CREES Noon Lecture. The Last Soviet Artist

The Last Soviet Artist (n+1, 2025), finished by Victoria Lomasko three weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is a collection of graphic reportages created during trips across the former Soviet republics. The first part describes society in Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Georgia, and the North Caucasus, covering gender rights, grassroots initiatives, remnants of the Soviet heritage, and emerging trends. The book's second part focuses on the Belarusian Revolution of 2022 and the last major protests in Russia on the eve of the invasion of Ukraine: what happens to the lives of ordinary people in times of historical change. The third part of the book was written in exile. All three parts are united by the main subject: generational conflict in the post-Soviet space. The book won the 2022 Free Voice award from PEN Catalan and Prix Couilles au Cul pour le Courage Artistique, Festival de BD d’Angoulême.

Victoria Lomasko’s practice of graphic reportage synthesizes image and text, taking the form of novels, journalism, comics, paintings, and monumental murals. A renowned dissident voice in the highly censored environment of contemporary Russia, Lomasko’s seminal graphic novels, including Other Russias and Forbidden Art, have an honest style exposing the country’s inequalities and injustices whilst amplifying and defending the plight of Russia’s many voiceless and unseen communities.

If there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you, please contact us. at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.