In an airy white blouse, art gallery owner Dasha Zhukova poses serenely on a chair, in a photograph taken for a Russian fashion website. The only problem: the chair is fashioned from a contorted lifelike mannequin of a black woman, sparking an internet outcry and allegations of racism.

It did not help matters that the photograph of Zhukova – a Russian socialite and the girlfriend of oligarch Roman Abramovich – was published on Martin Luther King Day, a national holiday in the US.


The photograph accompanied an interview with Zhukova about her art magazine Garage and was published on the Russian website Buro 24/7, a project of fellow Moscow "it girl" Miroslava Duma. The picture was widely condemned by bloggers and internet users, and has since been removed from Duma's Instagram feed.

Zhukova, however, defended the image in a statement: "This photograph, which has been published completely out of context, is of an art work intended specifically as a commentary on gender and racial politics. I utterly abhor racism, and would like to apologise to anyone who has been offended by this image."

In the photograph, the mannequin is naked, save for knee-high boots, elbow-length gloves and black hotpants. She is lying on her back with her legs crushing her breasts against her body and her head tilted up, possibly in pain. The Russian gallery owner, who has become one of the best-known figures on the international art scene, looks calmly at the camera, resting her back against one of the mannequin's upright boots.


The chair echoes a 1969 artwork by British pop artist Allen Jones and belonging to the Tate gallery in which the mannequin is white.

The website that published the article apologised on Tuesday for any offence caused.

"Buro 24/7 is categorically opposed to the idea of racism, oppression or humiliation of people in any form," said a representative of Buro 24/7, reading from a statement. "We see this chair purely in an artistic context. We apologise to all our readers who were offended by these photographs."

The website did not remove the photograph from the article, but cropped it, so that Zhukova was visible but her mannequin chair was cut out of the shot.

Source


Absolutely disgusting. Only in Russia... And of course, this is ART and cannot be punished, but ***** Riot went to jail and were convinced criminals. Oh, Putin dearest!

forget about it being a black person. that "chair" is just hideous!

Everytime its a black person in a questionable position its "it's art" bitch please

Her artpop could mean anything.

It's a chair.
There are SO MANY "worse" things in the art world. This is being blown way out of proportion.
What is art if you can't express yourself? She explained it was commentary on race and gender politics. It's supposed to shock.
It doesn't make sense how the same queens who read so much into Liam Payne tweeting Duck Dynasty can't read into art.
The sculpture wasn't made to laugh at black women, it was made to illustrate the injustice in how they're treated.

It's called ART.

In what way? she could have gone in a bit more detail than just saying it's about race and gender.
I appreciate art as much as the next person but what is it she's exactly trying to express here?.

The same thing happened to Lily Allen when she released her "hard out here" video. She was obviously highlighting the way women (black women especially) are objectified in music video's and was accused of racism despite the fact that it was an anti racist/anti sexist statement.

Seems like that is what this chair thing is about.

Black women are objectified in the media even more than white women and people care about it less.

It's offensive, but it may not have been intentional.

She's showing the position of black women in society.
Not to laugh at them, to show everyone how they're being treated.
It's a metaphor for their position in society. It's shocking to show how wrong it is to treat people as if they were lying on the ground in their pants with their legs in the air so you can be comfortable yourself, knowing there are people like this who will support you. Not because they want to but because they're kind of forced to.
...but ultimately 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' so that is my personal interpretation of what the artist was trying to show by making this piece.

Exactly and the fact that nobody even seems to know about this worries me.

Oh, playing the ART card, I see!

1st of all, the photography was not her idea.
2nd, we're talking or RUSSIA, were actually beating people of other race is not even considered as a crime.
3rd, it would be art, artistic, if Dasha wasn't RESTING, enjoying sitting on the squished body of a black woman, dressed in leather-esque costume, representing slavery.

I think it isn't meant to be offensive, but to show how offended people should be that in society black women are being treated like this.
& the fact the photograph was published on Martin Luther King day is to illustrate that the fight for equality isn't over yet.

Never heard of her, the picture is stupid either way.

Good answer
Art is something that can be left up to interpretation and that could be what she was trying to tell.
idk.

Nobody played the "art card".

Some merely pointed out the political statement that is being made here. How is pointing out racism in society racist? Does that make ignoring racism in society not racist?

Sometimes art and statements are the best way to highlight these issues because they create debates like this one.

wtf.

Are you saying it would be fine if the person sitting on the chair was also black?
Good thing you don't get to dictate what is art and what isn't.



Oh no, her skin color was changed. Much racist. Such slavery.

1) so?
2) k
3) Uh, the entire point of the piece is that Dasha is resting comfortably. That's part of what makes it artistic