On February 2, 2023, ROSIZO, with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the participation of leading museum institutions, presented the exhibition "Recreation Center of the USSR". The project, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the formation of the USSR, was opened in Moscow, in the Central Manege.
The exposition of more than 700 items represents Soviet art and reveals the idea of Cultural Houses that appeared in the USSR. Thirteen thematic sections of the exhibition are devoted to eight types of art of the Soviet period: architecture, painting, sculpture, graphics, cinema, theater, music and photography.
The exhibition "Recreation Center of the USSR" corresponds to the logic of the Soviet House of Culture and is divided into independent halls — "exhibitions in the exhibition". Each of the sections is self-sufficient, is a space of dialogue with the viewer, immerses in a separate direction of the cultural life of the Soviet period.
The official opening ceremony was attended by the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Lyubimova, the head of the Department of Culture of the City of Moscow Alexander Kibovsky, First Deputy Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Yuri Afonin.
The Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Lyubimova made a welcoming speech at the opening of the exhibition: "It is especially joyful today, as if returning to that glorious past of architecture, fine arts, cinema, to understand that we are not just nostalgic, but continue to live these unique spaces. Already the first 1,000 houses of culture, restored and renovated over the past three years, are opening their doors, making exhibitions. Small artists come there, whose works, I hope, will also one day replenish the collections of the Russian Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery. Houses of culture remain points of attraction, a tradition, a cultural institution for all ages."
"This exhibition is really very important. When you look at these achievements presented at the exhibition, you remember houses of culture, palaces of pioneers, sports clubs, theaters. Much of this at the beginning of the XX century was not available to the entire population of the country, because there was a class approach to culture. The Soviet government made it accessible to everyone. Now we understand that the existence of a small village is impossible without a school, kindergarten, house of culture and library. It is very important now to restore cultural centers and other social infrastructure in the outback. It is necessary to return what has been lost over the past decades," said Yuri Afonin, First Deputy Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.
"When we talk about the centenary of the USSR, we, first of all, turn to the achievements of culture and art. Our predecessors did an amazing job of creating an image of a state focused on the principles of justice, respect for the working man, good qualities, traditional spiritual and moral values. They created content in all directions in which the current generation represents that time. The USSR Houses of Culture are our unique phenomenon. In the era when the houses of culture were created, our culture stepped directly to the working man. And this is not nostalgia, but an occasion to reflect and take the best of today. Art still belongs to the people," commented Alexander Kibovsky, Head of the Moscow Department of Culture.
"Today, in the Central Manege, ROSIZO opens a large-scale exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Soviet Union. First of all, this exhibition is about the culture of that historical period, on the foundation of which the art of modern times was formed. This exhibition is a journey about Soviet culture, about the house where the culture of the USSR lives," said Olga Galaktionova, General Director of ROSIZO.
The curators of the sections were invited specialists, heads of modern cultural institutions. Russian Russian artists include Zelfira Tregulova (Tretyakov Gallery), Evgenia Petrova (Russian Museum), Alexandra Selivanova (Moscow Museum), Ksenia Kokorina (Museum of Architecture), Natalia Mokritskaya (Moskino), Alla Esipovich-Roginskaya, Irina Gorlova (Tretyakov Gallery), Natalia Kozyreva (Russian Museum), composer Alexey Retinsky, Olga Galaktionova (ROSIZO), Dina Ivashchenko (ROSIZO), Andrey Raikin (ROSIZO).
