Following Matthew Bourne’s refusal to tour his rendition of Swan Lake in Russia due to the country’s anti-homosexual propaganda laws, Jonathan Jones of The Guardian suggests all artists do the same. He passionately proclaims, “No more art for Russia until it returns to the democratic and peaceful road!”
His plan for success of a cultural boycott revolves around the great cultural tradition of art in Russia that is both popular and serious. Jones also makes the point that he has already begun the boycott by refusing to write about a Russian artist, for Russian money. Calling on the art world to do the same, he says, “Refuse the oligarch money, art world. You have nothing to lose but your bank balances.”