Expressions Of Dissent With Russian Street Performance | Alternative Fruit

​In Russia it's difficult to disapprove of the government or its various associates. Where speech isn't as free as it is elsewhere and with methods of correction in place that resemble torture, it is brave artists who take the front row seats at the arena of complaint. Where everyday citizens are either too afraid to look or think for themselves, too emotionally invested in the status quo, too guilty as willing participants, only a certain few are able to break out of this box and look from the other side. According to Katrin Nenasheva, Russia is indeed one of those places. This is how she communicates her dissent.


Katrin Nenasheva produces street performance art in which she delivers the truth about what is happening behind closed doors. Where she gets her information from is unclear, however Katrin Nenasheva has been detained herself for various reasons. Her origins are in the media industry, where upon the annexation of part of Ukraine by Russian forces she was forced to write propaganda for the Russian government.


Recently, Nenasheva walked around Moscow for 21 days while chained to a bed. In a plea to stop the cruelty within residential children's homes such as orphanages, the artist including the pricking of her feet with needles to emulate one of the many cruel techniques used to prevent the children from moving around. It's thought that most regular Russians are unaware of this practice and it is hoped that when faced with it in reality, they too will be equally as horrified.


Many dissidents of the Russian authorities are reportedly kept in psychiatric wards where they are re-educated. Where dissent is seen as mental illness it makes it impossible to legitimately complain about government practice. Also, it highlights the willingness of the national public to allow this treatment to continue. Katrin Nenasheva took it upon herself to show this reality by using virtual reality goggles. By walking around the busy streets while observing the inside of the psychiatric ward, she hoped to show that this could happen to anyone, anywhere.


It's not enjoyed by the authorities, especially when their morals and ethics are being questioned. In one protest, Katrina and a fellow artist began washing blood from army uniforms they were wearing in order to protest unjust force. There is a video on YouTube showing the pair being arrested for non-sanctioned protesting. They may be watching us, but we are watching them too – at least some of the time.


Via Republic World
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