Our “SHIZO” installation has visited Brussels

We continue to exhibit our art object titled “SHIZO” in various cities around the world with the aim of drawing attention to the fate of Alexei Navalny. The public first saw a full-size replica of the punishment cell in which he is held this January in Berlin — the opening was timed to coincide with the launch of the Free Navalny international campaign. Since then, the SHIZO has visited France, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic, and in June it arrived in Belgium and stood in front of the European Parliament building in Brussels for several days.
 

In Brussels, “SHIZO” was visited by many Members of the European Parliament, including Vice-President Heidi Hautala. They had the opportunity to experience for themselves the conditions in which Russia’s leading opposition politician is being held. Among other things, this is yet another argument in favor of the sanctions we are promoting against the accomplices of the Putin regime.

This replica is the proof that there is an alternative, a democratic alternative in Russia. It’s not true that all Russians are the same and that no Russians want a free and democratic society. It’s absolutely not true, and Alexei Navalny is the proof of that, that there is a democratic alternative, I should say, in the waiting, hopefully not for too long, so that Russia can become a state based on democracy and a rule of law.

Guy Verhofstadt, MEP, member of the advisory board of ACF International

Right now “SHIZO” is in Vilnius, where a NATO summit is due to take place in the next few days. We hope that representatives of delegations from different countries will visit our installation, learn more about the fate of Russian political prisoners, and see that not all Russians agree with the actions of the regime.

If you would like to help us bring “SHIZO” to even more countries, consider joining our GoFundMe campaign — we’ve launched a fundraiser for this specific project.