Alexander Brener

Alexander Davidovič Brener (Russian: Александр Бренер) born 1957 in Alma-Ata, is a Russian-Jewish performance artist. His performances of note include defecating in front of a painting by Vincent Van Gogh at the Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, having sex on city streets, vandalizing art work.

He was jailed in 1997 for painting a green dollar sign on Kazimir Malevich's painting "Suprematisme". In the court case Brener said in his defense::The cross is a symbol of suffering, the dollar sign a symbol of trade and merchandise. On humanitarian grounds are the ideas of Jesus Christ of higher significance than those of the money. What I did was not against the painting. I view my act as a dialogue with Malewitz.

He was sentenced to time in prison, where he wrote "obosani pistolet". In the text he explains his beliefs and summarizes his actions.

He co-wrote BUKAKA SPAT HERE, Tattoos auf Gefängnissen, and Anti technologies of resistance with Barbara Schurz.

Brener is mentioned in passing in Stewart Home's novel Memphis Underground.

On 24th September 2008, in a discussion on 'Extreme Curating' at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts, Brener reportedly defecated in front of the audience as an expression of dispute with the panel, which included Home. [cite web|url=http://www.spoonfed.co.uk/spooners/tom-699/lecture-violence-to-endurance-extreme-curating-at-the-ica-495/
title=Lecture: 'Violence to Endurance: Extreme Curating' at the ICA
publisher= Spoonfed
accessdate=2008-09-25]

ee also

*Graffiti
*Neoism

References

External links

* Article: http://web.archive.org/web/20070314055854/http://www.renewal.org.au/artcrime/pages/malevich1.html
* Article: [http://www.spoonfed.co.uk/spooners/tom-699/lecture-violence-to-endurance-extreme-curating-at-the-ica-495/ 'Violence to Endurance: Extreme Curating' at the ICA]
* Letter of support for Brener: http://web.archive.org/web/20070116125615/http://www.ljudmila.org/embassy/brener.htm