She left her country primarily because she opposed the war against Ukraine and wanted nothing to do with the aggressor state. She believes that Vladimir Putin claims he fights for all Russians, yet not everyone supports him. The guilty dictator must be separated from his people. Today many Russians feel oppressed and humiliated. Who can claim to be a hero in these circumstances?
The outspoken opposition artist and activist Victoria Lomasko, born in Sepukhov in 1978, found asylum elsewhere after leaving Russia. Her path led to Germany where a foundation offered a scholarship while her refugee status was resolved. After the war began, Lomasko departed due to retroactive and restrictive laws targeting dissent. She moved first toward Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan and then to Brussels, where she stayed for a time. Caught between European institutions that remained wary of anything connected to Russia and the precariousness of returning to a country where opposition to Putin faced serious risks, she eventually continued on to Germany.
She will not be present this Thursday in Alicante, yet her new book titled The Last Soviet Artist, published by Godall in 2022, is set to be unveiled at 80 Worlds bookstore in Alicante at 19:00. The event will feature the editor, Matilde Martínez, poet and journalist Isabella Navarro, as well as university professors and Unicómic members Maria Samper and Jose Rovira Collado.
In Inside Soviet Artist Lomasko documents the journeys through several former Soviet republics between 2014 and 2017. The second part explores the underground struggle of dissidents in Russia and Belarus during the pandemic years.
Through drawings and texts, Lomasko records the secret life of the LGBT community in Kyrgyzstan, the religious violence in Georgia, female genital mutilation in Dagestan, the isolated life of Russian minorities in Kyrgyzstan, the Moscow case against her rival Navalny, and the harsh repression of protesters who opposed the Lukashenko regime in Minsk, which she witnessed firsthand. At the same time she grapples with burnout and doubts as a witness today and her longing to create a less political work.
Les traces of Lomasko’s career include a cult book titled Other Russias, published by Godall in 2020. Her latest work has appeared in more than ten languages and, though it has not been published in her homeland, gained recognition beyond borders. The Guardian highlighted it in 2021 as one of the five books essential for understanding contemporary Russia. The Last Soviet Artist also received the Artistic Courage award at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. In recent years Lomasko has expanded into large historical murals, bringing scenes from recent episodes of The Last Soviet Artist to life with vivid footage and storytelling.
“The Last Soviet Artist is a portrait of people who live and resist across countries and regions experiencing major political shifts. It also chronicles the arc of an artist who reflects on art against a backdrop of a harsh reality and a desire to push toward a more subjective approach,” explains editor Matilde Martínez.