AGP Executive Report

Pop Culture and Repression: Kirill Nguyen, founder of Lady Gaga fan site Gaga Daily, has spoken out after being freed from a Belarusian prison, where he spent 5½ years for joining protests. The site has more than four million followers. Belarusian Identity: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged democratic forces to preserve the country’s culture as authorities and Russian influence push Russification. She pointed to young Belarusians creating videos in their language as a source of hope. Artists in Exile: Belarusian artist Volha Silivanchyk and actor Aliaksandr Zhdanovich have built a life together in Poland and Italy, work with children and are preparing an exhibition. Art and Faith: An AI-generated icon of St. Carlo Acutis, blessed at a church in Novolukoml, has stirred debate over whether machine-made images belong in religious art.

Tennis: Belarusian star Aryna Sabalenka suffered a second straight early exit in China, losing to Ann Li in a Wuhan Open thriller after saving nine match points. Culture Under Pressure: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged democratic forces to preserve Belarusian identity, warning that Russification is eroding the country’s culture and language. Poet and singer Katsiaryna Vadanosava also faces criminal charges over online material. Art and Faith: An AI-generated icon of St. Carlo Acutis, blessed at a Catholic church in Novolukoml, has sparked debate over whether machine-made images belong in religious practice. Belarusian Arts Abroad: Former political prisoner Maria Kalesnikava has returned to the stage as a flautist, while photographer Siarhei Mikhalenka is opening a publishing house in Lithuania.

Visual Arts: Homiel street artist Valery Liashkevich’s work may find a home at Naroulia’s Horvat Palace after its co-owner bought a painting; the artist had returned to selling on the street to pay for food and medicine. Belarusian Stage: Maria Kalesnikava has returned to performing as a flautist, while a documentary about Max Korzh’s fans is set to screen at a festival in Łódź. Culture Under Pressure: Lithuania’s parliament is considering a bill that would bar Belarusians and Russians from public activities in culture, art and entertainment, among other fields. TV: Belarusian broadcaster ONT has launched an intellectual quiz show built around picture-based duels, with categories including Belarusian landmarks and Russian TV series. Books: Writer Tatyana Zamirovskaya’s new short-story collection is forthcoming.

Artist Under Prosecution: Belarusian poet and singer Katsiaryna Vadanosava faces charges related to her YouTube posts, in a case initiated through special proceedings. Visual Arts: A work by Homiel street artist Valery Liashkevich may find a home at Naroulia’s Horvat Palace; the artist recently returned to selling paintings on the street. Circus: The Belarusian State Circus is seeking 15 performers and staff, prompting online jokes about the scale of the recruitment drive. Television: ONT has launched “One on One,” an image-guessing quiz featuring categories from Belarusian landmarks to Russian TV series. Film: A Warsaw screening of “Bialiatski / Unbroken,” a documentary about human rights activist Ales Bialiatski, drew the Nobel laureate for a discussion with viewers. Belarusian Culture Abroad: A documentary about Max Korzh’s fans is set for a festival screening in Łódź, while flautist Maria Kalesnikava has returned to the stage.

Circus Hiring: Belarusian State Circus is seeking 15 performers and staff, from acrobats to cleaners. The mass recruitment prompted jokes online about what happened to the previous team. Belarusian Music: Max Korzh’s Frankfurt concert drew about 30,000 fans; police detained 63 people amid clashes, while Korzh delivered an anti-war appeal from the stage. A documentary about his fan subculture, “Dvizh,” is set to screen at a festival in Łódź. Publishing: Photographer and curator Siarhei Mikhalenka has opened a publishing house in Lithuania for books and albums by Belarusian photographers, with a festival winners’ collection planned as its first release. On Stage: Maria Kalesnikava has returned to the stage as a flautist, in a moment she described as once seeming impossible. Belarusian Jewish Heritage: An Australian event will celebrate Yiddish poet Avrom Sutzkever, born in Smarhon, with poetry and music.

Live Music: Max Korzh’s Frankfurt concert drew around 30,000 fans and ended amid clashes with police; 63 people were detained. Korzh made an anti-war appeal from the stage. On Screen: A documentary about Korzh’s fan subculture, “Dvizh,” is set to premiere this week at a festival in Łódź. Publishing: Belarusian photographer Siarhei Mikhalenka has opened a publishing house in Lithuania for books and albums by Belarusian photographers; its first release will feature PhotoArtDoc festival winners. On Stage: Maria Kalesnikava is returning to the stage as a flautist. Faith and Art: A church in Novolukoml has unveiled an icon of Saint Carlo Acutis created with AI, drawing criticism from some believers.

Belarusian Artists Abroad: Belarusian performers are among the international groups set to bring music, parades and street shows to Cyprus’s Ayia Napa Medieval Festival, running Oct. 14–18. This year’s theme spotlights women who shaped medieval Cyprus. Swimming: Belarus and Azerbaijan have agreed to joint training camps and competitions, coaching exchanges and efforts to get more young people involved in the sport. Books: The second part of Vilnius’s Pradmova literary festival is due next week, and a new short-story collection by Belarusian writer Tatyana Zamirovskaya is forthcoming. From Pesnyary to village life: Former Pesnyary vocalist Aliaksandr Zaŭharodni has left Minsk for a village in Slutsk district, pursuing a long-held dream of country living. Belarusian Theatre: The Republican Theatre of Belarusian Drama has added its first Russian-language production to the playbill. Style: Aryna Sabalenka says her mother shaped her sense of beauty and fashion; the Belarusian tennis star made her runway debut at Vogue World in Milan.

Minsk Life: Rescued cats Prusha and Azur have become café regulars, ad stars and fashion fans, complete with wardrobes and birthday treats. Belarusian Music: Former Pesnyary vocalist Aliaksandr Zaŭharodni has swapped Minsk for village life in Slutsk district, where he hopes to build a small farm. Books & Culture: Belarusian bookshop Kamunikat.shop joined Bookshop Night in Białystok and Warsaw with author events, book talks and music; the second part of the Pradmova literary festival is due in Vilnius next week. Live Music: Thousands of Max Korzh fans gathered in Frankfurt before his concert, with police stepping in after fans set off hundreds of flares on a bridge. New Work: A new short-story collection by Belarusian writer Tatyana Zamirovskaya is on the way, while director Artsiom Lobach has begun filming a documentary in Sweden and Ukraine.

Minsk Life: Rescued cats Prusha and Azur now have wardrobes, birthday outings and regular café visits, thanks to their owner, who shares their pampered lives online. Belarusian Music: Around 2,000 Max Korzh fans gathered in Frankfurt before his concert; police intervened after fans set off hundreds of flares on a bridge. Books and Culture: Belarusian bookshop Kamunikat.shop joined Bookshop Night events in Białystok and Warsaw, even as its founder, publisher Yaraslau Ivaniuk, faces a wanted listing that Pavel Latushka called part of transnational repression. Literature: Tatyana Zamirovskaya’s new story collection, Some Things Have Already Happened, reflects on personal and collective upheaval from 2020 to 2024. Festival Calendar: The second part of the Pradmova literary festival is set for Vilnius next week, with discussions, poetry and children’s events.

Literary Festival: The second part of the Belarusian-language Pradmova festival takes place in Vilnius next week, with poetry, book discussions and events for children. New Fiction: Writer Tatyana Zamirovskaya’s collection Some Things Have Already Happened reflects on 2020–24 and explores how upheaval shapes language, identity and memory. Music: About 2,000 Max Korzh fans gathered in Frankfurt before his concert, setting off hundreds of red flares in an unauthorized show; police briefly detained several people. Theatre: Kupalauski Theatre’s new adaptation of Ivan Shamyakin’s Heart on the Palm has drawn criticism from some audience members, who say it loses the novel’s emotional force. Cultural Heritage: Ukrainian linguist Hryhor Arkushyn, who documented Western Polesian dialects including speech from the Brest and Pinsk regions, has died.

New Belarusian Fiction: Writer Tatsiana Zamirovskaya is releasing Some Things Have Already Happened, a short-story collection reflecting on 2020–24 and how upheaval shapes language, identity and the psyche. Culture and Freedom: At Beethovenfest in Bonn, flautist and former political prisoner Maria Kalesnikava spoke about culture’s power to sustain inner freedom under repression. National Identity: The closure of Minsk folk-fashion shop Honar has renewed attention to the risks some Belarusians associate with wearing traditional national motifs. Traditional Sports: Belarus will showcase gorodki at the BRICS Indigenous Games in Ahmedabad on October 12, alongside cultural sports from other participating countries.

Art and Freedom: Belarusian flautist and former political prisoner Maria Kalesnikava told audiences at Bonn’s Beethovenfest that memory and imagination can resist repression, underscoring why authoritarian systems distrust culture. Theatre: Kupalauski Theatre’s new adaptation of Ivan Shamyakin’s Heart on the Palm has drawn criticism from some viewers, who say director Dmitry Akimov lost the novel’s emotional force; the theatre says Belarusian literature will guide its repertoire. Heritage: Minsk’s Red Church restoration will focus on stained glass and preserving existing murals—not recreating its lost painted vaults. Cultural Identity: The closure of Minsk folk-fashion shop Honar has prompted concern among customers who see wearing Belarusian national designs as an act of courage.

Cultural Exchange: Belarusian cuisine, costumes and music were featured at a CIS national-dishes festival in Avaza, attended by Alexander Lukashenko and other regional leaders. Minsk Arts: The opening timeline for the capital’s museum quarter has been announced, while the Republican Theater of Belarusian Drama has added its first Russian-language production to the playbill. Onstage: Hrodna Drama has hired a young Russian actress amid reported staffing shortages; meanwhile, demand for puppet-theater tickets is again intense for the third year running. Books and Art: A contemporary Portuguese writer is set to appear in Belarusian translation, and a Belarusian patron has donated 15 paintings by Tsvirka, Zhdanau and Klinau to London’s Skaryna Library. Literature: Canadian poet Anne Carson has won the 2026 Nobel Prize, recognized for inventive work bridging classical tradition and contemporary forms.

Literature: Canadian poet Anne Carson won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature for work that brings classical tradition into playful conversation with contemporary forms. Belarusian readers can also look forward to a new Belarusian translation of a work by a prominent Portuguese writer. Books: Former political prisoner Mikola Dziadok has published Counter-Revolution Technologies, exploring how authoritarian states suppress protest and civil society. Theatre: A Russian-language production has joined the Republican Theater of Belarusian Drama’s playbill; Hrodna Drama Theater has also hired a young Russian actress as it faces staffing shortages. Heritage: A carved stone cross uncovered near a church in Khvoshna bears pre-Christian symbols, including an eight-pointed star associated in Belarusian folklore with the human soul. Music and visual art: Planned regional concerts by Russian singer Shaman have been canceled, with ticket refunds available. A Belarusian patron has donated 15 paintings by Tsvirka, Zhdanau and Klinau to the Skaryna Library in London.

Stage and Screen: Minsk’s annual scramble for puppet-theater tickets is back for a third year. A new episode of documentary series “Pukst in the North” explores Finnish family life, design and cultural ties with independent Belarus. Museums: Minsk’s museum quarter is expected to open in 2028, adding exhibition space and a lecture hall; the National Art Museum’s collection now exceeds 40,000 works. Books: Belarusian publisher RozUM.Media is translating Portuguese writer Gonçalo M. Tavares for the first time, while former political prisoner Mikola Dziadok has released “Counter-Revolution Technologies,” a book on how authoritarian power targets civil society. Belarusian Star: Aryna Sabalenka shared a playful moment on court as rival Camila Osorio gave her a Latin dance lesson ahead of the Wuhan Open.

Museum Expansion: Minsk’s Museum Quarter is expected to open in 2028, adding galleries, a lecture hall and storage space to the National Art Museum. The redesign is planned to meet modern accessibility standards; the collection has grown to more than 40,000 works. Belarusian in Translation: Publisher RozUM.Media is working on its first translated title: Portuguese writer Gonçalo M. Tavares’s Mr. Brecht and Success, part of his “Neighbourhood” series. Theatre: The Republican Theater of Belarusian Drama has added its first Russian-language production to the playbill. In Hrodna, Russian actress Anastasia Abrashkina has joined the drama theater, which has been facing staffing shortages. Art Abroad: A Belarusian patron has donated 15 paintings by Tsvirka, Zhdanau and Klinau to the Skaryna Library in London.