PROJECT RUSSIA №36 - museum +

When I was living in Moscow for a year in 1993, my stay coincided with an art project called 'Exchange', which brought together Russian and Dutch artists to work on art projects - first in Moscow, then in Amsterdam. I remember wondering about the large apartments of the Russian artists: they were much better then those of their Dutch counterparts, who were living in small apartments in squats or other run-down buildings in Amsterdam. It was then I realized that the picture painted in the West about how repressed were artists in the Soviet Union was at least one-sided. All too evidently, the social and economic status of artists was high enough to secure for them 'elite' housing conditions. Later, during my travels through Russia, I understood that not only did the Soviet Union spend a lot of money on artists, it did the same with museums. Many museums in the West, let alone in developing countries, would be jealous of the number of museums in Russia and the size of their workforces. A telling example is the Museum of Architecture in Moscow. With its large building and over 100 (!) employees, it must be one of the largest architecture museums in the world. Nowadays, however, it is questionable whether this Soviet infrastructure is indeed such a blessing. Everybody knows that the current state of the buildings and workforce is deplorable: buildings are falling apart, works of art are rotting in archives and warehouses, and employees' salaries are insultingly low. There are exceptions, of course. The leading museums, such as the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin Museum, the Hermitage, and the Russian Museum, have fewer problems finding money. Some are even developing plans for renovations and extensions. As we describe in this issue, Rem Koolhaas is involved in planning the Hermitage's extension and Mikhail Fillippov is designing new interiors for the Russian Museum. Still, it seems even better not to have a Soviet legacy. The field of contemporary art evidently profits. There are no buildings needing renovation, no employees you cannot sack. There is nothing that has to be preserved, and so contemporary art can develop freely and organize new centres and exhibition venues such as the Moscow Art Biennale. It is a pity, though, that in their patronage of architecture the directors and organizers do not demonstrate the ambition they have shown in displaying Russia's contemporary art. There have been no competitions, no commissions for young architects, no experiments. It is sad but true: when it comes to architecture, the Russian art world is no more progressive than the regular Moscow developer. Bart Goldhoorn, editor-in-chief CONTENTS Bart Goldhoorn. Editorial Round table. What is contemporary museum? GREAT HERMITAGE ОМА/АМО Concept for the reconstruction of the General Staff building Bart Goldhoorn. Rem Koolhaas and the Hermitage RUSSIAN MUSEUM Ekaterina Valova. A game of classics Yulia Popova. Shadows in Paradise Mikhail Filippov et al. Russian Museum reconstruction Vladimir Frolov. Competition of ideas Mikhail Filippov. Diary of the struggle with Svinkins Mikhail Filippov's studio Competition design for the Museum Plaza complex NCCA Elena Gonzalez. The Centre and its branches Elena Gonzalez. Projection of the future Nizhny Novgorod: project seminar Creating an Arsenal of contemporary art 48 asse architects NCCA branch in Nizhny Novgorod Martin Tamke. Perspectives of Kaliningrad Kaliningrad: diploma works by students of the Technical University of Braunschweig 54 Mikhail Khazanov's Architecture studio NCCA branch office in Kaliningrad Slava Mizin. Milli-Beaubourg (everything included) ZAO Kurortproekt - studio No7 The National Centre for Contemporary Art in Moscow Alexei Komov. Lenin Museums: from sarcophagus to sanctuaries GALLERIES Alexei Muratov. Art Spaces and Consumption asse architects Nashi Khudozhniki Gallery in Borki Aleksandr Yakut. Yakut Gallery Nikolai Malinin. 8 000 000 square centimetres of art Atrium architecture studio RuArts Gallery MONITOR