New East Digital Archive

This zine gives Russia’s unsung artists the A-List attention they deserve

This zine gives Russia’s unsung artists the A-List attention they deserve

8 June 2020

Russian zine Unknown Person celebrates the country’s underground art scene by transforming uncelebrated creatives into magazine cover stars.

Launched in 2018 by 27-year-old illustrator, designer and animator Anna Dial, the quarterly zine has just launched its 10th issue. Dial says she uses Unknown Person to give a platform to Russia’s “outsider art” in Russia.

“We’ve written about 200 people over the past two years: directors, producers, musicians, painters, artists, authors, poets, and photographers. The majority of them lead two lives: during the day they work as engineers, cooks, teachers, retail workers, or at ad agencies, and during their spare time they make art and don’t stop dreaming,” Dial told The Calvert Journal. Artists featured in the zine include graffiti artist Musa Veliev, illustrator Krista Dobr, and Russian Katyusha, who is an artist by night and a railway worker by day.

Born in Kamchatka, Dial is now based in Moscow where she works on the magazine together with her husband, writer and musician Roman Musharov. Dial also continues at her day job, and trained as an architect. They print 100 copies per issue, and organise cultural events where the people featured in the zine can meet.

“The zine is a parody of an art object. We’re inspired by vintage magazines on pop stars,” Dial added.

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