A Russian artist risks years behind bars for alleged extremist artwork

In his recent court appearance, artist Vasily Slonov drew parallels between his situation and that of the late Aleksei Navalny. Slonov, who faces up to four years in prison on charges of displaying "extremist imagery" in his artwork, testified on February 10th in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. 

He stated that like Navalny, the Russian opposition leader who passed away in an Arctic penal colony on February 16th, he too was being punished for advocating freedom of expression. Navalny's reported death in prison was seen by many as a disturbing sign of what could become of imprisoned artists and others speaking out under Vladimir Putin's increasingly dictatorial rule in Russia. Slonov, known for his ironic depictions of Russian cultural symbols and prison themes in his contemporary art, believes he is facing political persecution similar to that faced by Navalny before his death.

According to a transcript published by Mediazona, a human rights news site co-founded by members of the protest group Pussy Riot, Slonov described the stress of having his home and art studio raided, with investigators seizing his computer and phone. He was roughly treated by interrogators. Slonov expressed disbelief in the court that he had been equated to Navalny and labeled an anti-government artist. The court in Krasnoyarsk, a large Siberian city, ruled that Slonov be detained until April 7th. However, such arrests are typically extended during investigations or converted to pre-trial detention. Slonov's case is one of several across Russia targeting artists or those making visual statements against Putin, the war in Ukraine, or using images like rainbows that support LGBTQ+ rights, which Russia's Supreme Court deemed extremist in November 2023.

Slonov had previously been fined 1,000 rubles for displaying a version of a traditional Russian stacking doll at an exhibition of his "Gulag Toys" series last fall. The exhibition was held at a Novotel hotel in Krasnoyarsk. Authorities took issue with the toy because it depicted stars associated with a criminal youth movement called AUE (which stands for "Prison Order Universal"). The toy also featured a skull with the words "memento mori", handcuffs, barbed wire, depictions of prisoner abuse, and the phrase "Whoever survived will be happy, whoever died has become happy." This resulted in Slonov receiving the initial fine for his artwork.

Slonov's alleged association with the AUE movement has justified various legal cases across Russia. He was specifically accused of making the eight-pointed star symbol openly accessible to many people at the hotel art exhibition. At that time, Slonov dismissed it as a misunderstanding. However, once he declined to remove an image of the doll from his social media, he was then charged with repeated violation, a criminal offense. 

According to reports from Siberian media outlets, Slonov was detained at the airport before his arrest, as he held a one-way ticket to depart for Kazakhstan. His refusal to remove the artwork from online platforms and attempted departure from the country elevated the charges against him.

In court, Slonov denied trying to flee the country and warned that imprisoning an innocent artist so close to Vladimir Putin's presidential elections could become a major public relations problem. He stated that an unfair decision to detain him could be seized upon by Russia’s critics to tarnish the image of supreme and judicial authorities in Russia. The country is set to hold its next presidential vote from March 15-17. Slonon has been portrayed as belonging to the group of people who speak unwaveringly to those in power, rather than as an overt political activist. With his disheveled, long beard, Slonov's appearance calls to mind classical images of Russian peasants or writer Leo Tolstoy's depictions of himself in rural garb.