Marina Naprushkina

Marina Naprushkina (, born 23 November 1981) is a Berlin based political artist and campaigner. She is a leading advocate of democratisation in Belarus.

Life

Early years Marina Naprushkina was born in Minsk. Between 1997 and 2000 she studied at the city's National Glebov Arts Academy, which she later described as "a very traditional art school", Staying in Germany, she pursued her studies at the Städelschule (fine arts academy) in Frankfurt am Main between 2004 and 2008, where she was taught by Martha Rosler, an American artist whose specialities include video-art and photography, along with installation and performance art.

She is above all concerned with the political dimensions and scope of art, devoting herself to reworking the power structures in the nation state through the prism of art. She sees Belarus, where she was born, as one example of a contemporary dictatorship, and of how western democracies address the problem it represents. The objective of the newspaper is to develop a future path for Belarus beyond the power blocs of Russia and the European Union, and also to develop alternative state structures worldwide. The Russian language version was widely distributed inside Belarus.

The President's Platform "The President's Platform" (2007) is a sculpture. It is a copy of the large red podium used on important state occasions by the Belarusian government. According to the lengthy explanatory notice that accompanied it when it was presented at the 2009 Istanbul Biennial, it represents an instrument of propaganda which President Lukashenko and senior colleagues use to build up their importance and to divert attention from political themes. The notice also invited reflection over "the absurdity of this solitary red pedestal [which] reflects on the excessive use of the term 'platform' as an imaginary basis for dialogue and freedom of speech, whilst at the same time this freedom of speech is stifled in most 'democratic' societies". The large podium was also offered as a "stage where subjects that are otherwise suppressed can be discussed and reflected upon in a way that is beyond real politics". It was also displayed at an exhibition, with spare copies of the work, on which visitors were invited to draw, attached to the wall.

Recognition Bursaries and scholarships The artist's work has been supported by scholarships and bursaries domestically and overseas. In 1999 she received the scholarship of the President of Belarus. In 2007 she received a scholarship from the Rhineland Palatinate Culture foundation, under the headline "The Russians are coming", enabling her to spend a month in Bad Ems at the Schloss Balmoral Arts Centre. and in the same year she also benefitted from a stipendium from the Paul Klee Centre in Bern.

Reactions in Minsk Naprushkina's art is considered controversial in Belarus. Displaying it there has been forbidden since 2012 or earlier. In the end the Goethe Institute's office in Minsk withdrew their support before the exhibition opened, and several visitors threatens to report the critical production as a breach of public order.

The company "Gierso Boardinghaus" worked with the initiative until a falling out at the end of 2013 after the organisers went public with allegations of major abuses at the property. Early in 2015 Naprushkina filed a complaint against Gierso, alleging that services had not been provided as stated and invoiced to the city authorities, citing among other things allegedly fictitious personnel costs.