Arts and culture have a unique power in bringing people together in a world newly redefined by the COVID-19 pandemic, Russian arts and culture experts have asserted. The comments came as Russia hosted Russia: Culture, a unique event illuminating the best of the country’s culture, art, media, technologies and innovation at Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo 2020 Dubai.
Fatima Mukhomedzhan, Deputy Director of the Art, Science and Sport Charity Foundation, said: “Culture [has] always had the role of bridging, of [fostering] dialogue between nations. And now it just makes our lives easier, and more open because – through cultural projects – we can be in contact with other people [and] other nations… Culture surely helps people to feel more free.”
Katerina Novikova, Press Secretary, Bolshoi Theatre, said: “Culture brings us together. And these international events [such as Expo 2020 Dubai] allow us to experience each other’s cultures and meet each other in person.
“I’m very happy that this kind of event exists and I hope that, by the end, there’ll be some fantastic statistics of how many people visited Expo 2020 from different countries, [as well as] local visitors, and had this unique experience.”
Russia: Culture hosted a variety of representatives across Russian culture, art, media, technologies and innovation, including Azariy Plisetskiy, dancer, choreographer and ballet teacher, and brother of Russian ballet legend Maya Plisetskaya; David Mansfield, Director of Dubai Opera; and Sergei Tchoban, the Russian-German architect behind the Russia Pavilion at Expo 2020.
Sergei Tchoban said: “Nowadays, I think this exchange [of cultures] begins to be even more important after COVID times, with all the restrictions.”
