Exhibition: Foreigners in the USSR in Moscow

The Center for Contemporary Art in Moscow is currently delighted to present a very special exhibition. Entitled “Foreigners in the USSR,” it uses photography to bring to life the people who found refuge and a place to live in Russia during the era of Soviet rule. They were often well-known figures, whose reasons for coming varied considerably. Visitors to the Center for Contemporary Art can look forward to fascinating stories until October.

The inspiration for this unusual exhibition, which also covers a substantial part of Russian history, is the overall project “Chronicle of the 20th Century in Photographs,” initiated by the Center for Contemporary Art and the ITAR-TASS news agency. The collection draws on candid shots and photographs taken by Russian journalists between 1920 and 1990. Although Moscow was one of the world’s major cities even during the Cold War, few Western celebrities made their way to the Russian capital. Nevertheless, special events have always attracted special people. Whether for the Moscow Film Festival or other events of artistic significance, stars from abroad did not stay away, despite the political enmity between the two blocs. Many foreigners also travelled to Moscow out of political conviction. Whether actors, musicians, or painters, Russian journalists took an interest in anything out of the ordinary. As remnants of unofficial state visits, many of the images are highly revealing. Often, they capture the encounter between different worlds: clearly visible in the photographs, it also shows how little the hostility between the two blocs mattered to foreign visitors, at least for a short time.

The many photographs of well-known and lesser-known faces will be on view until October. This retrospective is a milestone not only in the context of Moscow’s cultural life, but also draws numerous parallels with visitors from the West.