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Last week saw an alternative to the official offerings of the “year of Russia” events. A small show France-Russie, l’art en liberté – dessins d’une Cour d’(In)justice, opened just a stone’s throw from the official opening of the Sainte Russie exhibition at the Louvre (more on that soon), in the presence of Monsieurs Sarkozy and Medvedev. France-Russie, l’art en liberté is a much more modest affair (and only on until this Friday) but it is no less potent as a symbol of diplomatic relations and the complexities of contemporary Russia. The exhibition is of court room drawings from the ongoing trial of ex-oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his associate Platon Lebedev. Originally arrested in 2003 for fraud and sentenced to 8 years in prison, Khodorkovsky and Lebedev have been in court for their second trial since spring 2009. The – perhaps fictional – charges are largely economic and the case has become symbolic of fears for Putin’s autocratic state.

Davina Garrido, Khordorkovsky Lawyer, 2009

The works on show are the result of a competition set up by the Andrey Sakharov Memorial Museum to encourage artists to engage with the case. Entries include drawing, painting, caricature and comic strips. The genre of court room drawing is still fairly limited but the show is nonetheless a thought-provoking initiative in opposition to the other “année de la Russie” events and official state visits. The politically-minded arts site Louvre Pour Tous has plenty to say on the subject (in French), and is particularly riled by Sarkozy’s apparent 180° turn in opinion on the subject of human rights versus corruption in the Russian state apparatus. They have set up their own “Louvre imaginaire” as a tribute to the journalists and activists who have been victims of political attack in Russia in recent years.

France-Russie, l’art en liberté – dessins d’une Cour d’(In)justice is on at Galerie Nathalie Gaillard until 12/03/10

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