The Petition
Raise a voice in support of freedom of speech and expression! Insist on dropping charges against artists and art-show organisers in Russia.
On September 8th, 2010 Russian artist Oleg Mavromati, currently living in Bulgaria and the US, was refused renewal of his Russian passport by the Consulate of the Russian Federation in Sofia, on the grounds that Mavromati has been avoiding trial in the Russian Federation for the performance he made in 2000. If he returns to Russia he will be put on trial and faces 3-5 years of prison.
Mavromati was prosecuted for "Do Not Believe Your Eyes" under article 282 of the Criminal Code of Russian Federation with "inciting religious hatred and offending the feelings of religious believers." A legal complaint from the chairman of the local Orthodox Church community "St. Nikola" against Mavromati was disregarded by the Moscow City court as there was no evidence of crime. Through coercive measures and political connections the same complaint was sent to the General Attorney's office. Then Mavromati's home was searched and all his video and film materials were confiscated.
"Do Not Believe Your Eyes" was not meant to offend the religious feelings of anyone, or the Orthodox faith in particular. It was also not meant to mock the Christian crucifixion or to represent any religious symbol, but rather to represent an archetype of pain. The performance was a scene of a film directed by Mavromati and called "Oil on Canvas." Mavromati played the main role, for which he performed the crucifixion. The story was based on the biography of the young Russian painter Oleg Golosiy, who was tragically killed by another artist because of envy. Mavromati was playing the role of the artist who killed Golosiy. The character repented and in order to prove his sincerity he changed the traditional artistic medium he used (oil on canvas) with direct action and physical expression. As a true evidence of his repent the character decided to crucify himself by that representing his personal guilt.
Now there is a new urgent situation: Mavromati was just notified by the Russian Consulate in Sofia that they will not renew his passport. According to the Russian Consulate the passport renewal was refused because Mavromati has been avoiding trial in the Russian Federation for the performance he made in 2000. If he returns to Russia and put on trial Mavromati faces 3-5 years of prison.
Mavromati currently lives in Sofia with his wife, Bulgaria artist Boryana Dragoeva. The couple are internationally exhibited video artists, Boryana is also currently a PhD student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY department of Electronic Arts.
This is not an isolated case. Amnesty International had made a statement about other Russian artists being prosecuted under article 282 : http://bit.ly/c5GeGk
Raise a voice in support of freedom of speech and expression! Insist on dropping charges against artists and art-show organisers in Russia.
On September 8th, 2010 Russian artist Oleg Mavromati, currently living in Bulgaria and the US, was refused renewal of his Russian passport by the Consulate of the Russian Federation in Sofia, on the grounds that Mavromati has been avoiding trial in the Russian Federation for the performance he made in 2000. If he returns to Russia he will be put on trial and faces 3-5 years of prison.
Mavromati was prosecuted for "Do Not Believe Your Eyes" under article 282 of the Criminal Code of Russian Federation with "inciting religious hatred and offending the feelings of religious believers." A legal complaint from the chairman of the local Orthodox Church community "St. Nikola" against Mavromati was disregarded by the Moscow City court as there was no evidence of crime. Through coercive measures and political connections the same complaint was sent to the General Attorney's office. Then Mavromati's home was searched and all his video and film materials were confiscated.
"Do Not Believe Your Eyes" was not meant to offend the religious feelings of anyone, or the Orthodox faith in particular. It was also not meant to mock the Christian crucifixion or to represent any religious symbol, but rather to represent an archetype of pain. The performance was a scene of a film directed by Mavromati and called "Oil on Canvas." Mavromati played the main role, for which he performed the crucifixion. The story was based on the biography of the young Russian painter Oleg Golosiy, who was tragically killed by another artist because of envy. Mavromati was playing the role of the artist who killed Golosiy. The character repented and in order to prove his sincerity he changed the traditional artistic medium he used (oil on canvas) with direct action and physical expression. As a true evidence of his repent the character decided to crucify himself by that representing his personal guilt.
Now there is a new urgent situation: Mavromati was just notified by the Russian Consulate in Sofia that they will not renew his passport. According to the Russian Consulate the passport renewal was refused because Mavromati has been avoiding trial in the Russian Federation for the performance he made in 2000. If he returns to Russia and put on trial Mavromati faces 3-5 years of prison.
Mavromati currently lives in Sofia with his wife, Bulgaria artist Boryana Dragoeva. The couple are internationally exhibited video artists, Boryana is also currently a PhD student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY department of Electronic Arts.
This is not an isolated case. Amnesty International had made a statement about other Russian artists being prosecuted under article 282 : http://bit.ly/c5GeGk
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