February 12, 2024

A Criminal Doll


A Criminal Doll
Doll with prison tattoos, artwork by Vasily Slonov. Mediazona, Telegram.

On February 9, it was reported that artist Vacily Slonov was detained at Krasnoyarsk airport while heading to Kazakhstan after police opened an investigation into his artwork for the use of prison tattoos.

This is not the first run-in with the law for Slonov, who identifies himself as a member of the "Siberian ironic conceptualism" artistic movement. In 2013, Slonov's exhibition "Welcome! Sochi 2014" at the White Nights Festival captured international attention. The exhibit included satirical cartoons, including the animated character Cheburashka chasing athletes and Olympic rings made with nooses. The gallerist in charge of the festival, Magat Gelman, was subsequently fired from his job.

In 2018, the pro-Kremlin group SERB vandalized his Moscow exhibit "Celestial Jerusalem" for featuring a painting of President Vladimir Putin combined with a skull and a quote from the Old Testament.

Most recently, in October 2023, the 54-year-old exhibited a doll covered in prison tattoos in the Krasnoyarsk Novotel. In response, a tribunal fined him and ordered the destruction of his piece for the use of the forbidden symbology of the AUE, an underground youth criminal network that is classified as an extremist organization.

On February 8, police opened a criminal case against the artist for uploading a picture of his tattooed doll exhibit on his VKontakte. The post was quickly taken down and his VKontakte account was deleted. On that same day, security forces raided his house and workshop and confiscated all his electronic devices. On February 9, Slonov's wife announced her husband's arrest on his Instagram account, Gulag ToysThe artist was stopped by police while "about to fly to Kazakhstan," according to Mediazona. 

On February 10, Slonov told the court he was going to Almaty to visit museums. The artist denounced the investigators for causing psychological duress during his detention. The court sentenced him to two months of house arrest.

You Might Also Like

  • February 06, 2024

"I'm Alive" a Harrowing Escape

A gay Chechen man forced to out himself on camera vanished after the video went viral in 2022. Now, he tells his story.
A Very Famous Terrorist
  • December 25, 2023

A Very Famous Terrorist

Popular writer Boris Akunin has been added to the Kremlin's list of terrorists and extremists.
A QR Crackdown
  • December 14, 2023

A QR Crackdown

Moscow bans QR codes on billboards in response to the Russian political opposition.
Integration through Education?
  • October 08, 2023

Integration through Education?

Russian President Putin stressed the importance of education in regions newly annexed from Ukraine. But is there a more sinister motive at play?
Dance Floor Dissent
  • May 26, 2023

Dance Floor Dissent

A video of people singing pro-Ukraine lyrics prompted government intervention.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955