Victoria Lomasko, exiled Russian artist: “In the 21st century, street protest has become a decorative act”

Passing through Spain to present her books and with a tight agenda, Victoria Lomasko (Sépukhov, 1978) is an example of the genre of drawn reportage, a format between the travelogue and journalism.

After several exchanges of messages, the interview finally took place by email.

The news of the death of the opponent Alekséi Navalni makes it become a fluid conversation in writing.

Navalny is precisely the indirect protagonist of some of the stories he tells in his fascinating book

The Last Soviet Artist

(Godall Ediciones), a tour drawn by many of the former republics that made up that giant with feet of clay that was the Soviet Union.

Lomasko has lived in exile in Berlin since 2022.

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The dilemma between facts and style

Ask.

What feeling has the news of Navalni's death produced in you?

Answer.

When Navalny was alive, many people believed that it was still possible to return to Russia.

It is now absolutely clear that we will never return to a life similar to that before the (Ukrainian) war.

It will be something new, very new, nothing similar to our plans and ideas, we can no longer imagine that future.

It's like 1917, when people were fleeing Soviet Russia but still checking the news and hoping to return.

Then some events occurred that showed that it was no longer Russia, it was the USSR, another reality.

P.

Navalny said that people's inaction is “the triumph of evil.”

In his book you point out that ignoring authorities can be a way of pushing towards your end.

What path do you think the Russian people will take after what happened?

A.

A popular answer to this question is: “Go to the streets and protest!”

I have a different opinion;

I think that in the 21st century, street protest has become a decorative act.

It is a peaceful theatrical spectacle that allows the crowd to let off steam.

Later, the crowd will tire or be dispersed by the police.

Everything is under the control of the authorities from the beginning.

I say this as a participant in the large Moscow protests that lasted all of 2012, and as a participant in the peaceful Belarusian Revolution of 2022. In Belarus, probably 80% of the citizens protested, people there were beaten, raped, tortured, and dozens of protesters were killed.

Now I live in Berlin, where all kinds of demonstrations take place.

People are not being dispersed, but I do not see the results of these concentrations.

Q.

What can be done, then?

A.

Whatever seems useful and beneficial to you.

For example, even in Putin's Russia there are people who help political prisoners, Ukrainian refugees, or develop

underground

culture .

In a word: it creates an independent universe that does not intersect with the universe of the Putin regime.

This is how the USSR collapsed, without revolutions: simply no one believed in communist ideas, everyone lived in a parallel world with other ideas, dreams and goals.

One of the drawings from 'The Last Soviet Artist', by Victoria Lomasko.Godall Ediciones

Q.

In the book, a Russian artist living in exile in Tbilisi (Georgia) describes what is happening in his country as “total madness.”

In that context, what hope is possible from the point of view of art?

A.

The objective of art is not to force to create revolutions, but to help the evolution of each person, a personal transformation.

Politicians speak to crowds, but artists, writers, poets, filmmakers maintain a dialogue with you, it is something personal.

Each one of us is greater than the social role assigned to us.

The goal of art is to help us never forget our greatness.

Q.

Has the war in Ukraine meant a return to that conception of the Soviet Union that you grew up with?

A.

As I have already said, the Soviet Union collapsed because the majority of people no longer believed in communist ideas.

33 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it is even more impossible to return to those ideas.

I see the war in Ukraine as the renewal of a clear confrontation between countries like Russia, China, Iran and the West.

I am sure that politicians know well why they divide the world into political blocs again.

The question is to what extent we, ordinary citizens, are willing to play their games.

Q.

What is the relationship between the “social artist” and journalism?

A.

A social artist, like a journalist, explores society and often gathers information on the ground.

The most important qualities for a good journalist are interest in people and the ability to communicate with them.

A good social artist must also have these qualities.

Q.

The characters in the book that you draw generate empathy that makes it easier to understand the difference.

A.

One of the objectives of

The Last Soviet Artist

is to show how diverse the so-called post-Soviet space is.

In the past, all these countries were Soviet republics, but now each of them has its own path.

And within each country there are many unfathomable worlds.

For example, in Kyrgyzstan you can see religious women in black hijabs on the street, but at the same time in Kyrgyzstan there are many feminist groups whose members can wear shorts, shave their heads, speak perfect English and travel around the world.

One of the drawings from 'The Last Soviet Artist', by Victoria Lomasko.Godall Edicions

Q.

I don't want to sound pessimistic, but do you think there is hope for trusting mankind?

A.

I think that, if we compare our generations with those of the 20th century, we have become more conscious and independent.

For example, despite all of Putin's propaganda, there are practically no people in Russia willing to voluntarily participate in his war.

Another example, during 2022-23 the Western media broadcast Russophobia non-stop, canceling Russian culture, but at the same time dozens of Europeans who had other opinions helped me survive and show my art.

And now, seeing the tragedy of Gaza, many people feel disgusted by the cynicism of politicians who divide people by important and unimportant nations.

I hope there comes a time when the idea of ​​good and bad nations is ridiculous and humanity feels like one.

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