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| | Arts Calendar / October 15 / Exhibitions |
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 On October 13, 2014, the Multimedia Art Museum in Moscow is opening an exhibition called Facts and Fictions. The exhibition will feature works by famous contemporary photographers from the UniCredit Art Collection. The exhibition is arranged by UniCredit Bank in celebration of its 25th anniversary of operations in Russia and will be open for visitors from October 14 to November 9, 2014. The event will be held under the patronage of the Year of Tourism Italy-Russia 2013-2014 for which we would like to thank H.E. Cesare Maria Ragaglini, Ambassador of Italy in Russia. "It has become a good tradition to celebrate the Bank's anniversaries with large-scale exhibition projects," says Mikhail Alekseev, Chairman of the Management Board of UniCredit Bank, "This year we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the bank’s operations in Russia and, thanks to the support of our shareholder, UniCredit Group, we have an opportunity to invite all art enthusiasts to the remarkable Facts and Fictions Exhibition. In the modern world, it is very important to be able to distinguish between facts and fictional stories that are portrayed as factual. Often, this is necessary just to be able to understand what is happening in our world. Visitors will be able to judge the works of photographers presenting their vision of the world, but structure of the exhibition will allow people to discern whether or not the situations depicted in the photographs are accurate depictions of the truth. We are confident that our Exhibition will become one of the most interesting cultural events in the capital this autumn." The exhibition presents about 90 works selected from the UniCredit Art Collection, some of which date back to the 1980-s. Professor Walter Guadagnini, Chairman of the UniCredit Artistic Commission is the project curator. The photographs included in the exposition have been specially selected to represent two-side nature of photography: exact analytical representation of reality (facts), on the one hand, and creation of artificial, but at the same time probable parallel reality (fictions), on the other hand. "Facts and Fictions is a title that sums up two key elements that characterize photography since the moment of the field's inception, or rather, that are an integral part of the very nature of photography. On the one hand, photography is capable of documenting facts and the finest details, which suggests truthful reflection of reality. On the other hand, by exploiting this very supposition, photography can manipulate reality, construct and invent it, and correspondingly, lie in a way that no other information medium or art form has ever been able to do before," Walter Guadagnini, the exhibition curator explains. The Facts and Fiction exhibition consists of three sections: Documenting Reality, Transforming Reality, and Inventing Reality. The photographs presented at the Exhibition are not separated by chronological order, school or style. In the first section, Documenting Reality, special attention is given to Düsseldorf School photographers. The key place is taken by the photographs of Bernd and Hilla Becher, who have left their mark in the history of art not only as artists but also as teachers. It was due to their efforts that the whole generation of artists of the so-called Becher School was formed in Düsseldorf. This section also features works by innovative European and American artists who created the tradition of direct capture of reality in portrait and landscape styles. The photographs of Gabriele Basilico, Candida Höfer, Thomas Struth, Olivo Barbieri, Francesco Jodice, Taryn Simon, Anastasia Khoroshilova and others are included in the exposition. The second section of the Exhibition, Transforming Reality, includes the photographs of Andreas Gursky, Mimmo Jodice, Luigi Ghirri, Sabina Horning, Giuseppe Penone and others. All of these artists focus on presenting a more subjective take on reality. Even when reality fixed by the camera, the photographers create images open to personal interpretations. Many of the works connect the experience of the body with its representation, as this is the very point of transformation, both physical and symbolic. Other sections of the Exhibition include photographs by artists whose works are presented in this section if the nature of their work changed due to the evolving nature of their work. For example, the works of Olivo Barbieri, the Italian master of urbanistic landscapes, gradually transformed from realistic photographs to surreal images. In the section called Inventing Reality, the visitor's attention is drawn to the role of manipulation in the art of photography, which due to digital technologies has become more and more utilized lately. In this section of the Exhibition, reality has been invented or newly created using distortion and special effects. Inventing Reality reveals a more playful side of photography, which in its turn makes us think about the ways of manipulating information and the need of verify the origin of the images and photography's vast power of persuasion. Here one can see the works of Adrian Paci, Grazia Toderi, Karen Knorr, Shirin Neshat, and Vanessa Beecroft. "The Facts and Fictions Exhibition of works from the UniCredit Art Collection is a unique and significant event for us," says Olga Sviblova, Director of Multimedia Art Museum in Moscow, "It's not just about big-name artists, but also because of the concept of the project, which demonstrates the universal formula of photography. Contemporary photography in particular has ceased to be an act of non-interference; it modifies and invents new reality, especially with the use of innovative technologies. And as there are no irrelevant works in the thoroughly amassed collection of UniCredit, we are pleased to share with the Moscow audience the exposition of photographs that vividly demonstrates first the documentary nature of photography, and then its evolution into a more complicated relationship between fact and fiction and finally the ever-diminishing connections between reality and its artistic representation." UniCredit's collection is considered to be one of the main European corporate collections and includes over 60,000 works of art. The Facts and Fictions Exhibition presents only a minor part of the photographic works created by modern artists. The collection includes 4,000 photographic works in total. Photography has been featured as key item at different international exhibitions. Since 2009, photographs from UniCredit Art Collection have been exhibited in Austria, Italy, Germany, Poland, Turkey, and Russia. Nevertheless, Facts and Fictions is the first exhibition devoted entirely to photography. On October 19, a lecture on the topic "History of Modern Photography" will be delivered by Professor Walter Guadagnini as part of the exhibition program.
Multimedia Art Museum  |
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| Imperial Porcelain Factory: The Epoch Dialog |
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 The Imperial Porcelain Factory's exhibition titled "The Epoch Dialog" and including more then 1000 items of Russian porcelain art which were produced by masters of the Imperial Porcelain Factory is dedicated to the 270th anniversary of the factory and 250th anniversary of Hermitage Museum. The Hermitage and factory museum collections have became the central part of the exposition. It's enough rare event when the Hermitage shows its exhibits outside Saint Petersburg. The items from Tsaritsyno Estate Museum and private collections are also presented at the exhibition. The exhibition halls are devoted to the important subjects for the Imperial Porcelain Factory without chronological principle: theater, music, landscape, animalism and even fashion. The rarities of XVIII-XIX centuries and goods of the Soviet time are disposed near the best works of modern masters. The Imperial Porcelain Factory (or Manufactory) is a producer of handpainted ceramics in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It was established by Dmitry Ivanovich Vinogradov in 1744. Many still refer to the factory by its well-known former name, Lomonosov Porcelain Factory. Founded in 1744, the porcelain factory was created by the order of Empress Elizabeth to "serve native trade and native art."The factory produced wares exclusively for the ruling Romanov family and the Russian Imperial Court. The attempts to reveal the secret of porcelain making had been taken in Russia since 1718 visit of Peter the Great to Saxony, where he saw the Saxon invention at the Dresden Court. A talented mining engineer Dmitry Vinogradov who studied metal industry at Freiberg had invented the formula of the Russian porcelain. In 1744 Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, established the first porcelain manufactory in Russia. The Russian porcelain by Vinogradov had quality similar to the Saxon porcelain while its formula which consisted of only Russian ingredients reminded of the Chinese porcelain. At the beginning of the Vinogradov period the motifs were monochrome and simplified while at the end of this period the fine miniatures were completed on porcelain. The gold paint for porcelain was prepared from golden coins from the Imperial Treasury. "The Golden Age of Catherine" - the reign of Catherine II the Great - was the age of prosperity for the fine Russian porcelain. In 1765 the manufactory was renamed to the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory. From the very beginning of Catherine the Great's reign IPM was obliged to produce fine porcelain and to bring profit. The Imperial Court's need for porcelain was large and the permanent orders from the Court had let IPM keep to the highest quality of the expensive porcelain. Paul I reign continued from 1796 to 1801. The art of the Russian porcelain continued to develop in style of classicism with the increasing influence of the Hellenic and the Roman motifs. With the abolition of the Russian monarchy in 1917, the Imperial Porcelain Factory was renamed State Porcelain Factory by the Bolshevik regime. During the early years of the Soviet Union, the factory produced so-called propaganda wares, ranging from plates to figurines of the Soviet elite. On 29 May 2005, the stockholders of Lomonosov Porcelain Factory passed a resolution to return to their pre-Soviet name, the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory. The IPM has recently started to produce hand-made copies of porcelain from the range of Imperial porcelain exhibited in the State Hermitage Museum collection. This range includes dinner sets, collectable plates, vases, figurines from the famous series of the Russian Peoples and other porcelain items from the assortment of porcelain made here since the foundation of the manufactory in 1744.
Tsaritsyno Estate Museum |
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10:00-22:00 | Our Body: The Universe Within |
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Our Body: The Universe Within gives you insight to the inside! Get a true look at the inner workings of the extraordinary human body. This incredible exhibition has been educating and fascinating people the world over! Don't miss it when Our Body: The Universe Within comes to Moscow Vetoshny Art-Center. Our Body: The Universe Within is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the perpetually inquisitive to explore the wonders of the human body. A beautiful and inspiring tribute to who we are. This extraordinary exhibition was designed to educate, enlighten, and allow all who attend to understand the complexities of pur body. Visitors to Our Body: The Universe Within will journey through a fascinating tour of the human body as a whole, then taken through each of the bodies systems to see first hand how each functions and relates to one another. Our Body: The Universe Within exhibit does contain actual human bodies, with eyes and genitals intact. There is also a section about the urinary and reproductive system, with specimens pertaining to those areas. The exhibit is recommended for children age 12 and older. Parental discretion is advised. Our Body: The Universe Within is a fascinating, artful and educational exhibit consisting of actual human bodies and organs. Appropriate for all ages, this exhibit literally goes "under the skin," revealing the mysteries of the human anatomy. The bodies, specimens and organs have been preserved using a process known as polymer impregnation. Our Body: The Universe Within allows you the insight to the inside: giving one a true look at the inner workings of the extraordinary human body. As you enter the exhibit, you will have the opportunity to examine the human body as a whole. Continuing throughout the exhibit, you will journey through each of the body's major systems allowing you to see first hand how they function and relate to other systems. Read more
Afimall City |
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| Primrose: Early Colour Photography in Russia |
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 Primrose: Early Colour Photography in Russia is a retrospective of colour experiments and developments in Russian photography over the course of a century, from the 1860s to the 1970s. In tracing these advancements the exhibition also moves through the social history of Russia itself. It presents both the history of Russian photography and the history of Russia in photography, depicting life over the course of a century, as the country endured unprecedented upheaval. Primrose will feature over 140 works by Pyotr Pavlov, Pyotr Vedenisov, Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky, Alexander Rodchenko, Varvara Stepanova, Ivan Shagin, Georgy Petrusov, Dmitry Baltermants, Boris Mikhailov and other classics of Russian photography. These will be arranged in five chronological sections, each looking at different periods and their prevailing photographic aesthetics. The exhibition shows the development of photographic colour technology and the social transformations which altered the role of photography in Russian society. The exhibition opens with photographs from the 1860s when tinting of prints with watercolour and oil paints was undertaken by hand. Initially used for portraits, this technique was later extended to architectural, landscape and industrial subject matter. In the early 20th century under the patronage of Tsar Nicholas II the photographic documentation of life in Russia became a priority of the Empire. Using a tricolorplate system he adapted from Prof. Adolf Miethe, Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky was trusted with the task of travelling the country to capture its vastness and diversity. His output from those years is presented in the second section of the exhibition alongside the autochromes of nobleman Pyotr Vedenisov, whose autobiographical focus provided valuable insights into the lifestyle of the Russian elite. The third section will examine the period following WWI when the Soviet government, under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin, supported photography as an important propaganda tool. Photomontage became central to their agenda allowing for the communication of new Soviet myths to a largely illiterate population. Also included are the later works of Alexander Rodchenko, featuring pictures of sporting and art events taken in a pictorial style. These provided Rodchenko with a form of escapism and a way to express his disillusionment with the notion of a Soviet utopia. The production of Soviet-made colour film did not appear until 1946 and was accessible to only a handful of official photographers. The Khrushchev Thaw in the mid-1950s saw much of Stalin's repression reversed, allowing photography to move closer to everyday reality as seen in Dmitri Baltermants' pictures in section four. At the same time hand-tinted portraits began appearing on the market again. These were taken anonymously as private photo studios were still forbidden. Referencing these anonymous studio portraits is Boris Mikhailov's celebrated series "Luriki" (1971-1985). Comprising the fifth section, the series looks to expose Soviet ideology through humour and stereotypical imagery. The use of hand-colouring techniques represents Russia's stalled progress as well as nostalgic sentimentality for old craft. This section also presents Mikhailov's slideshow "Suzi et Cetera" (1960s-1970s). The piece with its focus on the individual is meant as a political act, challenging the dominant "we" of the Soviet nation. It was impossible to show the work publicly; such exhibitions took place in underground clubs, artist studios and apartments synonymous with the Soviet nonconformist art of the time. Curated by Olga Sviblova, Director of Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow / Moscow House of Photography Museum. The exhibition is part of the UK-Russia Year of Culture 2014.
Multimedia Art Museum |
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 Multimedia Art museum and Moscow House of Photography, International Committee of the Red Cross (Geneve / Moscow), The Polish Army Museum (Warsaw), Imperial War Museum (London), Museum of Military History (Vienna), The Royal Museum of Army and Military History (Brussels), Foundation for Preservation of the Russian Heritage (Brussels), Museum of Nicephore Niepce (Chalon-sur-Saone, France) and others present an exhibition "The War That Ended Peace" dedicated to the First World War centenary. "The War That Ended Peace" is the extensive international project which was organized by leading world museums, state archives and private collectors. The exhibition reconstructs the war 1914-1918 and shows it through the eyes of all participants, through the voices, photographs, letters and mementoes of those who were there. The title of the exhibition is the title of Margaret MacMillan's book "The War That Ended Peace: The Road to 2014" telling the history of the political, cultural, military and personal forces which shaped Europe's path to the Great War. Margaret MacMillan is one of the most recognized and respected historians in the English-speaking world, comes with much expectation. Her 2003 worldwide bestseller, Paris 1919, won many distinguished awards and was one of the handful of non-fiction books in a given year that become must-reads for everyone, from the intelligentsia to the historically minded general reader. The First World War was a turning point in world history. It claimed the lives of over 22 million people across the globe and had an impact on the lives of everyone. To the First World War centenary a lot of European museums will develope a vibrant programme of cultural projects and events to help people everywhere understand the First World War and its impact on society and individuals today. In Moscow Multimedia Art museum the display will start from the Viennese Museum of Military History's collection photographies, which argue about formal beginning of the war. The important accents of the exhibition space will be 13 screens in the museum halls: a news-reel illustrating the most significant events of every year of the war will show at the six of screens; the frames titled "Water", "Death", "Air", "Trenches", "Attack" and others at the seven of the screens. The exhibition's objects also includes photographies by amateurs who took part in the First World War, stereophotographies and stereoscopic projections, creating a three-dimensional image, and avtohromy presenting the war in color, collections of photographies from Red Cross archive, "Le Miroir" magazine and Russian editions, caricatures, color and black-and-white lithographies, posters by Kazimir Malevich, Aristarkh Lentulov, Vladimir Mayakovsky.
Multimedia Art Museum |
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 "Walk Around Moscow" exhibition is held at the Vlakhernskoye-Kuzminki Estate from October 10th, 2014 till April 20th, 2015. The exposition includes amazing photographies of the Moscow streets making one hundred year ago and today. The historical part of the display consists a selection of reproductions which were done during 1912-1915 from Emile Gautier-Dufayer's albums. The photographies captured daily life at the streets, lanes and squares of the capital, and now they have cognitive and artistic value for viewers of our days. In the early 20th century the Archaeological Society made a decision about full-scale photographing of the city and that was carried out by E.V. Gautier-Dufaye. This remarkable work was interrupted by World War I in 1914. The collection contains about 500 photos, which are unique evidences of the Moscow history of the past century. The pictures by Emil Gautier-Dufaye are accompanied with modern photos of the same places, with the same foreshortenings and perspectives which were made by photographers of the "Moscow Time" foundation in 2005-2013. The comparison of the pictures shows that some places haven't changed a lot and others are almost unrecognizable for modern persons. The exhibition should excite an interest to the history of Moscow, its streets and buildings which are changing every year and losing their historical look. The "Moscow Time" foundation is a nonprofit organization that carries out programs and conducts events in the area of culture, science, and education. The cultural and educational activity of the foundation is directed at studying Moscow and its historical traditions, documenting changes in Moscow photographically, and acquainting the wide public in Russia and abroad with the past and modern images of Moscow and its people. The foundation organizes and conducts exhibitions, publishes printed materials, and does charity work. The goal of the "Moscow Time" project is to demonstrate historical, architectural, cultural, and sociological changes that have occurred in the last century and a half in Moscow. For this, photographs of Moscow and its people of the late 19th–early 20th century are sought in archives. These photographs are digitized and repaired. Photographs of the same city sites are then taken from the same angles as were the old photographs. The pairs of photographs thus obtained are accompanied by literary texts or commentaries.
Vlakhernskoye-Kuzminki Estate |
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