Tree of Violence (2024, Anna Mosienko)

Aftertalk with artist and protagonist Victoria Lomasko and director Anna Mosienko.

A documentary and animated film about contemporary Russia through the eyes of political artist Victoria Lomasko. Over the past decade, she has dedicated herself to meticulously chronicling Putin's Russia, immersing herself in the heart of rallies and pivotal political moments. Reflecting on her experiences growing up with her father, who was a Soviet propaganda artist, and fueled by a palpable sense of impending catastrophe, she embarks on a profound exploration of the intricate connections between domestic and state-sponsored violence. Crafting a historical narrative that spans from the protest-filled winter of 2021 to the tragic winter of 2022, she distills her discoveries into what would become her most ambitious mural to date. As Putin launches a 'military operation' in Ukraine, branding Russian dissidents as "traitors, to be spat out like flies," Lomasko confronts the harsh reality that she can no longer continue her work in Russia. With this realization, she makes the courageous decision to leave everything behind and forge a new path.

Victoria Lomasko's practice of graphic illustration takes the form of novels, journalism, comics, paintings and monumental murals. Whilst Lomasko became one of the most renowned dissident voices in the highly censored environment of contemporary Russia through works such as her seminal graphic novel Other Russias, her practice equally meditates on her own lived experience as an artist navigating precarious territories and recording unstable histories.

Ana Mosienko is a screenwriter and filmmaker. Her debut documentary, collective project Winter, Go Away (2012), screened at the Locarno International Film Festival and won many prestigious awards. Her subsequent documentaries, S.P.A.R.T.A. (2013) and Songs of Abdul (2017), continued to explore deeply personal stories against a backdrop of political and social change. In 2024, Ana joined RITCS as a PhD researcher in Arts.

Tree of Violence is part of the project Draw for Change by Vincent Coen & Guillaume Vandenberghe.