December 27, 2022

A Word is Not a Sparrow


A Word is Not a Sparrow
Rain is the only thing that should fall from the sky. Ffchw (September 2022)

On the evening of December 24, police officers in Perm detained the street artist Ffchw, who became famous in August after creating the graffiti "Summary" (Итоги), which listed what can and cannot be done in Russia.

The human rights organization OVD-Info was the first to report his detention. Ffchw said he was detained when creating the work “See you...” (Свидимся…) – a work that translates "farewell" into different languages, including Ukrainian.

Ffchw said that this was his first detention. At the police station, OVD-Info reported, the artist was asked about his attitude toward the war and Ukraine, and was also threatened with a search, but was then released without a protocol.

Ffchw said in a recent interview with Meduza that, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, graffiti became his way to support others. “I draw, because at the moment no one has the right to be silent. I continue to do this because this is my way to speak out, to be heard, and to hear the answer,” he said. Look at the street art that Ffchw created in 2022 and just before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Samples of the artist's work are shared below.

Translated from Meduza article 12/25/22.

Things you can't do in Russia
don't go there, don't stay there,
don't sing this,
don't sit here, don't sit there,
don't eat this, don't listen that ♪
don't turn this on, don't buy this,
don't say this, don't sleep with that,
don't watch this, don't wear that,
don't desecrate, worship,
don't draw this, don't vote for that one,
don't support this,
don't write this, don't sign that,
don't disagree, respect that one,
be humble, pray, adore,
bow down lower,
don't spread this, don't defend that,
don't argue, don't push that,
don't think, don't dare,
give birth, don't disturb,
pay your bills, roll that up,
and don't rock.
- August 2022
Voice is not violene
October 2021
Cheap alcohol graffiti.
I drink cheap alcohol, but the news is making me sick. - August 2022
Not safe graffiti.
"There are fewer and fewer places in the world where you can feel safe," the artist writes.
.
UNSAFE
DANGEROUS
THERE
HERE
KNOCK-KNOCK
SOUND

SOMEWHERE
NOT HERE
HERE
TO WEIGH
STRESS

UNSAFE
DANGEROUS
HERE
THERE
HALFWAY
/
- November 2022
Museums graffiti
We used to dream of building museums. Now we can barely put two words together. - December 2022

 

You Might Also Like

With Mouths Sewn Shut
  • July 15, 2022

With Mouths Sewn Shut

Art is a powerful realm for protest. The Ukraine War has inspired a new wave of brave works.
  • July 01, 2020

"Painting Jesus Isn't Dangerous"

Moscow is seeing religious symbolism crop up in unexpected places. It’s not the first time, but there is something different about what is going on now.
The Museum of Freedom
  • July 01, 2017

The Museum of Freedom

On St. Petersburg’s Revolution Highway there is a museum devoted to collecting and preserving the elusive and controversial art forms of graffiti and street art.
Poetic Graffiti, Self-Isolation, and Skyrocketing Views
  • May 27, 2020

Poetic Graffiti, Self-Isolation, and Skyrocketing Views

“On the day of his 80th birthday, Brodsky returned to Pestel Street—he is looking directly at his balcony in the house where he lived, those same one and a half rooms from where he left forever. But poets always return.” – Creators of a large graffiti display depicting the poet Joseph Brodsky
Iconic Tagging
  • January 04, 2020

Iconic Tagging

Artist Aleksandr Tsypkov and a handful of other artists feel everyone, not just church-goers, should be able to see religious art. So naturally they are tagging bridges and underpasses with "iconic" images.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

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.
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.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
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...
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.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.

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