An exhibition by a Russian political prisoner jailed for anti-war activism is coming to Glasgow this weekend.
Sasha Skochilenko’s Tides of Courage exhibition will run from Saturday 22 to Monday 25 July at Kiosk in Govanhill.
The artist is currently in a Russian jail where she faces a ten year sentence after anti-war messages in a supermarket in St Petersburg were traced back to her. The act of artistic protest included replacing the shop’s price tags with numbers of the death toll in Ukraine and other messages against the Russian invasion.
The 32-year-old was charged for spreading “knowingly false information” about Russia’s armed forces. She had pleaded not guilty after being held in pre-trial detention for over six months.
On display as part of the exhibition will be materials and documents chronicling the arrest and trial in Russia for her anti-war protests.
Read more: Russia detains hard-line nationalist who accused Putin of weakness in Ukraine
Animated work and music created before the activist was imprisoned last year will also be on display, covering a range of topics from anti-war activism to mental health and LGBTQ+ rights – which are the object of oppression in Russia, with new laws passed at the end of 2022 making it illegal to “promote” or suggest that homosexual relationships are “normal”.
In addition, there will be the opportunity to purchase comics created by Skochilenko documenting her mental health struggles with depression and mania, which take a deep dive into how the symptoms “look and feel from the inside”.
Amnesty International have labelled Svochilenko a prisoner of conscience. She was included in the BBC’s list of 100 inspiring and influential women around the world last year.
Read more: Ukraine’s ambassador to UK sacked after Zelensky ‘sarcasm’ row
The organisation of the display has been done by the Russian Democratic Society, a community of anti-war activists based in the UK, in partnership with Glasgow School of Art, the University of Glasgow’s School of Culture and Creative Arts and Glasgow’s Centre for Contemporary Arts.
The exhibition can be attended from 22-24 July at Kiosk on 25 Prince Edward Street in Govanhill from 10am-6pm.
A condensed version of the exhibition will return to display in Glasgow as part of the Glasgow School of Art degree show from 25-31 August
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