December 27, 2022

A Word is Not a Sparrow


A Word is Not a Sparrow
Rain is the only thing that should fall from the sky. Ffchw (September 2022)

On the evening of December 24, police officers in Perm detained the street artist Ffchw, who became famous in August after creating the graffiti "Summary" (Итоги), which listed what can and cannot be done in Russia.

The human rights organization OVD-Info was the first to report his detention. Ffchw said he was detained when creating the work “See you...” (Свидимся…) – a work that translates "farewell" into different languages, including Ukrainian.

Ffchw said that this was his first detention. At the police station, OVD-Info reported, the artist was asked about his attitude toward the war and Ukraine, and was also threatened with a search, but was then released without a protocol.

Ffchw said in a recent interview with Meduza that, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, graffiti became his way to support others. “I draw, because at the moment no one has the right to be silent. I continue to do this because this is my way to speak out, to be heard, and to hear the answer,” he said. Look at the street art that Ffchw created in 2022 and just before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Samples of the artist's work are shared below.

Translated from Meduza article 12/25/22.

Things you can't do in Russia
don't go there, don't stay there,
don't sing this,
don't sit here, don't sit there,
don't eat this, don't listen that ♪
don't turn this on, don't buy this,
don't say this, don't sleep with that,
don't watch this, don't wear that,
don't desecrate, worship,
don't draw this, don't vote for that one,
don't support this,
don't write this, don't sign that,
don't disagree, respect that one,
be humble, pray, adore,
bow down lower,
don't spread this, don't defend that,
don't argue, don't push that,
don't think, don't dare,
give birth, don't disturb,
pay your bills, roll that up,
and don't rock.
- August 2022
Voice is not violene
October 2021
Cheap alcohol graffiti.
I drink cheap alcohol, but the news is making me sick. - August 2022
Not safe graffiti.
"There are fewer and fewer places in the world where you can feel safe," the artist writes.
.
UNSAFE
DANGEROUS
THERE
HERE
KNOCK-KNOCK
SOUND

SOMEWHERE
NOT HERE
HERE
TO WEIGH
STRESS

UNSAFE
DANGEROUS
HERE
THERE
HALFWAY
/
- November 2022
Museums graffiti
We used to dream of building museums. Now we can barely put two words together. - December 2022

 

You Might Also Like

With Mouths Sewn Shut
  • July 15, 2022

With Mouths Sewn Shut

Art is a powerful realm for protest. The Ukraine War has inspired a new wave of brave works.
  • July 01, 2020

"Painting Jesus Isn't Dangerous"

Moscow is seeing religious symbolism crop up in unexpected places. It’s not the first time, but there is something different about what is going on now.
The Museum of Freedom
  • July 01, 2017

The Museum of Freedom

On St. Petersburg’s Revolution Highway there is a museum devoted to collecting and preserving the elusive and controversial art forms of graffiti and street art.
Poetic Graffiti, Self-Isolation, and Skyrocketing Views
  • May 27, 2020

Poetic Graffiti, Self-Isolation, and Skyrocketing Views

“On the day of his 80th birthday, Brodsky returned to Pestel Street—he is looking directly at his balcony in the house where he lived, those same one and a half rooms from where he left forever. But poets always return.” – Creators of a large graffiti display depicting the poet Joseph Brodsky
Iconic Tagging
  • January 04, 2020

Iconic Tagging

Artist Aleksandr Tsypkov and a handful of other artists feel everyone, not just church-goers, should be able to see religious art. So naturally they are tagging bridges and underpasses with "iconic" images.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955