Moscow and St. Petersburg celebrated International Women’s Day with an engaging exhibition of graphic art, called ‘Feminist Pencil,’ that featured comics, posters, and street art created by women with a social message. Many members of Feminist Pencil used graphic art to share their personal experiences with gender-based violence, and the exhibition featured work that called attention to the struggles faced by sex workers, enslaved migrant workers and other marginalized groups in Russia.
Many of the works on display also had a message for men: Posters by Anna Repina called for an end to domestic violence, while a series of stencil pieces conveyed messages such as, “Don’t know what to be? Be a good father!” and, “Fear is not love!”
The exhibition also offered master classes for social movement activists. The master classes examined gender-based violence and how graphic art can be used as a medium to expose acute social problems.