Artists of Perestroika

Special screening of Artist of Perestroika by Masha Novikova. Have the years of Glasnost and Perestroika – and the unique freedom that Russian artists knew back then – been just a moment in history? With an introduction of Pauline Michgelsen (in Dutch) + Q&A.

Art, dance, music and theater know no boundaries and do not need any language other than the language of art. In times of Glasnost and Perestroika in Russia it went well in the field of cultural relations between the Netherlands and Russia. At the time, an intense collaboration developed between the Dutch and Russian artists, resulting in friendships that continue to this day.

Under Putin, another wall between Europe and Russia has emerged. What is it like for the new generation of artists to deal with censorship and possible repression? Is there still hope that Dutch and Russian artists can perform together?

Masha Novikova is Russian visual artist and filmmaker. Short before the fall of the Berlin Wall she came to the Netherlands, since then she has been living and working in Amsterdam. Her documentaries include Drie kameraden (2006), Brieven aan jezelf (2013), Daymohk, het land van de voorouders (2018), and Niet mijn Moskou (2022).

Pauline Michgelsen studied Russian language and culture in both Amsterdam and Moscow, organized exhibitions in Russia and runned an Amsterdam-based galery for artists from the former Soviet-Union. She now works as a translator.