Russia always had an ambivalent position when it came to the Orient: its geography, its political and socio-cultural position and role as intermediary between the East and the West, and the complicated nature of its encounter with Asia resulted in contradictory attitudes, but also in the creation of a double identity and of Russia's own Oriental Other.
Orientalism became a popular theme in Russian literature and music of the 19th century, and influenced Europe when it was imported on the Parisian stages by the Ballets Russes with their Orient-inspired choreographies, sets and costumes.
Russia is going to re-explore this connection with the East, or rather with the Far East, in a unique exhibition of works at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow.
Curated by Aynura Yusupova, Senior Researcher of the Department of Prints, "Masterpieces of Painting and Engravings of the Edo Era" (from 4th September to 28h October) will include over 120 artworks by painters representing various traditional schools.
The selected artworks, dating from the 16th-19th centuries, include pieces representing the Kano, Tosa, Rinpa, Nanga, Maruyama-Shijo and Ukiyo-e schools of painting.
Some of them come from the archives of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, others are on a loan from the State Museum of Oriental Art; two artworks have the status "national treasure", while others are considered valuable cultural artifacts.
The theme of the event was chosen to allow visitors to discover more about the Edo period and the rapid urban developments that occurred during it, together with a rebirth of the arts and crafts.
Most works on display are on paper and silk which means they will be exhibited in two different groups for four weeks each, so that the exhibition is actually made of two different events.
One thing will unify these two different displays - the capsule collection featuring four exclusive items designed by Nina Donis and sold in the gift shops of the Museum.
The Russian design duo comprising Nina Neretina and Donis Pupis released for this occasion two kimono dresses and two bags. Yet these are not ordinary kimonos and bags, they are indeed conceived as combinations of traditional Japanese pieces with Russian culture and in particular with the colours, minimalist lines and geometries of the Russian Constructivists, the works of Alexander Rodchenko and Varvara Stepanova.
The results are practical cotton pieces in red, yellow, blue, black and brown injected with the spirt of functional sports uniforms designed by Stepanova and the avant-garde moods of Rodchenko.
You could argue this is a small offering rather than a proper capsule collection, but it is still very symbolic: Russia and Japan had complicated relationships from the beginning of the 1900s, and for Nina Donis fusing together elements from two different traditions via a small collection is probably a way to combine two cultures and several eras together - the Edo period, Russian Constructivism and our modern digital times. It is an encouraging and bold gesture, almost hinting at the fact that, when political leaders fail to find agreements and make peace, art and design can still try and take the necessary steps to break the boundaries that separate us.
Image credits for this post
1. Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), "The victorious wind. Clear day" from the series "36 species of Fuji". The Art Museum of Chiba
2. Sakaki Hyakusen (1697-1752), "Landscape", six-folded screen; ink on gold and silver
3. Kusumi Morikage (about 1620 - 1690 (?)), "In the hours of coolness", two-folded screen; paper, paint, ink. Tokyo National Museum
4 - 10. Sketches and Moodboards, Nina Donis X The Pushkin State Museum, Moscow. Images courtesy and copyright Nina Donis
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