Artist talk: Victoria Lomasko

Victoria Lomasko works primarily as an artistic journalist and is particularly interested in the genre of social comics or social reportage, using these to draw attention to the Russian justice system, political processes and the darker sides of everyday life. She has covered several court cases against critics of the regime, including the trial of the feminist punk rock band Pussy Riot – her courtroom sketches subsequently went viral. Lomasko has been described as the “chronicler of the Putin regime” and has repeatedly come under the authorities’ scrutiny due to her socially critical reports. Lomasko’s practice of graphic reportage is a synthesis of image and text, appearing in the form of novels, reports, comics and monumental murals. During the Comic Salon, the artist will present a mural performance in the Schlossgarten over four days, creating a little more of the image and story each day. Andrea Heinze will talk to her about her life, her experiences and this very performance against the backdrop of the work in progress.