Previous Printer Sergei Besov, the start of Russian military operations in Ukraine, was part of a fast-growing art scene based in a remodeled factory in northern Moscow. Besov created a nostalgic poster with an updated Soviet-style slogan using an old printing press with a huge wooden Cyrillic type and vintage red ink. More than three months after the Russian troops emigrated to Ukraine in late February, Besov is still active, but his recent poster is more than a witty catchphrase.
“Everyone needs peace,” reading one of his latest works, hanging at the entrance to the Partisan Press poster workshop. Besov, 45, quickly gained attention when he began printing “No to War” posters in stores early in the Russian military attack. The one video on which the poster was created has been played 3.6 million times on Instagram.
“It was unclear if martial law would be introduced … everyone was in a panic,” he says. After Russia introduced a strict new censorship law, Besov stopped making “war bans” posters, making it illegal to call intervention war and convicted those guilty of damaging the credibility of Russian troops. I was sentenced to imprisonment. He started printing the poster for “Everyone Needs Peace” instead, but police still appeared at the store in early March and detained two of his employees.
“They talk about fear.”
“They were very nervous,” he says. The two women are now waiting to know if they will be charged with any crime. According to Besov, the workshop was closed for a few weeks “just out of fear” in March, but is now reopening. One day in the recent spring, Besov wore sunglasses and a black T-shirt in the city of Moscow and glued one of the posters in front of a graffiti-covered brick wall with a paintbrush. ..
When the glue was applied, he wrote on the poster, “If you have a dream, you have a trip.” Since the beginning of the conflict, tens of thousands of Russians have decided to embark on a one-way journey and have fled the country with no plans to return. But Besov says he intends to stay. “Today’s poster is about what’s happening to us. They talk about fear.” Fear isn’t the reason for not acting, “said the first poster we printed after a break.” He says.
The poster’s slogan is vague and eerie, full of words that can’t be described by the words “waves wipe everything out,” “the important thing is that you don’t lose yourself,” and “every wall has a door.” increase. According to Besov, just reading the word “cognitive dissonance” tells us how many people are living a normal life in Moscow while “the (Ukrainian) friends over there are suffering”. “To make matters worse, we all understand that we are used to it.”
Despite his passion for work, Besov is not sure how long he can continue to run his store and print posters. His main business is to print fine stationery and business cards at another nearby workshop under Imprint Demon Press. However, under Western sanctions, the woodfree paper he uses for his business will not be immediately available in Moscow. Also, the vintage red ink he uses for his posters (manufactured in the Soviet-controlled People’s Republic of Hungary in 1989) will soon be depleted. — AFP
