THE MOSCOW TRIALS

Art – a watchful eye over politics and society, mirror of its time, sometimes even a wake-up call. Art makes criticism accessible to the senses, inspires, sparks discourse. With its proclivity for provocation, art is for many a thorn in the side, especially for those whose positions of power it attacks and whose value and belief systems it questions. In Russia art has been declared an enemy of the state of late: several trials have questioned the artist’s freedom of expression. Curators and artists such as the notorious Pussy Riot have stood before the court and been witness to the fact that art in Putin’s Russia only has a right to exist when it is devoid of any form of activism. Milo Rau revisits the trials in his piece of documentary theatre – this time fairly and discursively. Power structures and interweaving interests become evident in what is also a liberating process for those affected.