title: Independent art, politics and social change: A case study of Russia and Serbia
Creators: name: Vasilyeva, Oxana
Publisher: name: Griffith University
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: independent art
subject: socio-political situation
subject: Russia
subject: Serbia

description: This PhD research examines independent art with a focus on the Russian Federation and the Republic of Serbia. Its aim is to analyse the state of independent art in Russia and Serbia in the twenty-first century. I argue that both countries pursue their political interests by supporting or forbidding certain art. Art that supports values opposite to the official political agenda is labelled as bad, blasphemous or untalented, and is often censored. Both states intervene in the cultural field through censorship and limiting free artistic expression. Against the background of a difficult political climate in both Russia and Serbia, I see the position and significance of art as one of the most important factors capable of influencing the current socio-political situation. I believe culture and art have the potential to help people become both more aware and more involved in the ongoing political discourse, to feel the power of their voice and to make their grievances heard. Theoretical frameworks of transgression, dissensus and the carnivalesque are employed in this study. Artworks and other artistic initiatives are analysed and discussed in terms of their significance as a form of opposition to strict socio-political structures. The analysis intends to demonstrate that the essence of the studied artistic initiatives can be seen more widely than simply opposing current political rule. It will be demonstrated that independent art can provide a decentralised view of normative frameworks, facilitate the dialogue on problematic socio-political issues and create solidarity within civil society. It will be argued that art provides an opportunity to escape the shackles of the strict political norms and is able to expand the scope of possible scenarios of future development. Transgressive features of art will be drawn upon to demonstrate the importance of critical cultural interventions. This will enable a clear view of the limitations of existing norms and the possibilities presented by transgressive art to subvert rigid ideas by engendering new insights and spaces for communication. Independent artistic initiatives serve as instruments of political influence, as they are able to publicly expose the problematic decisions of the authorities. The research will demonstrate that by reacting to the unjust and unlawful actions of the state, artists are able to challenge everyday representations of established and limiting narratives, such as the rights of women, LGBTIQ+ rights, issues of migration and ecology problems. The novelty of my work is that it focuses on the role of art in relation to socio-political processes in modern Russia and Serbia. I mark this period in Russia from the start of Vladimir iv Putin’s presidency in 2000 and in Serbia from the fall of Slobodan Milosevic’s regime in 2000. Therefore, a comparative analysis will be conducted of independent cultural initiatives between Russia and Serbia; such an analysis has not previously been carried out. Russia and Serbia are often compared in terms of similar religious and cultural traditions, but rarely in terms of the framework of their independent artistic scenes.