A controversial play starring gay Russian artist Vladislav Mamyshev-Monroe who was found dead in a swimming pool in Bali last year has been shortlisted for the 2013 Innovation prize, Russia’s equivalent of the Turner Prize. Monroe played a lead role in the experimental production, Polonium, which referred to political events in Russia in recent years including the 2011 parliamentary election, which sparked widespread protests across the country.
Among those shortlisted are Dagestani video artist Taus Makhacheva, celebrated curator Ekaterina Degot and the organisers of the Murmansk-based art festival MediaImpact, which supports social activists. Despite being sponsored by the government, the Innovation prize has often made surprising decisions regarding the winner. In 2010, the prize for best visual work of art was awarded to anarchist group Voina who painted a huge penis on a St Petersburg bridge in front of a local Federal Security Service office.
All the shortlisted works will go on show at Moscow’s National Centre for Contemporary Art in the run-up to the award ceremony on 9 April at the Museum of Moscow.