"Russia Rising": 30 Graphic Designers Challenge Putin's Regime

"The current regime is openly disdainful of its constituents, and while it generally does not threaten their lives, it does assault their human dignity and their basic freedoms. Our hope is to help lend a well-pitched voice to the outcry," says Misha Beletsky, New York graphic designer, art director for Abbeville Press, and co-curator of the "Russia Rising: Votes for Freedom" exhibition. The showcase, responding to recent political turmoil in Russia through protest posters, will run in New York September 4th through 22nd at the School of Visual Arts' Westside Gallery, 141 West 21 Street.

"As I watched the the post-election protests unfold, mainly on Facebook, I pondered over hundreds upon hundreds of posters carried at the demonstrations and photographs shared in social media," Beletsky explains. "Some of them were clever, others offensive, but none well-designed. This was in Russia, a nation that has produced some of the most effective and striking political posters of the 20th century. This was in Russia, a nation that prides itself on its influential school of contemporary poster design. I quickly realized that the problem wasn't a shortage of good designers, but rather a lack of initiative. [...] Thus, I decided to take the initiative of organizing a virtual platform to bring designers together—providing a better, more constructive way to assist the cause."

As Russian designers and the international community responded enthusiastically, the School of Visual Arts agreed to host the show in New York. Thanks to the gracious efforts of Serge Serov, the president of the Moscow Golden Bee Biennale, the exhibition will also appear in Russia in October.