Sasha Skochilenko on "How Liberal Arts & Sciences Helped Me in Jail"
Monday, April 7, 2025
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 Online Event
12 PM New York l 6 PM Vienna
Sasha Skochilenko, a Russian artist and musician who was arrested and imprisoned in 2022 for opposing the war in Ukraine, will speak at Bard College Berlin on “How a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences Helped Me in Jail.” The talk will be moderated by her Smolny academic advisor, Ilya Kalinin.
Skochilenko will discuss her studies in anthropology at Smolny College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (St. Petersburg, Russia) and how this experience shaped and strengthened her anti-war stance. She will also reflect on her famous courtroom speech, “Oh yes, life!” which explores the value of life and reconciliation in times of war and conflict, and how these ideas helped her survive imprisonment.