Press Release, 29.01.2023

Photo: Yelena Osipova

St.Petersburg branch of Yabloko will host an exhibition of posters by the famous St. Petersburg artist and civil activist Yelena Osipova. The opening of the exhibition will take place on Tuesday, 31 January, at 18.30.

“Yelena Andreyevna Osipova is a true honorary citizen of St. Petersburg. Despite the fact that she was not formally awarded this title (and it is unlikely that the current deputies of the Legislative Assembly would choose her as an honorary citizen). What she does is a real civic heroic deed. Fearlessly, selflessly and courageously, she takes to the streets with her paintings, appealing to our conscience and sense of justice. Her work is a huge, very significant cultural phenomenon not only for our city, but also for Russia,” Boris Vishnevsky, Deputy Chairman of the Yabloko party, said.

Yelena Andreyevna Osipova was born in Leningrad on 11 November, 1945. She graduated from the Pedagogical Department of the Tavricheskaya Art School, all her life she has taught students painting and drawing in schools and institutions of the art education system. Since 2002, she has been actively participating in protests against the policies of the authorities, rallies in protection of historic environment of St.Petersburg and commemorative actions, goes to single pickets with her poster drawings, was repeatedly detained by the police, her posters were unlawfully confiscated and taken away by provocateurs. She spoke categorically against the hostilities in Ukraine, went out to unpermitted protest actions. For her principled and unshakable position, Yelena Osipova was called the “Conscience of St. Petersburg”, but she declines such a nickname.

In April 2022, the City Council of Milan awarded Yelena Osipova honorary citizenship. In the 2018 at Russian presidential election campaign, Yelena Osipova campaigned for Grigory Yavlinsky, the founder of the Yabloko party. Even though the Russian authorities are deducting half of Yelena Osipova’s pension  by imposing fines on her for participation in the protests, she refuses to sell her posters because she does not want to be seen as selling her beliefs.

The political poster by Yelena Osipova is notable for its response “to the urgent topics of the day”, and from the artistic side it is close to primitivism, conventionality, rooting in the frescoes by famous icon painters Andrei Rublev and Dionisy. In addition to political topics, Osipova often refer in works to urban landscapes and portraits, including children’s. The artist’s landscapes, often in an impressionistic style, are almost always filled with the presence of a person, his detachment from everyday life and enjoyment of the beauty of the surrounding world. The focus of all her works of this kind is St. Petersburg, its recognisable views, panoramas and sights, the images of which convey to the viewer the general mood of the city.

In addition to the opening of the exhibition, on 31 January, the St. Petersburg branch of Yabloko will also hold its monthly action of writing letters to political prisoners. The musicians of the Bangkok group will perform during the action.

The works by Yelena Osipova will be demonstrated at the office of the St. Petersburg branch of Yabloko (Shpalernaya street 13), from 31 January to 24 February. On 31 January – 6 February, please agree on the time of your visit, on 6 – 24 February the exhibition will be opened on Mondays-Thursdays from 17:00 to 20:00.