As is tradition, we are sharing a guide to the best exhibitions of the month, so that you definitely won’t feel a lack of culture in August. The geography is huge: Moscow, St. Petersburg and even Tula. For those who are ready to get back to normal after a series of music festivals, the Christmas season and the summer vacation break.
“BRIDES. FOR VARVARA STEPANOVA’S ANNIVERSARY”
WHEN
Until 20 October
WHERE
Moscow, Pushkin Museum im. AS Pushkina
An all-female exhibition dedicated to this historic date: this October marks the 130th anniversary of the birth of Varvara Stepanova – painter, graphic artist, theatre and book artist, designer and fashion designer. The exhibition, dedicated to the anniversary of the Soviet avant-garde artist, will broaden the understanding of her work through the community of artists whose lives intersected throughout the 1910s and 1930s. In addition to Stepanova, these are Olga Rozanova, Lyubov Popova, Alexandra Ekster, Vera Mukhina, Nadezhda Lamanova, Esther Shub, Anastasia Akhtyrko, sisters Olga and Galina Chichagov, Lyudmila Sanina, Elizaveta Ignatovich. They were connected by friendship, common interests and participation in common artistic activities. In total, four themes are addressed in which women artists were destined to make a silent, imperceptible, but radical revolution: theatrical scenography, textile design and fashion, book graphics and new layout, and finally, photographic and film editing.
The Athenian School, the Avant-garde and Russia through the lens of Dmitry Markov: where to go and what to see in museums in August (photo 1)Alexandra Exter, set design for “Sheet No. 6. Operetta”, 1930
The Athenian School, the Avant-garde and Russia through the lens of Dmitry Markov: where to go and what to see in museums in August (photo 2) Varvara Stepanova, costume design for the play “The Death of Tarelkin”, 1922
“SEVENTH HEAVEN. DMITRI MARKOV”
WHEN
Until 20 October
WHERE
Saint Petersburg, Anna Nova
The photographer’s first exhibition since his death in February 2024. On two floors of the St. Petersburg gallery, 60 of the author’s works, created between 2014 and 2023, will be exhibited. It is a kind of journey, the aim of which is to search for a faith that contradicts the scientific method. Faith in man, in the possibility of his inner development despite any circumstances, is something valuable in the artist’s work that formalists overlook. Markov empathizes with people and with his works complements the richness of the world, making it susceptible to change for the better. The curator of the exhibition, Vladislav Efimov, notes: “Markov’s project is photographically conceptual and at the same time does not fit into the usual approach of such practice to fully confirm previously drawn conclusions through observation. In the case of “7th Heaven” we see how the technicality inherent in good photography and the romance of hope are organically mixed.”
The School of Athens, the avant-garde and Russia through the lens of Dmitry Markov: where to go and what to see in museums in August (photo 3)Dmitry Markov, untitled photograph, 2021 The School of Athens, the avant-garde and Russia Russia through the lens of Dmitry Markov: where to go and what to see in museums in August (photo 4)Dmitry Markov, untitled photograph, 2017
“LARGE WINGS HANGING OVER ME”
WHEN
until August 21st
WHERE
Moscow, pop/off/art
In works prepared specifically for this exhibition, the contemporary artist continues to explore the theme of physicality that has become part of his recognizable artistic language, namely the theme of ballet through a political perspective. The central theme of the exhibition is the control of the imperial state as a structure over the body and its movements, which corresponds to the repressive character of ballet practices. It is based on the autobiography of the cult ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev. The name of the project is also related to the personality of the dancer. “Large wings hung over me” is a quote from Nureyev’s memoirs, his thought that slipped before the plane at the fatal airfield in the French city of Bourges, not far from Paris, where he decided to stay in 1961, becoming one of the first “defectors” among Soviet artists.
The School of Athens, the avant-garde and Russia through the lens of Dmitry Markov: where to go and what to see in museums in August (photo 5) Shamil Shaaev, painting No. 1 from the series “17 Exercises”, 2024 The School of Athens, the avant-garde and Russia through the lens of Dmitry Markov: where to go and what to see in museums in August (photo 6)Shamil Shaaev, painting “Lodge 1”, 2024
“ATHENS SCHOOL”
WHEN
until November 4
WHERE
Tula, creative industrial cluster “Octava”
In case you have long wanted to visit Tula, but have not had the opportunity, we have found it for you – Roman Sakin’s total installation “The School of Athens” from the collection of Anton Kozlov. The project was first shown in 2015 at the Marina Pecherskaya gallery and has now acquired special relevance: society is going through a period of rapid changes that do not allow us to seek support in thoughts about the future – it remains vague and invisible. In different historical epochs, at such times, it is common for a person to rely on the concept of the golden age of humanity, which preserves the idea of unconditional values and high principles of humanism. The main teaching of the Sakin school, encrypted in a work of art, is the teaching of space and its perception by man.
The School of Athens, the avant-garde and Russia through the lens of Dmitry Markov: where to go and what to see in museums in August (photo 7) Roman Sakin, installation “The School of Athens”, “Room One. Classroom”, 2014School of Athens, the avant-garde and Russia through the lens of Dmitry Markov: where to go and what to see in museums in August (photo 8)Roman Sakin, installation “School of Athens”, “Room Three. Bedroom”, 2014
LIFE FORMS
WHEN
until October 25th
WHERE
Moscow, Postrigay Gallery
In the second solo exhibition of Jonas Farel at the Postrigay Gallery (the previous exhibition “Portraits of Light” last year became the gallery’s first offline project), we will see paintings and glass art objects about a fictional universe and its inhabitants. The life of the organisms in the artist’s works originates in conditions close to stagnation. However, all beings, regardless of external factors, continue to fulfill their roles. Thus, the ray of light from the chest moves through the space of the picture and accumulates new knowledge, and the grasshopper transports other characters over long distances. The works in the exhibition remind: in everyone’s life there come moments when it seems that everything around us has frozen and stagnated, but in the end the contradictions will be resolved, despair will recede and a new chapter will begin.
The School of Athens, the avant-garde and Russia through the lens of Dmitry Markov: where to go and what to see in museums in August (photo 9)Maria Jonas Farel, artwork from the series “Forms of Life, Zhivoskok” , 2024 The School of Athens, the avant-garde and Russia through the lens of Dmitry Markova: where to go and what to see in museums in August (photo 10)Maria Jonas Farel, painting montage, 2023
“A—S—T—R—A OPEN VOL. 5″
WHEN
Until 7 September
WHERE
Moscow, a—s—t—r—a contemporary art gallery
The gallery is implementing the fifth edition of the annual astra open project in collaboration with guest curators – the Newnow team (Margo Makarova and Ulya Savich). The main idea is to “turn upside down” the process underlying the selection and formation of a new group of authors. The gallery’s exhibition space will take the form of a sketchbook for pins, sketches, notes: how the team thinks, what they pay attention to, what meanings artists turn to, what statements are made of, what comes to the fore and what remains behind the brackets. This is a project about how the field of research is reduced to a few names in a limited space, and the curator becomes an interlocutor. Within a—s—t—r—a open vol. On January 5, a parallel program is also planned that will include artistic practices and conversations with invited experts.
The Athenian School, the Avant-garde and Russia through the lens of Dmitry Markov: where to go and what to see in museums in August (photo 11)Maria Katyanova, painting Distorted Mirror, 2024
The School of Athens, the avant-garde and Russia through the lens of Dmitry Markov: where to go and what to see in museums in August (photo 12) Alena Zhandarova, photograph “Self-portrait with lemons”, 2015
“ENVIRONMENT: FLOOR”
WHEN
Until August 31
WHERE
Moscow, House A
The final projects of students from MARSH School of Architecture and the studio “Atmospheres: Fields” will be on display at A-House throughout August. The authors were asked to reflect on the extent to which architectural spaces are capable of acquiring an atmosphere, whether it is possible to design it or whether it arises on its own. A real field in the Moscow region became an experimental platform for creative search. The exhibition is curated by Andrey Fomichev and Alexandra Boeva.
The School of Athens, the avant-garde and Russia through the lens of Dmitry Markov: where to go and what to see in museums in August (photo 13) Sketches of works by students of the MARCH school of architecture The School of Athens, the avant-garde and Russia through the lens of Dmitry Markov: where to go and what to see in museums in August (photo 14) Sketches of works by students of the MARCH school of architecture
“MOODBOARD”
WHEN
before the change of exhibition, the exact date is unknown
WHERE
Moscow, MAMM
On August 7, the Multimedia Art Museum will host a solo exhibition by Alexey Dunaev, winner of the Still Art Foundation’s annual fashion photography scholarship program for young photographers. For each shoot, the author uses a different visual language, becoming the voice of a new generation seeking self-identification. The photographer does not impose the rigid framework of existing role models on his subjects; he sensitively and accurately captures the very process of searching for identity. It is no coincidence that Dunaev’s exhibition will be held in MAMM’s galleries alongside the project “Still Art Foundation Collection. Masterpieces of World Fashion Photography.” The works reflect the changes that fashion photography as a genre is undergoing today.
The School of Athens, the avant-garde and Russia through the lens of Dmitry Markov: where to go and what to see in museums in August (photo 15) Alexey Dunaev, Irina Martynenko for Elle Russia, 2021 The School of Athens, the avant-garde and Russia through the lens of Dmitry Markov: where to go and what to see in museums in August (photo 16) Alexey Dunaev, taken from the Gala Swimsuit lookbook, 2019
