Siberian gallery owner Oleg Novikov went on hunger strike due to the closure of his cultural center

Siberian gallery owner, head of the Center for Contemporary Art "ART-Propaganda" Oleg Novikov went on a hunger strike in connection with the closure of the site by the administration of the city of Yurga.

He announced this on November 26 in his blog.

“As a sign of protest at the barbaric destruction of cultural civil initiative, I am going on an indefinite hunger strike!” — Novikov wrote.

The Center for Contemporary Art "ART-Propaganda" was created by artist Oleg Novikov in 2001 in the city of Yurga (Kemerovo region). Over the ten years of its existence, “ART-propaganda” has gathered around itself a large number of experimental artists from all over Siberia; the site has hosted numerous exhibitions and festivals, including with the participation of foreign musicians and artists.

"ART-Propaganda" is located in the basement of one of the buildings in the center of Yurga. In April of this year, the city Committee for Municipal Property Management (KUMI) through the court demanded that the site manager, Oleg Novikov, vacate the premises. He was refused to renew the lease; in addition, KUMI filed claims against Novikov for penalties in the amount of 170,000 rubles.

This amount was many times higher than the rent debt, and the court subsequently reduced the penalty to 10,000 rubles. As a result, the amount of KUMI’s claims was reduced to 14,000 rubles, but the lease agreement was considered terminated.