From Berlin to St. Petersburg, you would have to have been living under a rock for the last few months not to have heard about the Pussy Riot debate. A Russian, feminist, punk-rock collective consisting of around twenty members, the group has caused worldwide controversy after five of their members performed an anti-Putin song live in a Russian Cathedral. As a result, three members were arrested, and now two of the group – Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina – are facing and beginning to serve two-year prison sentences.

This issue has been covered extensively and globally , many (rightly) enraged with the decision to imprison the band members; and the art world is no exception. There have been walks, benefit music gigs (Berlin-based musician Peaches is a particularly strong supporter) and exhibitions all held with the aim of helping free the imprisoned band members and keep the focus on this pertinent topic.

Masked supporters – members of Pussy Riot do not show their faces. Photo: Tomas Gering.  

The most recent art exhibition for the benefit of Pussy Riot, ‘The Journey to St. Petersburg,’ will open on November 9th at Egbert Baqué Contemporary Art Berlin. The gallerists have shuffled around their busy schedule to make sure that the show runs now whilst the topic is still fresh, explaining “The freedom of artistic expression, as irritating as it can be, is the foundation for the work of a gallerist too.”

The largest exhibition the gallery has ever shown, it will feature over 70 works from eleven contemporary artists including painter Wolfgang Neumann, who lives and works in Stuttgart, photographer Claes Feldmann and Spanish painter Fernando M. Romero. The other artist’s work mainly fall into the category of fine art, with lots of painting and drawing; a real opportunity for perhaps some of the more ‘traditional’ fine art crowd. Our verdict: don’t miss out on this opportunity to see some interesting art and support a good cause.

• Egbert Baqué Contemporary Art Berlin – The Journey From St. Petersburg – November 9th 2012 – from 7 – 9 pm

Article by: Marie J Burrows

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