In 1991, just after the Soviet Union dissolved, the Borey Art Center was established around the corner from the bustling Nevsky Prospect in the basement of an old building on Liteiny Prospect. Around this time, two Russian artists were approaching important moments in their respective artistic lives. Irina Federova was attending her first art school […]

The Marina Gisich Gallery began in 2000 as one of a small number of galleries bringing a contemplative, concept-driven artistic temperament to the Saint Petersburg art scene. The original artists displayed their works at Gisich to confront and change attitudes about art exhibitions. These artists included Kerim Ragimov, Vladimir Kustov, Evgenij Yufit, Marina Alexeeva, Petr […]

The Gorky Theater in Vladivostok will be celebrating its 80th anniversary in the following theater season.  Located on Svetlanskaya Street, a few blocks away from the bridge, the theater doesn’t exactly strike an image.  While the building, which was built in mid-70s, certainly retains some of its Soviet charm, the theater grounds are gorgeous.  The […]

Settled in the historic district of St. Petersburg, the New Museum is the first private museum of its kind in St. Petersburg. Local businessman, Aslan Chekhoev, opened the museum from the private collection he started twenty years ago. Opened in June 2010, the museum provides an exciting permanent collection of Soviet Non-Conformist art, as well as […]

The Nevsky 8 Art Center, is an art supply shop, gift store, gallery, and café all in one. Located at the very beginning of Nevsky Prospect, just around the corner from Palace Square, Nevsky 8 has bright lime-green signs in English to draw attention. The windows are filled with conceptual art for purchase, such as painted […]

One of the things that I enjoy about the Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service is how the Russian language department there is always trying to involve the international students in cultural events.  Whether it’s a weekend trip to an archeological dig site, or a visit to the theater to see a movie about […]

Crystal Nerpa: Ice Sculpting Competition Хрустальная нерпа: Фестиваль ледовых скульптур Listvyanka, Irkutsk Oblast Entry: 200 rubles into the park with the action (including ice slides and other attractions), but free to hang out on the ice around the edges of the park and watch from there (most of the action is around the edges of […]

Ilya Yefimovich Repin is “widely, and rightly, acknowledged as the preeminent exponent of critical realism in nineteenth-century Russian art” and was often styled under the Soviet regime as an “ethical painter.” Others have called him a “pivotal figure in…Russian realism,” and during his lifetime, Repin was witness to key moments in the history of Russian art. […]

Mikhail Vrubel’s importance in Russian art is now undisputed, but during his own lifetime he achieved little success. He was heavily criticized for his rough, unrealistic forms, decorative use of space and strange motifs. He was a Symbolist and an expressionist at a time when most artists still ascribed to the Realist tradition of the Wanderers. […]