Italy: Unprecedented BRICS Art Exhibition to Open in Rome

An unprecedented artistic and cultural project is being implemented in Rome, aiming to present to the largest Italian and international public the culture of the 10 member countries of the BRICS group, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and since January 2024 also Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Iran.

The opening of a unique joint project of the BRICS member countries entitled “Russia and the BRICS countries in the cultural dimension: New Art for a New World” will be held on Friday, October 4, in the historical center of the Italian capital, in the Russian House located at Piazza Benedetto Cairoli 6.

The exhibition, organized under the patronage of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Italy, presents works of art – paintings and sculptures – created by authors from all ten BRICS countries.

On January 1, 2024, Russia assumed the chairmanship of BRICS, a reputable international organization that currently controls about 30% of the world’s GDP. This year, numerous events were held in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as in Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Vienna, Geneva, New York, and many other cities in Russia and around the world, united by the theme “Strengthening Multilateralism for Security and Equitable Global Development” – the motto of the Russian BRICS Chairmanship. The BRICS summit in Kazan, scheduled for October 22-24, will be the main event of the entire Russian presidency, as well as the first summit of the group to be held in an expanded format: about 40 heads of state and government from around the world have confirmed their participation in the summit. Many countries, including Turkey, have asked to be accepted into the group.

As Russian Ambassador to Italy Alexei Paramonov (pictured) said during the press conference, “the exhibition fully reflects the architecture of our partners’ mechanisms, the so-called BRICS culture, which consists of sincere mutual cooperation, interest in mutual respect, in the desire for mutual understanding and dialogue, in recognizing the equality of different civil, spiritual, political and socio-economic systems, in a special desire to preserve and develop culture and traditions.”

The works of art collected in a single exhibition in the halls of the Russian House in Rome were created at different times and in different techniques, reflecting the diversity of the multipolar world. Contemporary and traditional paintings deal with the fundamental themes of family and faith, the environment and the relationship between man and society.

Visitors to the exhibition will be able to admire contemporary Chinese sculptures from the 1990s. Some extraordinary paintings by Indian masters of Warli and Pichwai came from India to Rome. The art of Pichwai originated in the 16th century by members of the Pushti Marg founded by Shri Vallabhacharya. Initially, the Pichwai paintings were used to decorate the Shrinathji temple in Nathdwara and hung behind the statue of the deity to mark the different seasons, festivals, and events in the life of Lord Krishna. In addition, there will be works on display that focus on scenes of daily life in Ethiopia and more.

Russia will be represented by monumental photographic works by artist and photographer Sergei Sapozhnikov, who in his work “explores the role and place of photography in contemporary art.”

As the organizers promise, the exhibition, which will be open to the public until October 31, 2024, “will present a fascinating journey through different countries that invite us to unite through cultural diplomacy and strengthen the multipolar ties of the modern world.”