This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/19/arts/pyotr-pavlensky-paris-fire.html

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Russian Artist Is Charged Over Fire at Central Bank Building in Paris Russian Artist Is Charged Over Fire at Central Bank Building in Paris
(about 3 hours later)
A Russian performance artist who was granted political asylum in France has been charged with property damage by the Paris police after apparently starting a fire at a central bank building, local news reports said. A Russian performance artist who was granted political asylum in France has been charged with property damage after apparently starting a fire at a French central bank building, the office of the Paris prosecutor said on Thursday.
The artist, Pyotr Pavlensky, 33, was charged on Wednesday alongside his partner, Oksana Shalygina, Le Monde reported. The artist, Pyotr Pavlensky, 33, went before a Paris judge on Wednesday alongside his partner, Oksana Shalygina, the prosecutor’s office said, and the two were charged with damaging property in a way that put others in danger.
Mr. Pavlensky is known for dramatic, even grotesque acts of protest. In a 2013 performance he called “Fixation,” he drove a nail through his scrotum and into the pavement of Red Square in Moscow to make a statement about Russian political apathy.Mr. Pavlensky is known for dramatic, even grotesque acts of protest. In a 2013 performance he called “Fixation,” he drove a nail through his scrotum and into the pavement of Red Square in Moscow to make a statement about Russian political apathy.
Photographs of Mr. Pavlensky standing in front of a burning Banque de France building on the Place de la Bastille in Paris were posted to social media on Monday.Photographs of Mr. Pavlensky standing in front of a burning Banque de France building on the Place de la Bastille in Paris were posted to social media on Monday.
The rights activist Inna Shevchenko translated into French a message from the artist that she posted on Twitter: “The Bastille was destroyed by a people in revolution; the people destroyed its symbol of despotism and power,” it said. “The Banque de France has taken the place of the Bastille, and bankers have taken the place of monarchs.”The rights activist Inna Shevchenko translated into French a message from the artist that she posted on Twitter: “The Bastille was destroyed by a people in revolution; the people destroyed its symbol of despotism and power,” it said. “The Banque de France has taken the place of the Bastille, and bankers have taken the place of monarchs.”
The police initially detained Mr. Pavlensky in a psychiatric unit, but a judge ordered on Wednesday that he be placed in pretrial detention, according to local news reports. The police initially detained Mr. Pavlensky in a psychiatric unit, but a judge ordered on Wednesday that he be placed in pretrial detention, the prosecutor’s office said.
Mr. Pavlensky and Ms. Shalygina fled Russia and sought political asylum in France in January, after being questioned by the police in Moscow over what they say is a false and politically motivated allegation of sexual assault. France granted them asylum in May.Mr. Pavlensky and Ms. Shalygina fled Russia and sought political asylum in France in January, after being questioned by the police in Moscow over what they say is a false and politically motivated allegation of sexual assault. France granted them asylum in May.
Other performances of Mr. Pavlensky’s have included wrapping himself in barbed wire, cutting off part of his ear, and sewing his lips shut in response to the jailing of the feminist punk collective Pussy Riot, whose prosecution in 2012 over a stunt filmed in Moscow’s main Orthodox cathedral was seen as a harbinger of a harsher attitude to artistic protest in Russia.Other performances of Mr. Pavlensky’s have included wrapping himself in barbed wire, cutting off part of his ear, and sewing his lips shut in response to the jailing of the feminist punk collective Pussy Riot, whose prosecution in 2012 over a stunt filmed in Moscow’s main Orthodox cathedral was seen as a harbinger of a harsher attitude to artistic protest in Russia.
Mr. Pavlensky has started blazes before. In November 2015, he used petrol to set fire to the door of the Lubyanka in Moscow, the headquarters of Russia’s Federal Security Service, or F.S.B. For that, he was fined 500,000 rubles, about $8,700 at current exchange rates.Mr. Pavlensky has started blazes before. In November 2015, he used petrol to set fire to the door of the Lubyanka in Moscow, the headquarters of Russia’s Federal Security Service, or F.S.B. For that, he was fined 500,000 rubles, about $8,700 at current exchange rates.
In January 2016, a few months after the F.S.B. fire, Mr. Pavlensky was committed to a Russian psychiatric institution for a month, a move rights activists decried.In January 2016, a few months after the F.S.B. fire, Mr. Pavlensky was committed to a Russian psychiatric institution for a month, a move rights activists decried.