Ecco ciò che il potere rivela quando l’arte smette di obbedire. Parola all’artista dissidente Pyotr Pavlensky
Russian dissident artist Pyotr Pavlensky, known for his provocative public acts such as sewing his lips shut outside Kazan Cathedral in 2012, discusses his new book "Subject-Object Art Theory" (published December 2025) and his ongoing confrontation with state power. In an interview with Artribune, Pavlensky argues that artistic freedom does not exist in either Russia or France, claiming that France uses contemporary art as a tool of political propaganda and that its repression is more sophisticated and cruel. He cites the appointment of former intelligence official Serge Lasvignes as president of the Centre Pompidou (2015–2021) as evidence of state control over art.
This interview matters because it challenges Western assumptions about artistic freedom in democracies, asserting that censorship has evolved from outright prohibition to normalization and absorption. Pavlensky's theory of "subject-object art" redefines political art, rejecting the vague label of "political art" and insisting that an artwork's meaning extends beyond its image to the institutional reactions it provokes—from police to courts to media. His perspective offers a critical lens on how power operates through cultural institutions, making this relevant to debates on censorship, artistic dissent, and the role of art in authoritarian and democratic contexts alike.