Winter. Russian style. A view from the 21st century

On December 13, 2024, the Belyaevo Gallery of the Moscow Exhibition Halls Association will open a group exhibition, Winter. Russian Style. A View from the 21st Century. The project is part of the Russian Style. A View from the 21st Century festival, which gives viewers the opportunity to see how contemporary artists perceive and interpret the concept of Russian style, taking into account that this project adds the archetypal image of Russian winter to it. The exhibition will bring together works made in different media: painting and graphics, sculpture, decorative and applied arts (ceramics, tapestry, wood, glass), photography, costumes, objects, and installations. Some works were made specifically for this project.

The longest season of the year in our country has always been reflected in the plastic arts, poetry, music, and literature. Winter has always held a special place in Russian art. This exhibition reveals to some extent how multifaceted it is, how differently it inspires contemporary artists. For some, it is fir trees, snow-covered houses, fields, and forests. For others, it is childhood, winter sports, a fairy tale, magic, a favorite holiday in our country, the beginning of something new: waking up when “the world is transformed by winter.” Or, on the contrary, the viewer will feel cold, sadness, even oblivion. By the way, the emphasized ambivalence of attitudes towards the images and symbolism of Russian winter has always been present in poetry and literature. Some poems by great Russian poets will be part of the exhibition.

In a number of works, contemporary artists use the style and images related to the so-called "Russian style" of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries; and also use techniques traditional for Russian folk art: beadwork, embroidery, applique, knitting. In some works, there are allusions or direct echoes of masters who created more than 100 years ago.

More than 30 authors participate in the exhibition: Natasha Arendt, Alexander Babin, Maria Baburova, Vasilina Bokova, Evgenia Buravleva, Anna Butina, Marina Vasina, Natalia Voroshilova, Alexander Dedushev, Svetlana Demidova, Olga Zhelezkina, Natalia Lavrentieva, Sofia Lavrushkina, Larisa Lukyanova, Vladimir Lyubarov, Ivan Mikhailov, Anastasia Morozova, Alexey Myakishev, Alexey_Novikov, Igor Novikov, Vyacheslav Novichkov, Svetlana Osenkova, Egor Plotnikov, Evgeny Rodionov, Olga Soldatova, Yuri Tatyanin, Elena Utenkova-Tikhonova, Leila Khaloyan, Elena Shipilova, Alexey Yakimenko, Lyudmila Yakushina.

Among the authors who prepared works specifically for the project, the largest object of the exhibition stands out. Alexey Yakimenko called his work "Snegurochka. Homage to Bilibin." According to the artist, this is "a Bilibin-style storyboard of transformations… winter, and whether it is major or minor, you can’t tell."

Artists Yuri Tatyanin from Lipetsk and Evgeny Rodionov from Vologda created works in their own very recognizable styles for the exhibition - this is a wooden "Space Christmas Tree" by Tatyanin and a canvas "Snow and Chicken Eat with Hands" by Rodionov. And Olga Soldatova made her signature mosaics with "Skiers" and felt boots with beads. Two works by Marina Vasina ("Winter Evening" and "Snowfall") are made of felt. The intertwined layers of black and white create a feeling of a snowy space. The cut is taken from the Russian folk costume, the density of the felt is similar to the embroidered fabric of panevs and dushegreys and allows to convey the volume of the Russian costume.

Anna Butina presents the stained glass window "Snow has fallen" - the harmony of the winter landscape is made up of white and its shades and textures. Stained glass is capable of conveying the strict, but amazing simplicity, almost asceticism of our winter landscape. Elena Utenkova-Tikhonova notes that intonation is very important to her in art: "As much as intonation depends on the context of what is said, so much does art depend on the place, the landscape in which it was created. And the landscape, as we know, depends on the climate… There are things that you can’t explain to a foreigner. For example, winter… You have to be born with winter, know that the winter will be long, very long (as it should be), but it will pass. Because of the long winter, the Russian artist’s color is… restrained, in halftones."

Leila Khaloyan exhibits the floor candelabra "First Snow": "For me, Russian winter is the contrast between the frost outside and the enveloping comfort of home, by the fireplace. This large candlestick is a symbol of home warmth, when you warm up after a walk through the fields, where the frozen grass crunched under your feet, and the dogs ran around and rejoiced at the coming winter."

The exhibition "Winter. Russian style. A view from the 21st century" in the Belyaevo Gallery continues a series of projects of the festival "Russian style. A view from the 21st century", which the Association "Exhibition halls of Moscow" holds at various venues.

Ticket prices: 400 rubles, 200 rubles (concessionary), schoolchildren with a Moskvenok card enter for free.

Age limit: 0+.