Political Extras

The work Political Extras was created for the sixth edition of the Biennale of Contemporary Art in Moscow. Through the website www.massovki.ru, which offers work for film extras, and also for paid demonstrators, Anna Jermolaewa, an Austrian artist of Russian origin, hired 120 people to take part in a mass demonstration “for” or “against” the Biennale. Each of them had to decide for themselves what position they would take and choose a banner with a fitting slogan. The viewer’s attention is drawn to a woman who asks for an explanation of the word “biennale” and afterwards gleefully chooses the slogan “Do biennale, not war!”. The mechanism of the hire is clear throughout the film: people ask if they are sure to be paid, in fear of being scammed they ask the organisers for a contact, and after the task is completed, they acknowledge receipt of the 500 roubles in remuneration and recommend themselves for the future. It can be inferred from their statements that they have experience in this type of action.

In 2012, Russia witnessed a wave of protests against electoral fraud and the election of Vladimir Putin for president. Soon later, pro-Putin demonstrations began, the spontaneity and sincerity of which were questioned. Faced with accusations of manipulation, Putin was said to have made the ironic comment that “so many people could not have been forced to take part”. His “supporters” had most likely been recruited via the internet. Jermolaewa used the authorities’ own method of buying demonstrations; a method successfully used to manage political life in Russia. A modest ‘extra’ pay for economically marginalised groups – a “political supplement” to pensions, annuities and benefits – helps to maintain the continuity of authoritarianism.

The work Political Extras challenges the credibility of not only media statements, but also the authenticity of social life. The “democratic rally” arranged by Jermolaewa serves to demonstrate the mental enslavement of an individual person, their subordination to authority, their social and economic humiliation. From between the structures of the system there emerges a citizen whom it is easy to hastily reprimand for buying autonomy, but just as easy to hastily justify. The demonstration arranged as part of the Biennale is also a reflection on the place of an artist in a manipulated society. Jermolaewa sees this role as that of a denouncer of various dealings undertaken by the authorities.

Izabela Kopania
translated from Polish by Klaudyna Michałowicz