5 — 23 July 2021
The exhibition is held in the Diaghilev Museum of Modern Art
Beginning from the original city plans, St Petersburg was designed as a modern city — in terms of its spatial composition and stylistic harmony. The city grew intertwined in the extraordinary urban design tissue, ceasing to be just a ‘settlement,’ but having acquired a symbolic function. The city was designed as an artwork, an ambitious project where buildings, roads, parks, and canals were conceived as parts of the whole plan. Unlike many other cities, there are no ‘naturally grown’ buildings forming the ‘organic’ pattern of streets in St Petersburg. The city’s layout was designed, calculated, and planned with mathematical precision. The city was built from the ground up. This allowed for the creation of coherent architecture and spectacular city views. Each step in the centre of St Petersburg reveals iconic sights — they seem to have jumped off canvases. Amidst this fantastic backdrop, human spectators are involved in this artistic experiment. We are part of this fantastic utopian city, constantly interacting with it — either as residents or visitors to St Petersburg. And while visitors perceive the city as an interior public space, residents are integral to it, inspiring Fyodor Dostoevsky, Andrei Bely,
Joseph Brodsky...
Artists who have chosen to portray St Petersburg in their artworks do not need to search for a stunning view and engaging story. Conversely, they tend to face a daunting task — to select one view from an infinite number of attractive options.