Russian Art Under Putin

In the week that Vladimir Putin was re-elected as Russian president, while a diplomatic row rages over the poisoning of a former Russian spy in the UK, The Cultural Frontline explores the Russian art of patriotism, protest and paranoia.

Tina speaks to visual artist Alexey Belyaev-Gintovt, the controversial winner of Russia’s prestigious Kandinsky Prize, whose work depicting what he calls ‘the motherland’ is often described as nationalist.

The BBC’s Lucy Ash meets Victoria Lomasko, whose ‘graphic reportage’ portrays people on the margins of Russian society and pays homage to the country’s last mass demonstrations in 2012.

Russian playwright Mikhail Durnenkov reflects on the atmosphere of fear and mistrust born of fake news and censorship, while the BBC’s Alexander Kan considers an obscure Russian word that’s been popularised by both political rhetoric and satirical rap.

Presenter: Tina Daheley
Producer: Kirsty McQuire

Image: A portrait of Russian president Vladimir Putin, on display at a Moscow art market in January 2018. Credit: Mladen Antonov/ AFP/ Getty Images