The largest exhibition of protest art by Russian artists is on show in Amsterdam. 'Artists Against the Kremlin' raises a voice against the Russian government's propaganda and repression, which is no longer tolerated in the artists' home country.
00:01This portrait of Vladimir Putin is a work of protest against his rule in Russia.
00:06It's on display in an anti-Kremlin exhibition featuring dozens of Russian dissident artists.
00:13The theme is virus.
00:15It is about reinforced loop of corruption that Putin is aware of, but he's immune.
00:22This is like a system that keeps everybody oppressed.
00:28Artists Against the Kremlin is being hosted in Amsterdam's renowned Centre for Art and Public Debate, Dybali.
00:35It is a safe space for Russian artists to criticise the Kremlin's imperialism, repression and authoritarianism,
00:43which the artists say is a virus that is spreading.
00:46Many countries that were known to be pro-democratic now use those practices of repression.
00:55Like Georgia, for instance, where I stayed and lived for the first six months of my forced exile.
01:02When we came there, it was full support of Ukrainians.
01:06Right now, it's completely vice versa.
01:08It's like super pro-Russian government.
01:11This looks like a disease and like kind of a virus.
01:15How Kremlin technologies of propaganda, of repressions, of torture become global.
01:24Since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the number of artists imprisoned in Russia has grown.
01:32Rights groups say Russian secret services have been monitoring artists, forcing many to flee.
01:38Those still inside the country work underground, risking arrest for criticising the war and the authorities.
01:45Some of the art on display here is from those artists inside Russia, and some from Ukrainian artists in regions under Russian bombardment.
01:56This one, I think, is something you build for a sniper.
02:00In Russia, repression has reached new extremes, pushing many into exile.
02:06The screen was quite an important component of the project because there is always a system beneath just the surface.
02:17This can actually be quite an interesting metaphor for the Kremlin and the propaganda and the regime itself.
02:25Through this exhibition, Russian artists want to send the message that the Kremlin is waging a hybrid war and fueling instability through propaganda and disinformation.
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