Ethnographic Mosaic Exhibition to Be Presented at 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan

The Innosocium Foundation, the social platform of the Roscongress Foundation, will present the Ethnographic Mosaic exhibition about the cultural identity of BRICS countries at the 16th BRICS Summit at the Kazan Expo International Expo Centre on 22–24 October 2024. 

The exhibition is taking up the baton from the recent BRICS National Brands exhibition and will be held in a new and expanded format. It will feature works by young sculptors inspired by the natural and animal world of BRICS countries. The unique sculptures will be on display for all international delegations in zone A1 at the BRICS Summit. The exhibition includes 23 sculptures created by an international team of young sculptors and artists from the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts who represent BRICS countries. The event is also an educational project that provides an opportunity for young sculptors and artists to realize their potential. The exhibition will be curated by Semyon Mikhailovsky, an art historian, academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, and rector of the Ilya Repin St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. 

The BRICS National Brands exhibition was held during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2024 in the historical building of the Ilya Repin St. Petersburg Academy of Arts on Vasilievsky Island as part of Russia’s BRICS chairship in 2024. It was open to both SPIEF participants and residents of St. Petersburg.

“National brands embody the rich cultural diversity of BRICS countries and showcase the potential of our historically common values. The exhibition promotes mutual understanding between countries and cultures through creative images symbolizing national cultural codes,” Adviser to the Russian President Anton Kobyakov said.

“The idea for the exhibition arose from our major project ‘Soul of Russia’, which was prepared as part of the plan of events for Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021-2023. Each country has a soul that is embodied in images of the natural world, and these symbols also reflect the character of the people. Symbols of nature become cultural symbols. It is a great honour for us to present our exhibition at such an important event as the BRICS Summit,” Roscongress Foundation Deputy CEO and Creative Director of the Ethnographic Mosaic Elena Marinina said.

The exhibition is being organized by the Innosocium Foundation, the social platform of the Roscongress Foundation, and the Ilya Repin St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. The partner of the exhibition is TATARSTAN Trading House.