Ancient Age and the Coordinate System
The organizers of the event shared details with socialbites.ca about the upcoming project known as “Ancient Age” and its coordinate system. The initiative aims to bring together historical perspectives and modern curatorial methods to illuminate the ways ancient concepts intersect with contemporary interpretation.
From April 25 to August 4, 2024, the Exhibition Hall of the Zaryadye Park Media Center hosts the multi-venue presentation “Ancient Era. Coordinate System.” The display assembles a curated selection from the Arkhangelskoye State Museum-Reserve, spanning the 16th through the 19th centuries. Visitors will encounter paintings, prints, sculptures, and a range of decorative and applied arts from the 19th century, all arranged to reveal dialogues between objects and eras.
The exhibition rests on a distinguished collection formed by Prince Nikolai Yusupov in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The holdings reflect the tastes and collecting habits of that period, with core works in the styles of Baroque, Classicism, and Romanticism. The show features a broad spectrum of media including painting, graphic art, sculpture, porcelain, clocks, furniture, glass, and lighting design. The presentation highlights how these objects came together to tell a richer story about cultural exchange, patronage, and taste in a Russian aristocratic context. (Source: Arkhangelskoye Museum-Reserve)
Audience members will encounter Roman-era pieces dating from the 1st to the 3rd century, alongside representations inspired by ancient ideals. The display includes engravings by Giovanni Ottaviani and Francesco Piranesi, sculptures by Antonio Canova and Pietro Tenerani, and paintings by Jacob Philipp Hackert, Paolo Pagani, and Anthony van Dyck. The curators have arranged historical works alongside contemporary Russian art that reinterprets classical antiquity, inviting visitors to consider continuity and reinvention across centuries. (Source: Arkhangelskoye Museum-Reserve)
In addition to the art objects themselves, the exhibition program features screenings of peplum films, fashion shows inspired by antique styles, and a series of lectures that explore art history, philosophy, and mythology. These events are designed to deepen visitors’ understanding of how ancient motifs have shaped visual culture, design, and storytelling across time. The program aims to create an immersive experience that bridges museum display with live culture and scholarly interpretation. (Source: Arkhangelskoye Museum-Reserve)
Earlier this year, an inaugural exhibition at the Voznesensky Center celebrated the 100th anniversary of the poet’s muse Zoya Boguslavskaya. This related presentation set a thematic tone for the broader conversations about memory, influence, and the way cultural figures inspire new generations of artists and thinkers. The juxtaposition of historical artifacts with contemporary voices remains a central thread in this ongoing cultural dialogue. (Source: Arkhangelskoye Museum-Reserve)