Vasya Run

Gang culture meets live art: with subtle gestures and futuristic mantras, face covered performers develop elusive choreographies about a secretive subculture.

Vasya Run is an anonymous collective composed of men aged 17 to 27 from the sourrounding neighborhoods of Moscow. Their live pieces, which they have performed at London’s Whitechapel Gallery and at St. Petersburg’s Street Art Museum, among other venues, merge contemporary art, theater, graffiti, hip-hop and the spiritual practices of the Sufi and the samurai. They combine text, gesture, sound, costume and atmosphere to create a complex symbolic work exploring male-dominated street subcultures and the participants’ biographies. »Vasya«– the typical name of a Russian young adult struggling with the new realities of work and consumption that he must accommodate to become a worthwhile member of society – is at the center of all of their works. The collective’s practice extends far beyond their performances: The participants work together several times a week and Vasya Run is also an institute of self-knowledge, as well as a theater, temple, school and residence. In their new work, IF YOU WANT TO CONTINUE, Vasya Run explore the concept of the heroic figure and take on the role of mediators for a future present.