A new exhibition is about to open in Amsterdam — Artists Against the Kremlin: VIRUS

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Dates: August 15-September 4, 2025
Venue: De Balie, Amsterdam
The exhibition is curated and produced by All Rights Reversed, supported by The Moscow Times & De Balie Art Center

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After the powerful debut of Artists Against the Kremlin in 2024, we are returning to Amsterdam in 2025 with a new exhibition of independent antiwar and dissident artists!

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Last year’s highlights:
In 2024, Artists Against the Kremlin became one of the largest international events dedicated to independent political art — and the biggest in the Russian-speaking world. Over 100 artists from different countries presented more than 150 works addressing war, propaganda, repression and inner resistance to authoritarianism in the heart of Amsterdam, a city known for its freedom of expression and tolerance.

Video from last year’s exhibition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9yV7G0ikGE

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The first edition featured works by well-known dissident artists — Philippenzo, Nadya Tolokonnikova (Pussy Riot), Kungfuct, Artyom Loskutov, Linor Goralik, Andrey Bilzho and Slava Ptrk — as well as more than 100 emerging artists, many of whom are still in Russia and must hide their identities behind pseudonyms. The exhibition drew over 5,000 visitors, gained widespread media attention and was accompanied by a series of public talks and performances. It culminated in the publication of a book of the same name.

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This year, we return to Amsterdam with an even more ambitious project — ARTISTS AGAINST THE KREMLIN: VIRUS

All Rights Reversed, The Moscow Times and De Balie are proud to present the next chapter of Artists Against the Kremlin: VIRUS, a new exhibition held from August 15 to September 4 at De Balie in Amsterdam.

VIRUS is a reflection on how Kremlin-style authoritarian practices are infecting other countries. Like a real virus, the Kremlin has already contaminated all of Russia and is spreading globally. Kremlin-made tools — propaganda, fake news, repressive tactics — are increasingly being adopted by governments turning away from democracy and towards authoritarianism.

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Is this disease hereditary or newly acquired? Can it be cured? What can be done to stop its spread and mutations? Can democracy develop immunity?

Our artists from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and the global diaspora explore these urgent questions through their work.

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“In 2025, Amsterdam celebrates its 750th birthday, and we are confident that our exhibition — officially supported by the City of Amsterdam and taking place at one of the city’s key spaces for political and artistic discourse, De Balie — will be a significant part of the celebrations of this free city’s legacy.” — Vladimir Shalamov, curator of Artists Against the Kremlin and founder of All Rights Reversed.

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Participating artists include:
Nadya Tolokonnikova (Pussy Riot), Danila Tkachenko, Slava Ptrk, Sasha Skochilenko, Artyom Loskutov, Daria Apakhonchich, Linor Goralik, Art Group DaDim, Aisha Demina, Marat Gelman & +- Comma, Samozvantsy Berlin, Serafima Bresler, Yana Tark, Masha Bolotina, Anastasiya Egonyan, Liza Pushkina, The Party of the Dead, Kungfuct, Mikhail Ray, Vladlena Sandu, artisterror, Nadya Raplya, Paulina Sinyatkina & Johannes Hogebrink, Alice Femina, Milada Kopeliovich, Udoli, Walter Limo, Tanya Tanys, Lisaveta Nikulicheva, Pomidor art group, Jim Tvaroh, Roma Soyerov, Anita Turadzhanova and many more.

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Alongside the main exhibition, we will also present several curated and collaborative art projects:

• THE WALL — a large-scale installation developed with RuActionBerlin/Samozvantsy artgroup and first shown at the East Side Gallery. The work explores how propaganda penetrates even the most democratic countries in Europe.
• (ANTI)PROPAGANDA — a curated showcase of artworks focused on the spread of propaganda and artistic strategies to resist it.
• BOXED — a project by EQUAL POST-OST addressing the persecution of the LGBTQ+ community in Russia, bodily confinement, restriction and survival in enclosed spaces.
• DIGITAL RESISTANCE — curated by Helena Nikonole, this project highlights how digital space has become a vital arena for political protest.
• PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE — a dedicated section on political prisoners detained in Russia, collected in collaboration with Memorial and One Department.

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Grand Opening — August 15:

• Cocktail, press preview, photography: 18:00-19:00
• Curator’s tour: 19:00-20:00
• Concert performance by pianist Maria Nemtsova and director Vladlena Sandu: 20:00-21:00
• Afterparty in De Balie’s foyer: 21:00-23:00

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The opening night will feature the premiere of a new concert program by international award-winning pianist Maria Nemtsova. For the first time in Amsterdam, it will include works by Pavel Kushnir, a young poet and musician who died in a Russian prison, alongside compositions by Kate Moore and Alexei Skryabin. The program is directed by Vladlena Sandu.

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The Prometheus Museum Shop:
Like last year, the Artists Against the Kremlin exhibition at De Balie will feature a Prometheus pop-up shop offering resistance- and art-themed merchandise: T-shirts, tote bags, hoodies and more. A selection will also be available on the online store.

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In 2025, we will also build new bookstands featuring titles from Meduza publishing and highlights from our friends at Babel Books Berlin.

Our book Artists Against the Kremlin — the complete catalogue of last year’s exhibition including descriptions and artist interviews — will also be available for purchase.

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For more information and to support the exhibition via our crowdfunding campaign, visit our site https://artists-against-the-kremlin.com/

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MATERIALS for public use and sneak peek of the selection for Artists Against the Kremlin 2025: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rSQfyixnJCJwc4Tw3LEqGE6xoQhWMTNw

Press inquiries:
EMAIL: allrightsreversed.art@gmail.com
WEBSITE: https://www.allrightsreversed.art/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/allrightsreversed.art/

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