A Russian Valentine We Don't Expect Putin Will Keep

[William769]

Damian Siqueiros' "To Russia with Love" crowd-funding project portrays iconic queer figures from Russia's history, tracing a line from 19th century to the present.

Just in time for Valentine's Day this beautifully produced Kickstarter project landed on our laptops. Damian Siqueiros art directed and photographed this imaginative series of famous Russian couples, and some completely imagined ones as well.

Stephan Rabimov, publisher of DEPESHA, writes on Kickstarter:

"Throughout history some of the greatest Russian artists and influential figures have been homosexual. We set up on a journey to show some of them, their love and their vision for a better world. This project is as much about the past as it is about the future. Many queer artists are being silenced in modern Russia and with your help we can change that!

"The purpose of the campaign is to help cover the costs of the prints, transportation, gallery fees and other exhibition-related expenses. During each exhibition stop (Montreal, New York, Los Angeles) will feature a live-video-link with queer artists residing living in Russia, thus creating a dialogue with the creative forces of this country and their experiences."

(Captions with each photo from "To Russia with Love.&quot



http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/art/photography/2014/02/13/russian-valentine-we-dont-expect-putin-will-keep

[Behind the Aegis]

1. Doing a high kick!