exhibitions, architecture, monuments

Unique Russia — encyclopedia of a multinational country

7 февраля, 2023

From January 24 to February 5, 2023 in Moscow, in Gostiny Dvor, the III Art and Industrial Exhibition-Forum "Unique Russia" was held on a grand scale. This year, the exhibition-forum received a record number of guests, 57,000 people became visitors in two weeks of its work. Also in 2023, the exhibition acquired an international format, presenting expositions of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Turkey and India as the development of cultural cooperation between our countries.

"Unique Russia" has united art unions, public associations and organizations, art critics and collectors, economists and business representatives on its site. In her welcome letter to the forum, the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Lyubimova noted that over the three years of its existence, the exhibition-forum has established itself as "a large-scale event in the cultural calendar of Russia." The event "is becoming more popular year by year. Not every country's cultural heritage is as large and multinational as in Russia," Versia newspaper states.

According to the director of the exhibition "Unique Russia" Valery Bogomolov, "the exhibition-forum has assumed an important role - to become a landmark and understandable to the general public applied step to implement Presidential Decree No. 400 dated 02.07.2021 "On the National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation", clearly demonstrating cultural and spiritual and moral values that require protection for the sake of the future of our children. In our work, we rely on a number of other important documents, including the "Fundamentals of state policy for the preservation and strengthening of Traditional Russian spiritual and moral values" and the "Concept of Humanitarian Policy of the Russian Federation abroad".

The organizers of the exhibition-forum are the Fund for the Preservation and Development of Culture, Traditional Spiritual and Moral Values and Historical Memory "Unique Country", the Association "Heritage and Traditions", the Fund for the Development of the Art Industry and Jewelry. The exhibition-forum is supported by the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, the Federal Agency for Nationalities of Russia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

The exhibition-forum was attended by 1,250 exhibitors from 73 regions of Russia, as well as guests from near and far abroad. The national expositions were presented by the Republics of Tatarstan, Bashkiria, Buryatia, Yakutia (Sakha), Tyva, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug – Yugra, Dagestan, North Ossetia-Alania. Authors from the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Chuvashia, Nizhny Novgorod, Kaluga, Lipetsk, Kaliningrad, Irkutsk, Moscow regions, as well as other regions of Russia showed their works. Special attention was paid to the sections of the exhibition with the works of masters from new regions of Russia.

Prayer for Russia is a unique exhibit of the exhibition. Photographer Egor Zhukov

The main art objects of "Unique Russia" in 2023 were:

The symbol of the exhibition is an Easter egg dedicated to the 800th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Nevsky, "God is not in power, but in truth", made in unique jewelry techniques.
"Prayer for Russia" is an exceptionally beautiful prayer belt on natural velvet, born of the unsurpassed skill of the Torzhok goldworms.

Among the exhibits presented at the exhibition are original ceramics and porcelain; lacquer miniature; enamel art; artistic processing of glass, metal, stone; church art; virtuoso bone and wood carving; lace and embroidery, exclusive jewelry; interior and decor items; designer, ethnic clothing and accessories. Moreover, these works could not only be seen, but also purchased. Such legendary Russian crafts as Zhostovo painting, Msterskaya and Palekh lacquer miniatures, Yelets lace, etc. presented their works. The exhibition also featured paintings made of leather, ornaments made of poplar down and mammoth tusk.

With the help of modern technologies, the guests of the exhibition were able to explore the possibilities of domestic social networks, immerse themselves in the world of virtual reality, go into outer space, study collections of digital art and create their masterpiece in the virtual world.

Interactive project "Game of Crafts. VR-immersion in the world of folk crafts", presented at the exhibition, was created by RIA Novosti specialists by order of the Heritage and Traditions Association with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives. In addition, for two days, folk masters of Russia from the Kaluga region created a large man-made "Tree of Friendship" out of clay, in which all interested visitors of the exhibition helped them, enthusiastically joining the creative process.

The points of attraction of the exhibition were historical expositions that served as a link between the times: the hall "Sisters of Mercy of wartime", a stand dedicated to the events of the Great Patriotic War, the pavilion "USSR – the best experience".

The III Art and Industrial Exhibition-Forum "Unique Russia" is an important cultural and patriotic event that allows us to comprehend the uniqueness of Russia in the world space in the realities of the current moment. This is a visual cross-section of modern Russian art and cultural space, an impressive discussion platform, as well as a review of the achievements of folk art crafts.

The cultural mosaic of Russia, national and cultural identity, creative industries, unity in diversity, cultural codes of Russia – these and other issues were the subject of more than 100 interesting events of the business program, within which round tables, strategic sessions, lectures, discussions and business meetings were held. The Unique Russia platform gave birth to 6 forum events of international and national level on the topics of international cooperation, creative economy, education and mentoring, development of national sports and others. 77 cultural events, festivals, fashion shows of designer collections, more than 30 performances of creative teams of Russia, lectures and business meetings.

The exhibition-forum showed that Russia in 2023 did not give up isolation, but on the contrary – found new friends and strengthened ties with the old ones. The national stands of Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, and Turkey were presented at the Unique Russia site, giving the forum an international status. The Day of Friendship between Russia and Indonesia, the celebration of Sri Lanka Day and the 75th anniversary of the country's independence with greetings from the leadership of states and diplomatic departments have become serious steps in cultural cooperation between our countries. Greetings from African countries, Latin America, BRICS and SCO member countries, and the Arab Emirates were heard on the sidelines of the "Unique Russia". All these events have shown the relevance of the "Unique Russia" as an integral part of Russia's humanitarian policy, a participant in cultural exchange, international business and tourism ties.

Of course, the exhibition-forum could not pass by the historical challenges of the era and its fateful realities. As part of the "Unique Russia", there was a presentation of the poetic society "Poets of Donbass", a lesson of courage "Take an example from a Hero", which was attended by cosmonaut pilot, twice Hero of the USSR Alexander Alexandrov, an employee of the KGB Foreign Intelligence Service of the USSR under the Council of Ministers of the USSR, Hero of the Soviet Union Vladimir Gorovoy, one of the creators of rocket- Alexey Makarychev of the USSR space complex, as well as modern heroes of Russia who showed courage and heroism on the fields of their own. On February 2, a charity concert was held in favor of the wounded, organized by the Women's Patriotic Society and dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad, as well as the ceremony of awarding the sisters of Mercy with the revived award "For Sacrifice and Selfless Work".

The exhibition-forum "Unique Russia" was visited by prominent figures of culture and art, leaders of national thought and science, heads of Russian ministries and departments, representatives of the leadership of the regions, representatives of public organizations.

Presenting the art of Russia from Yakutia to the Crimea, from Buryatia to Kaliningrad, the Unique Russia exhibition-forum has become a living encyclopedia of modern culture of our country, clearly demonstrating that Russia is a whole world and an original civilization with a great history and great potential. It is no coincidence that the concept of "Russian world" is increasingly being heard and used all over the planet, stating the strengthening of the role of this cultural and ideological paradigm in our days.

ArtMoskovia took part in the exhibition "Unique Russia" in the status of an information partner.