Trump Reimagined in Russia: Vodka, Banya and Prison

May 02, 2018 - 10:00 am

“In my paintings, certain problematic phenomena are often simply reflected, and the viewers themselves provide the appropriate tint.” Zhdanov said. Slava Zhdanov

This series was conceived during the U.S. presidential election campaign. Slava Zhdanov

“In Russia at that time, especially in the countryside, people would very often say "Trump is one of us.” Slava Zhdanov

This series is an artist’s fantasy about how Trump would live if he had been born a Russian. Slava Zhdanov

Each painting from the "Trum-pum-pum" treats the subject matter in its own way, with interpretations often contradicting one another. Slava Zhdanov

“I intentionally refrain from ‘explaining’ my paintings, because, firstly, as we know, art does not require explanations, and, secondly, let's let the audience think it all out. My paintings, as a rule, do so very boldly,” Zhdanov said. Slava Zhdanov

Artist Vyacheslav Zhdanov at the exhibition "Trum-pum-pum" in Ulyanovsk. Slava Zhdanov

Artist Vyacheslav Zhdanov devotes himself to depicting the minutiae of daily life in Russia. In particular, he studies the impoverished stratum of Russian society as it struggles with alcoholism, illness, etc.

Zhdanov’s latest exhibition "Trum-Pum-Pum" opened in the western city of Ulyanovsk on April 27. In the painting series, the artist imagines how U.S. President Donald Trump would have lived if he had been born in Russia.

Additional works can be found on the artist's website.

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