Things and Visions. 25th anniversary collection exhibition of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art

The Moscow Museum of Modern Art (MMOMA) is celebrating its 25th anniversary with an exhibition of works from the permanent collection titled Things and Visions. For a quarter of a century, the museum has consistently collected works in a wide range of techniques created from the early 20th century to the present day. Most of the pieces are by Russian artists that represent diverse movements and traditions, schools and creative contexts, both avant-garde and academic. 

The exhibition shifts the focus from a commentary to the objects themselves: this time, the spotlight is not on themes or narratives, but on the artworks — these meaningful items, snatched from everyday life, from the context in which they existed, as they reveal to the audience new dimensions of imagination, or the image of mystery. The ontological duality of museum exhibits comes to the fore: on the one hand, they are tangible material objects, on the other, they are strong poetic images, artworks metaphysical in nature, full of visionary spirit, which guide our senses beyond the usual spatial and temporal boundaries.

The exhibition will include works by Russian artists of different generations, from the last third of the 20th to early 21st century. Works from the museum collection complement the works of eight invited artists. Thus, the exhibition presents the work of Katya Isaeva "Morning Choir" of 2018 — an installation of old bird cages and archival records of the Ornithological Department of Cornell University. The work was inspired by the bird corner of the Tao Dan Park where locals bring their songbirds in cages so that they can learn new trills. At the same time, Katya uses recordings of the singing of extinct birds, whose trills can no longer be heard in nature.

Photo: Press Service of the MMOMA