Authors

Discussion

The winter of 2011-2012 witnessed a new phenomenon in Russian politics: emergence of mass protests of people with varying political ideologies against the ruling regime on the streets of big cities. Protest art, i.e. self-initiated regime critical art, is considered by many as an arena where dissatisfaction with the ruling regime that found its expression in the above-mentioned protests was nourished. Some works of protest art created during Dmitry Medvedev’s presidency (2008-2012) used revolutionary history to convey different ideas. Revolutionary history is known to have been important for consolidation of those dissatisfied with president Boris Yeltsin’s politics during the 1990s and for consolidation of different Communist groups during the whole post-Soviet period. However, this history, strongly associated for many with the official Soviet historical narrative, is hardly popular with those who do not associate themselves with the Soviet state. In the focus of the presentation will be the following question: could uses of revolutionary history in Russian protest art between 2008 and 2012 have consolidated consumers of that art and, in this way, helped to consolidate those opposing the ruling regime? Focusing on the protest artworks created by collectives Vojna and Pussy Riot, and using historical didactical ideas of Klas-Göran Karlsson, the presentation will deal with the functions and reception of the uses of revolutionary history.