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Pink Power! Feminist art from the streets of Russia

This month saw the opening of Inside Pussy Riot at London's Saatchi Gallery, an immersive piece exploring the women behind one of the most powerful, provocative pieces of art-as-protest in recent years. And so it feels like a good time to explore feminist art from Russia; namely the work of Vanifatieva Yulia aka Hulya. She describes her Pink Power project as a "tough and aggressive emotional project" that subverts the girly connotations of pink and perceptions of the hue as "naive and sentimental."

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Hulya's Pink Power installation featuring circular artworks with bold facial illustrations and pink text arranged on a white wall with dripping paint effects

According to the artist, her aim is to stand against the "culture of gloss" and the "fanatical cult of plastic beauty" by drawing on the inherent "aggression" of the streets.

"In my works I use magazines instead of canvases, cosmetics instead of paint, money instead of paper, sketches in the style of fashion illustrations," she says. "I don’t want to dwell on one technique, I want to experiment with surfaces and styles, I want to work with different materials. And I want to be recognized by the color and the overall concept."

Split face with neon pink dividing line, mesh pattern overlay and striking eyes in Hulya's Pink Power feminist art project
Hulya's Pink Power artwork featuring a close-up face with white mesh and pink text overlaid on a dark background with "Pink Not Dead" messaging
Person holding a white mask with text written across it, surrounded by pink graffiti-style lettering and magazine collage elements in Hulya's Pink Power project
Collage artwork featuring a close-up of intense eyes with magenta stripes, magazine clippings and a cigarette forming a face, with a pink X and "Pink Power" text on black background
Street mural featuring a stylised face with sunglasses and pink text reading "Pink Power for Trainer Club" by Hulya, with spray paint cans at the base
Artist painting over a large-scale portrait with bold black strokes in pink tones, part of the Pink Power feminist art project
Street art mural by Hulya depicting a woman's face with white hair and bold red lips against a bright pink background with dripping details, as a person views the artwork from the pavement below
Black and white photograph of two women's faces overlaid with hot pink paint strokes and geometric shapes, with handwritten text and "I LOVE YOU, KATE" visible at the bottom
Artist working on a large-scale portrait with bold pink text reading "Pink Power" as part of Hulya's feminist street art project
Stark face with bold pink eye makeup and red lips covered in neon pink and black graffiti text reading "Pink Power" by Russian artist Hulya
Street mural by Hulya depicting a woman's face in black and white with a red garment, hand raised pensively, on a crumbling concrete wall inside an abandoned building
Person in red and black clothing posing against a black wall mural featuring a monochrome face portrait with graffiti tags
Person in black jacket and face mask standing before a large stencilled portrait featuring pink and black tones on a concrete wall
Gallery visitors view Hulya's Pink Power exhibition featuring car tyres with bright pink and graphic designs mounted on white walls at the Saatchi Gallery
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