FINROSFORUM // The Finnish-Russian Civic Forum strives to promote cooperation between the peoples of Finland and Russia by supporting civic initiatives for democracy, human rights, and freedom of speech.
The Norwegian Helsinki Committee has released a new report, Persona Non Grata: The CIS Ban System for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists. The report shows that over the past several years, countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have developed a common system reminiscent of the Schengen system in Europe, where individuals who are denied entry to one of the six member states automatically are denied entry to the others.
Russia's official cultural watchdog, Rosokhrankultura, refused to allow paintings by Russian contemporary artist Avdey Ter-Oganyan to be included in an exhibition of Russian modern art in the Louvre. The agency objected to four of Ter-Oganyan’s works in his series, “Radical Abstractionism,” saying the paintings called for "a violent change of Russia's constitutional order and incited religious hatred.”
In response, some artists refused to participate in the exhibition unless Ter-Oganyan's forbidden works were included. The conflict was later resolved after the Louvre issued an official report saying that the display would involve “all artists and works planned to be featured” and confirmed that the Russian authorities had agreed to put on display works that were previously dismissed. http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/35923/in-reversal-russia-releases-anti-putin-art-for-louvre-show/
