ABOUT
The exhibition Zertsalo offers a new perspective on the Russian world of the turn of the century and its true values. The title of the exhibition comes from the Old Slavic word — mirror, and it is no coincidence that the first thing the viewer sees when entering the exhibition space is his or her own face. The entrance hall prepares for an immersion into history: fragments of the suspended tower, as if collapsed by the influence of time, acquire a new function and become benches. Elements of the past become material for the creation of the new. The tower symbolises vestiges of the past, the old world of the 17th century with its art imbued with religiosity. The pre-Petrine era does not pass without a trace, its influence and transformation of style is best seen in the provincial secular portraiture of the following centuries.
The exposition of the ground floor introduces the life of merchants. Descending down the ramp, the viewer gets from the spacious anteroom into a closed space associated with a living room. Here the connection with the past era is particularly strong: the spatial elements recall the pre-Petrine architectural tradition, traditional life and craftsmanship. From the merchant's house, the viewer enters the open octagon — an allusion to going out into the light, a public space. The portraits on the suspended panels enter into dialogue with each other and flaunting their achievements in front of each other.
The first floor introduces the viewer to the life of the «high» class — the nobility and the clergy. The principle of hanging is stricter here, which demonstrates the desire not to yield to the capital's tradition. From this analogue of the manor portrait gallery the viewer enters the conventional Belvedere, a European-style building.
The value of each provincial secular portrait in itself is incomparable to the value of an authentic testimony to historical truth. Playfulness and directness of the portraits presented at the exposition tells about that part of the life of Russian society, which is most often left behind.
2022
The exposition of the ground floor introduces the life of merchants. Descending down the ramp, the viewer gets from the spacious anteroom into a closed space associated with a living room. Here the connection with the past era is particularly strong: the spatial elements recall the pre-Petrine architectural tradition, traditional life and craftsmanship. From the merchant's house, the viewer enters the open octagon — an allusion to going out into the light, a public space. The portraits on the suspended panels enter into dialogue with each other and flaunting their achievements in front of each other.
The first floor introduces the viewer to the life of the «high» class — the nobility and the clergy. The principle of hanging is stricter here, which demonstrates the desire not to yield to the capital's tradition. From this analogue of the manor portrait gallery the viewer enters the conventional Belvedere, a European-style building.
The value of each provincial secular portrait in itself is incomparable to the value of an authentic testimony to historical truth. Playfulness and directness of the portraits presented at the exposition tells about that part of the life of Russian society, which is most often left behind.
2022