Renata Litvinova's Death, Dive, and Empire

Renata Litvinova’s

Death, Diva,

and Empire

Renata Litvinova’s

We are all future dead people. I do not separate the theme of life and the theme of death. They are very close. We are all later doomed to learn this question in detail

!

Renata Litvinova

Filmography: !

2013 The Girl with a Box 2013 Salma's Letters 2012 Rita’s Last Fairy Tale 2008 Green Theater in Zemfira

(documentary) 2007 “A Walk,” “Blues,”

“Aeroplane,”“Data” (music videos, Zemfira)

2004 The Goddess: How I Fell in Love 2002 There is No Death for Me

(documentary)

Litvinova’s artistic world

split Russian cultural world !

imperial culture

Death, Diva,

and Empire

3 characteristics of Litvinova’s empire

• hierarchy between the dominant metropole (world of death) and subordinate periphery (world of living people)

• geographically extended entity: empire lives in every beautiful building, every mirror, and every personal unconsciousness

• diversity and hybridization: Litvinova’s empire is rich in textures, colors, accessories. it is multi-generational





hierarchy:

the dominant metropole (world of death) VS. subordinate periphery (world of living people)

mother-daughter

diva-her audience

invisible government-people

=mother

=mother-Russia

diva

mother-Russia-diva

Addressing you now with this film in twenty, or thirty, or fifty, or even a hundred years, we will still smile and reign unlike you, mortal people. Nothing bad could happen to us on this strip of film. Henceforth, we are immortal here

Mother-Russia--Diva-Death

Tania «Cannot-Be-Killed»

“I would like my death to be a beautifully dressed woman with a glass of champaign. Let her talk about only important things and do not mess around. Ok?”

“I would like my death to be a beautifully dressed woman with a glass of champaign. Let her talk about only important things and do not mess around. Ok?”





borders





diversity

love as meaning of life





Education

Renata Litvinova's Death, Dive, and Empire