Monument To The Russian Elite No. 4

Sculpture number 4, which is being erected on Bolotnaya Square, is being heatedly discussed today. The sculpture, of course, is still the same. And what she reminds each baby is clear. Almost everyone is familiar with this.

Causes, of course, surprise. There were so many controversies about the monument on the Lubyanka. For example, the wonderful sculptor Dmitry Alexandrov proposed to install Plato there. Konstantin Malofeev turned to Sobyanin with a reasonable proposal to erect a monument to Alexander Nevsky. I put forward the idea of ​​erecting a huge statue the size of the Colossus of Rhodes to Archangel Michael with a flaming sword so that the Lubyanka building would turn into his shadow. So many different beautiful plants. But all this was rejected, trampled, hid under the rug, in spite of the votes, the millions of people active, the storm of passions.

But you know what a piece you are ready to put right there in the very center of Moscow. No votes, no referendums, no creative thought. Any arguments are powerless before sculpture number 4. Here it is, the truth about the modern political elite in Russia. In one sculpture. It’s all clear to me why it is she. It’s just that Russia today is ruled by elite number 4 – it is approximately the same shape and resembles the same substance.

Of course, the fact that construction number 4 will stand on Bolotnaya has its own symbolism. This is the area of ​​mass protests by the liberals. And for them, such a design is the most suitable. In future history textbooks, construction number 4 will illustrate the mention of how in 2012 Russian liberals, who believed in Medvedev’s second term, when they were taken by surprise by Putin’s return to their original place, tried to get outraged. And how they failed. In other words, I’m guessing why design number 4 was agreed upon so quickly. To someone at the top, this symbolism of liberalism-construction number 4 seemed witty.

To be honest, I don’t think so. After all, this can be taken not only at the expense of the liberals but also at the expense of the entire political elite. Nobody will explain – a sculpture is like a sculpture, a piece is like a piece. That is, it is risky.

However, after all, everything can be demolished. I don’t think we should be too indignant at the blasphemous desecration of the aesthetic taste of Muscovites. After all, this can be read as a punk strategy. Punks, on the other hand, dressed in rags, disfigured their faces and yelled hysterical nonsense only because they wanted to show how disgusting and hateful they were to a society that was heading towards its complete degeneration. It was an aesthetic protest. It is difficult to say whether it is justified aesthetically or not. I was delighted recently that vocalist from the punk band Sex Pistols Johnny Rotten supported Trump. Well done Johnny Rotten. I approve of this choice.

Maybe composition number 4 is also a punk sculpture. That is how it is. But to whom is this message addressed? And this is where the ambiguity begins. Something tells me that Mayor Sobyanin, namely, he is the decisive authority on what to put and what not to put on, cannot understand in detail the nonconformist culture in order to accurately assess the edge of irony, satire, sarcasm, or even more sophisticated strategies of modern postmodernism. If I’m wrong, I’m ready to talk to him about Deleuze or Lacan. The conversation has every chance to go down in history. So let’s discuss construction number 4. And while there is no clarity on this issue and the content of aesthetic provocation is not defined, the whole story smacks of something bad. And even a whole series of something bad:

• and an attack on classical aesthetic values,
• and degenerate art
• and such banal, but, alas, such familiar Russian corruption.

By the way, a production by Alexander Nevsky, Plato, or Archangel Michael would not have caused such problems. This is where it is appropriate to show the will of the mayor. The people demand, the authorities support. And the elections are won.

But no, instead of this construction number 4. Why is everything so here?