Russian Performance Artists Targeted by State Security Operations from Soviet Era to 1999
On August 1999, an explosion at the underground shopping center in Manege Square, Moscow, resulted in injuries to 41 individuals. Russian television and the FSB pointed fingers at poet Dmitrii Pimenov, referencing his 1991 work 'Terrorism'. Although Pimenov refuted any connection, he was deemed mentally unstable. This situation reflects the tactics of the Soviet KGB, notably illustrated by the 'Bulldozer Exhibition' on September 14, 1974, where state interference affected artists. Since May 23, 1998, the 'Non-Governmental Control Commission', featuring Avdei Ter-Oganyan and others, has been involved in political-artistic initiatives. Ter-Oganyan faced legal issues following a December 1998 performance at Manege Gallery. In 1999, both Pimenov and Ter-Oganyan sought asylum in Prague due to escalating state repression in the art community.
Key facts
- A bombing at Moscow's Manege Square underground shopping center on August 31, 1999, wounded 41 people.
- Poet Dmitrii Pimenov was implicated by Russian television and FSB officers citing a 1991 co-written text 'Terrorism'.
- Pimenov was a member of the artist group 'Non-Governmental Control Commission'.
- The 'Bulldozer Exhibition' occurred on September 14, 1974, when KGB agents preempted an open-air show by planting a park and crushing artworks.
- Avdei Ter-Oganyan performed 'Pop-Art' at Manege Gallery in Moscow in December 1998, leading to charges of 'stirring religious tension'.
- The 'Non-Governmental Control Commission' staged 'Barricade on Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street' on May 23, 1998, using paintings by popular Russian artists.
- Anatoly Osmolovsky campaigned for voters to select 'Against all Parties' in elections to potentially annul results.
- Pimenov and Ter-Oganyan both sought asylum in Prague.
Entities
Artists
- Dmitrii Pimenov
- Anatoly Osmolovsky
- Avdei Ter-Oganyan
- Maria Demskaya
- Tatyana Hengstler
- Dmitrii Model
- Oleg Kireev
- Aleksei Shulgin
- Kirill Postoutenko
Institutions
- FSB
- KGB
- Non-Governmental Control Commission
- Manege Gallery
- District Attorney’s Office
- Sovietskaya Pravda
- Volksbühne
- ARTMargins
Locations
- Moscow
- Russia
- Manege Square
- Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street
- Red Square
- Prague
- Czech Republic
- Berlin
- Germany
- Chechnya
- Dagestan
- Paris
- France