Russian street artist Slava Ptrk sums up four years abroad: ‘Unwanted There / Unwanted Here’
One of Russia’s best-known street artists, Slava Ptrk (Stanislav Komissarov), posted an Instagram photo of a new work exploring his own experience in exile. Komissarov left Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. Russian authorities designated him a “foreign agent.” The work, “Ne nuzhen tam / Ne nuzhen tut” (“Unwanted There / Unwanted Here”), is also called “Promezhutochnye…
Russian street artist Slava Ptrk, also known as Stanislav Komissarov, shared an Instagram post showcasing a new artwork reflecting his experiences during his four years of exile following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Authorities have labeled him as a "foreign agent." The artwork, titled "Ne nuzhen tam / Ne nuzhen tut" ("Unwanted There / Unwanted Here") or "Promezhutochnye itogi chetyrekh let emigratsii" ("Four Years in Exile: An Interim Assessment"), features two bus stop sign-like structures on the E22 highway near Yekaterinburg, his hometown.
Ptrk has previously transformed urban elements, such as road signs, into striking pieces. One of his iconic works involved turning a sewer grate near the Kremlin into prison bars. In June, another sign appeared in Yekaterinburg, this time beneath a city road sign, bearing the message "I Miss You."
The new installation at the E22 highway near Yekaterinburg consists of two signs, each serving as a mirror image of the other. "Ne nuzhen tam" reads on one sign, while "Ne nuzhen tut" is displayed on the opposite sign. The dual message underscores Ptrk's sentiments of being unwanted both in Russia and in his adopted countries.
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