I think my reaction is best described as angry and fed up. The cultural conservatives, who hold power in Russia and have for some time, continue to wage war against diversity, against experimentation, against an approach to art and to life that posits honesty, integrity and inquisitiveness as indispensable. It is not, as the authorities call it, a case of embezzlement. Such charges are laughable and easily disproved. In fact, we have been moving toward this day for four or five years now. We have seen innumerable signs that this was coming. The authorities continue to demand "traditionalism" and loyalty; some in the artistic community fight back, but the power of authority is great, and it keeps marginalizing the efforts of some brave and independent artists. Then there is a whole other problem - this situation is extremely complex - that many in the arts community will be happy to remain silent as long as the whip misses them. The arrest of Kirill Serebrennikov is a hard and awful day.
Obviously there is little that the international community can do other than to make noise. It will soon be necessary to make noise. But I believe strongly that this must be done in an organized way. Obviously any voice of support for Kirill and the others who are implicated in this trumped-up case, will fall on grateful ears. But in order to actually influence the course of affairs in some way, organization will be needed. There is a good committee of activists in Russia who have been responding to this case for months now. I would expect some leads to come from them. Anyone interested in this situation - and anyone interested in art, politics, and freedom of expression must be interested - should keep an eye on what is coming out of Russia by way of Facebook (a tremendous tool in Russia) and the press. I will be following this on my Facebook page and website, but I will hardly be alone. Become a part of the community and respond when the time comes. I would expect that to be not far off.