Breaking Frames: Twenty-Five Years of Independent Art in and from Russia

Breaking Frames: Twenty-Five Years of Independent Art in and from Russia is the first English-language survey of independent contemporary Russian art. It tells the dramatic stories of freedom-seeking artists that emerged between 2000 and 2025. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russian artists first sought to engage with the modern art traditions from which they had long been isolated. Over the following decades, they developed an independent and self-confident artistic language. Yet this flourishing scene was shattered by a new era of censorship and repression. Since 2022, many artists have been forced into exile, while others continue to create under increasingly hostile conditions. Organized around themes rather than chronology, the book introduces Russia's leading contemporary artists while tracing the rise, transformation, and uncertain future of the country's independent art scene.

About the Author

Simon Mraz (born 1977) holds a degree in art history from the University of Vienna and works as a researcher, curator, and cultural diplomat. Since 2009, he has been actively engaged with Russia's independent art scene. Among his initiatives, he co-founded the ArtMOV association and the Artists' Solidarity Program Europe (ASoP).