Artist Lena Hades continues “art marathon” in memory of Boris Nemtsov

Russian artist Lena Hades has spoken out about the “art marathon” she launched last month in memory of murdered opposition figure Boris Nemtsov. Since launching the project just days after Nemtsov’s death on 3 March, Hades has drawn 83 portraits of the slain politician, vowing to continue sketching his image until “those who ordered his death are arrested”.

“I’ve already drawn 83 portraits,” Hades told RusNovosti today. “I sketch with pencil on paper. The unsuccessful portraits I don’t show to anyone. The successful ones I display on the site. They’re not for sale, this is action,” Hades added. Emphasising the protest meaning of her work, Hades has said that she is not planning on holding a solo exhibition.

Since the shooting of Nemtsov last month, a number of suspects have been taken into custody. However Zaur Dadayev, the man charged with Nemtsov’s murder, has retracted his confession saying that it was extracted under duress.

Hades is best known for her painting cycle Thus Spake Zarathustra, inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche’s novel of the same name, which comprises 28 oil paintings and 30 graphic works.