Hermitage Contemporary Art Curator Resigns Over Ukraine War
Dimitri Ozerkov, the head curator of the Contemporary Art Department at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, has stepped down and departed from Russia. He expressed on Instagram, “I do not intend to have anything in common with the Russia of today.” His departure comes amid protests against the invasion of Ukraine and his disagreements with Hermitage director Mikhail Piotrovsky, who backs Putin's military actions. Ozerkov, who has been critical of Russian propaganda, ceased his involvement with museum activities since early March. He joined the Hermitage in 1999, curating exhibitions for artists such as Chuck Close and Anselm Kiefer, and was instrumental in bringing Manifesta to St. Petersburg in 2014.
Key facts
- Dimitri Ozerkov resigned as chief curator of Contemporary Art at the State Hermitage Museum.
- He announced his resignation on Instagram with an 'exit' image, stating he wants nothing to do with today's Russia.
- The resignation is due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and disagreements with director Mikhail Piotrovsky.
- Piotrovsky said in an interview with Rossiiskaya Gazeta that 'we are all militarists and imperialists' and Russia is 'first of all my country.'
- Ozerkov had stopped participating in museum activities since early March 2022.
- He had previously removed his Instagram profile picture in protest.
- Ozerkov worked at the Hermitage since 1999, curating French prints and contemporary art exhibitions.
- He curated shows for Chuck Close, Jan Fabre, Antony Gormley, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, and Anselm Kiefer.
Entities
Artists
- Dimitri Ozerkov
- Mikhail Piotrovsky
- Chuck Close
- Jan Fabre
- Antony Gormley
- Ilya Kabakov
- Emilia Kabakov
- Anselm Kiefer
- Dmitry Prigov
- Vladimir Putin
Institutions
- State Hermitage Museum
- Rossiiskaya Gazeta
- Manifesta
- Venice Biennale
- Artribune
Locations
- St. Petersburg
- Russia
- Ukraine
- Italy
- Venice