Spartak Khachanov is from Kiev, Ukraine, where he was studying in his fourth year at the Kiev Art Academy when he was expelled by its Director for making ‘immoral’ artworks. The decision appears to have been politically motivated and followed a longstanding period of tension between the artist and the University.

The expulsion followed an art action in which Khachanov placed several hundreds of white plaster soldiers and military vehicles, all with suggestive phallic features, in a miniature military parade that occupied the corridors of the Art Academy. Since then he received threats from the far right formations in Ukraine. Following allegations that he is anti-Ukrainian, Khachanov argued that he simply wished to express his pacifism. Khachanov and his wife received threats and fled to Helsinki, where they were generously welcomed by the Artist at Risk organisation.