya. It now looks like a monument of Soviet retrofuturism and resembles the buttons inside the nuclear briefcase."
Courtesy: Pavel Otdelnov
