AiRS inleddes 2014 och första gästande konstnär var Anastasia Vepreva från Sankt Petersburg.
Under perioderna 9–14 september och 15 oktober–15 november 2014 gästade Anastasia Vepreva Skövde. Just då letade svenska försvaret ubåtar i Stockholms skärgård och konstnären fann paranoian som uppstod i och med detta intressant. Andra teman i hennes konst är feminism och queerteori. Vistelsen resulterade bland annat i utställningen i oss själva på Konstmuseet i Skövde.
AiR Skövde och School of Engaged Art arrangerade även ett symposium om socialt engagerad konst/konst och samhälle i Sankt Petersburg, Ryssland under våren 2015 med stöd av Creative Force, Svenska Institutet.
Anastasia Vepreva om sin praktik
“Lately I have been interested in queer theology.
For me, queer is, first of all, the freedom of one’s identity choice, regardless of their sex assignment. There is nothing definite and stable in the world and to make it artificially means to destroy the nature itself. I consider Jesus to be a great character, a propagandist, a revolutionary, a Man, who appeals to people to love each other. If one looks at the experience of the first Christian communities, he will glean a lot of important and actual information for today.
The theme of queer theology is extremely taboo nowadays in Russia, because it involves two prohibitive laws: The Russian LGBT propaganda law and Blasphemy law. Because of this, any activities in this sphere face a risk. I think it is unfair. That is why I would like to get valuable experience of overcoming similar society conflicts being in Sweden, in a country, that is a symbol of success and freedom of LGBT-movement for many countries of the world. I understand that it is impossible to reach an absolute success, as each stage brings new problems, but I am sure all the problems have common background and after finding those out you can discover a solution.”