Alexander Davidovich Brener (russian: Александр Бренер) (born 1957, in

Alma-Ata Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to 1936 as an autonomous republic as part of t ...

Kazak ASSR The Kazakh Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic (russian: Казахская Автономная Социалистическая Советская Республика; kk, Qazaq Aptonom Sotsijalistik Sovettik Respublikasь), abbreviated as K ...

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

), is a Russian

performance artist Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

and a self-described political activist. He is considered one of the main figures of Moscow Actionism along with

Oleg Kulik Oleg Borisovich Kulik (russian: Оле́г Бори́сович Кули́к; born 1961 in KiyvOleg Kulik
on gif.ru ...

Work

Brener's performances of note include defecating in front of a painting by

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2 ...

at the Museum of Fine Arts in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, having sex in front of the Monument to Alexander Pushkin (Rostov-on-Don), and

vandalizing Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property. The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The term f ...

art works by other artists. He was jailed in 1997 for painting a green dollar sign on

Kazimir Malevich Kazimir Severinovich Malevich ; german: Kasimir Malewitsch; pl, Kazimierz Malewicz; russian: Казими́р Севери́нович Мале́вич ; uk, Казимир Северинович Малевич, translit=Kazymyr Severynovych ...

's painting ''Suprematisme''. In the court case Brener said in his defense: :''The cross is a symbol of suffering, the dollar sign a symbol of trade and merchandise. On humanitarian grounds are the ideas of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

of higher significance than those of the money. What I did was not against the painting. I view my act as a dialogue with Malevich.''

Giancarlo Politi Giancarlo Politi (born 1937 in Trevi, Italy) is an art critic and publisher, mainly known for being the founder of ''Flash Art'' magazine. Magazine Politi was born in Trevi, in Umbria. He had a brief spell as an artist and poet before turning to ...

, the editor of

Flash Art ''Flash Art'' is a contemporary art magazine, and an Italian and international publishing house. Originally published bilingually, both in Italian and in English, since 1978 is published in two separate editions, Flash Art Italia (Italian) and Fl ...

, resolutely defended Brener from the pages of his magazine, stirring controversy and campaigning for his acquittal. Brener was sentenced to five months in prison, where he wrote the essay ''Obossani Pistolet''. In the text he explains his beliefs and summarizes his actions. In 2000 Brener disrupted the press conference of Manifesta 3 in

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

by spraying slogans on the presentation screen and handing out leaflets stating: "Demolish neo-liberalist multicultural art system now!" Bodyguards came and dragged Brener out of the hall. He was later arrested by Slovenian secret police in the streets. In 2003 Brener vandalized the work of Swiss-Italian artist Gianni Motti during the opening of Motti's exhibition "Turnover" at Artra Gallery in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. Brener co-wrote a number of books together with Austrian artist and critic

Barbara Schurz Barbara Schurz (Russian transliteration: Барбара Шурц) (born 1973) is an Austrian artist and self-described " revolutionary activist". Life and work At Vienna University she pursued Slavic Studies and Women's Studies. Subsequently ...

, including ''Bukaka spat Here'', ''Tattoos auf Gefängnissen'', ''Anti Technologies of Resistance'' and ''The Art of Destruction''. Brener is mentioned in passing in

Stewart Home Kevin Llewellyn Callan (born 24 March 1962), better known as Stewart Home, is an English artist, filmmaker, writer, pamphleteer, art historian, and activist. His novels include the non-narrative ''69 Things to Do with a Dead Princess'' (2002), an ...

's 2007 novel ''Memphis Underground''. An artwork by the art collective IOCOSE is dedicated to Brener.

Books

*''Furzende Völker: Ein Dokumental-Roman'' (2000, Austria, Edition Selene. ) *''Demolish Serious Culture!'' (2000, Austria, Edition Selene. ) *''Tattoos auf Gefängnissen'' (2001, Austria, Edition Selene. ) *''Bukaka Spat Here'' (2001, Austria, Edition Selene. ; 2002, UK, ) *''The Art of Destruction'' (2005, Austria)

References

External links

* Article: * Article
'Violence to Endurance: Extreme Curating' at the ICA
* Letter of support for Brener: https://web.archive.org/web/20070116125615/http://www.ljudmila.org/embassy/brener.htm * Review
Josephine Berry, Bukaka Spat Here, ''Mute,'' Vol 1. no 24 Beach or Border?
1957 births Living people Russian performance artists Russian contemporary artists Russian Jews Herzen University alumni {{russia-artist-stub

Work

Books

See also

References

External links