In December 2022, Putin signed into law a bill that expands a ban on so-called LGBTQ "propaganda" in Russia, making it illegal for anyone to promote same-sex relationships or suggest that non-heterosexual orientations are "normal." In November 2023, the Russian Supreme Court banned the “LGBTQ movement” as “extremist.” Starting January 10, 2024, it’s officially prohibited at the governmental level for LGBTQI+ people to admit their identity publicly, show the rainbow flag, or support LGBTQI+ organizations (financially or by spreading information about it without informing about its “extremist nature”).

Violating these restrictions can lead to administrative and criminal charges. The progress made in less than a year to further criminalize Queer people and same-sex relationships is terrifying. This is a quote from the Russian Supreme Court statement: 'The international LGBT Movement is a destructive ideological mechanism that threatens the demographic situation, contributes to the creation of conditions for the self-destruction of society, and causes harm to the moral health of people. It imposes ideas that imply the denial of human dignity and the value of human life.' This rhetoric can be reminiscent of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s major postulates. It’s led by Franklin Graham, one of the most well-known anti-LGBTQI+ evangelical populists here in the USA.

Born in Russia, I grappled with my sexuality at the age of 14, a time when societal acceptance was more prevalent. It was 1998, a period of harsh economic crisis and social uncertainty in the country, but one thing I knew for sure: I could be gay, bi-, or whoever I wanted to be, and nobody cared. There were gay parties, there were open queer people on TV whose right to be themselves was essential. Fast forward 25 years, the pendulum has swung far right not just in Russia but echoes in the USA, revealing ominous signs reminiscent of my earlier life in Russia—the rise of populist anti-LGBTQ+ movements. The news is now filled with more horrifying reports of violence against LGBTQI+ people.

For the first show in New York in the past five years, I decided to focus on something that was increasingly restricted in Russia but is relevant here in the USA. Some of the presented works were planned before the laws described above were implemented (but I still felt at that time that the mechanism of oppression would tighten up more and more). These works have been reworked; they have become more minimal. But they still refer to certain and most popular clichés about LGBTQI+ people.

Contrary to the glamorous image many associate with Queer life, the reality often encompasses anxiety, depression, physical and mental health issues, substance addictions, and abusive relationships. All of which I went through myself too, as have many people from my community. For the majority of LGBTQI+ people, the opportunity to freely express their identity only appears far from home. They are looking for a safe place where they can be themselves, and for most of them, this is only possible in a new home, where they build themselves literally and metaphorically.

I believe all written above is pretty obvious, even banal. So this is a show on some banalities people still need to learn more about.

(Alexander Shchurenkov, January 2024)

Alexander Shchurenkov (b. 1984 in Russia, based in New York, USA) participated in Michael Beutler’s and Anna Daučíková’s classes at the Salzburg International Summer Academy of Fine Arts in 2017 and 2022 respectively. His first New York solo show was presented at Vacation Gallery (New York, USA) in 2018. In March 2019, he took part in the High House artist residency (Norfolk, UK) curated by Antony Gormley. One of his large-scale installations was presented at the 'Assuming Distance: Speculations, Fakes, and Predictions in the Age of the Coronacene' show at the Garage Museum in 2021.