News

Monday 14 October 2019

Opening of the Exhibition "Palmyra: a Fusion of Cultures"

 
On October the 14th at the site of the Institute of Oriental Studies and the State Academic University of the Humanities, the exhibition opening took place. It was an exhibition of paintings by Vladimir Zenin, an artist from St. Petersburg. The picture-show was named "Palmira: a Fusion of Cultures". It was organized by the Eastern Department of the State Academic University for the Humanities.

The main idea of the project was to reconsider creatively the cultural heritage of ancient Palmyra. In his works the artist passed the unique combination of Antiquity and the Ancient East common to Palmyra  art through the prism of modern historical experience and academic tradition. The ancient heroes, seen by Vladimir Zenin, were studied carefully and understood in his own way. They were implanted in a new cultural space. The mythology that had sunken into the past took on new significance.

The opening ceremony of the exhibition was attended by the following people: V.V. Naumkin, the President of the Institute of Oriental Studies, the Dean of the Oriental faculty, Academician,  Professor V.P. Androsov, the Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies, doctor of historical sciences, Riad Haddad, the Ambassador of the Syrian Arab Republic, Abdel Hafiz Nofal, the  Ambassador of the State of Palestine, Rodrig al-Khoury, Consul of Lebanon, the Institute staff, teachers and students of the Oriental Department, the representatives of the Syrian community.

The guests praised highly the artist’s works. In the delivered speeches, the idea of enormous significance of this exhibition and similar events was repeated not only to draw attention to the problem of preserving the cultural heritage in Palmyra, but also to develop generally a dialogue of cultures between countries, peoples, and times.

The event, in large part, was organized by the students of the Oriental faculty.