Artist Leonid Tishkov spoke in support of the arrested activists Greenpeace

Russian artist Leonid Tishkov removes his work from the Gazprombank collection exhibition at Albertin Museum in Vienna in protest against the persecution of Greenpeace participants on the Prioreslomnaya oil platform Gazprom Neft Shelf.

At the request of Leonid Tishkov, Colta.ru publishes his open letter to the director of the Albertin Museum. The letter was translated into German and sent to Vienna.

Dear Mr. Director
Dr. Klaus Albrecht Schroeder

In early October, the Albertin Museum in Vienna opens the exhibition “Dreaming Russia/Contemporary Art of Russia from the Gazprombank collection”. This exhibition will present photographic work “Private Moon” , one of them decorates an invitation to the grand opening of the exhibition, which will be held on October 11.

In this photo, I stand on the snowy Moscow roof with my workshop along with the object "Private Moon". I am there alone with the moon, but people live around all the houses. And they, like me, are not indifferent to the fate of the Earth. Therefore, I join the votes of reasonable people of the whole planet and I ask you to stop the judicial persecution of Greenpeace activists who have acted in the defense of the Arctic.

The Prirazlomnaya platform for oil production in the Barents Sea belongs to Gazprom. But when the oil spill occurs, a huge trouble will fall on the fragile nature of the Arctic, and, ultimately, for every person of the Earth.

The work "Private Moon" without my knowledge was sold from a private meeting to the Gazprombank collection. The bank has the full right to own them, but a public display and reproduction of work with a photograph of me without my permission is impossible.

I appeal to you as the director of the Albertin Museum with a request to remove my work from the Dreaming Russia exhibition in protest against the pursuit of the ARCTIC Sunrise ship and oil production in the Arctic, which is conducted by Gazprom.

Sincerely,
Leonid Tishkov, artist