A guerrilla performance
Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow
June 12, 2015
Performed: 44 min
With Anton Kazakov, Andrey Bykov, Artiom Kalashyan, Giacomo Ravagli, Anna Shpilko and Lilia Nyemenim
Images: Anna Shpilko, Christopher Muraviev-Apostol, Alexey Onoprienko, Dan Thawley, Dasha Mayz
Special thanks: Anastassia Dobryshkina, Asya Koltysheva, Ivan Yushkov, Kamil Zhurakulov
19.00
Anton arrives to the Gorky Park to check the security spots on the way to The Garage. The museum is located at a 5 minutes walk from the park's entrance, and Garage team members can be seen every now and then but only one guard has a walkie-talkie on him. There are around 20 security guards closer to the site's entrance spread out in the park as Mr Abramovich is probably already inside.
19.28
While Anna is talking to the guard with a radio on him trying to steal his attention, Anton, Andrey, Giacomo and Artiom are carrying the box towards the bushes located 50 meters away from the museum building. I'm waiting for them there.
19.42
Artiom thinks one of the guards saw us setting up the box in the bushes, so we have to rush now. I get undressed and put myself inside the box. I will stay motionless looking at one point until the performance is over. Anton is securing the upper glass with 18 screws.
19.53
Giacomo, Andrey, Artiom, and Anton take the belts, lift up the box, leave the bushes and start running as quick as possible towards the main entrance crossing the empty square in front of the museum.
19.55
They spot the procession and try to stop us but Andrey tells them we are invited and it's all planned - so we get to the main entrance before anything. Several guards with the radios are trying to block the box saying: guys, it's over, there is no way you get inside the building. Artiom: oh but there is an artist inside the box! The member of Garage staff is asking politely for the artist's name, and then responds: 'Fyodor is on the list, let them go'. This is a true miracle.
19.58
The whole procession is inside, and I'm being dropped right in the middle of the main space.
20.03
Everyone takes a picture, some guests even think it's a part of the program. They are so wrong.
20.19
The Garage director comes along and knocks on the glass: 'Fyodor, it's over, get out of there now!" I do not react as I can barely hear that.
20.23
The security have been asked to 'cover me'. One of them sacrifices his jacket, so I cannot be seen anymore, and straight away I feel a bit of a canary that is covered with black cloth in its cage to prevent it from singing during the night.
20.37
Four guards come with belts and lift up the box to carry it outside the building. They drop me in the park and go back to work. The performance is over.
20.39
They drop me in the park, put me on a trolley that they somehow prepared for me there, and go back to work. The performance is over.
