01.05.2025

“Our Flower in the Victory Day Bouquet”: RSUH Opens Three War Exhibitions

How war changes destinies, about fear and courage, life on the front lines, the preservation of memory, cultural heritage, and a human perspective on war.

“Victory Day is not only a celebration. It’s a day we remember our heroes, our veterans, and honor them. As long as at least one soldier of the Great Patriotic War is still alive, the memory of the War will endure. Our mission is to pass this memory from generation to generation,” said RSUH First Vice-Rector Dmitry Bobrov on April 29, welcoming guests to the ceremonial opening of three RSUH exhibitions dedicated to the Great Patriotic War and the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland.

The initiative for these exhibitions came from the RSUH Museum Center. Despite differences in form and artistic language, all three exhibitions complement each other, offering a multifaceted view of war: as personal tragedy, collective heroism, and a moral trial.

1. “A Medic’s Diary: Graphics by Iraida Kadina”
   Held in the RSUH Small Exhibition Hall, this exhibit was prepared in collaboration with the “Art Design” Center. It is based on authentic materials from the family archive of artist and architect Iraida Kadina (1911–1996).
2. “People Scorched by War: Digital Graphics by Yulia Tolstousova”
   This project, jointly developed by the “TIME CHOSE US” Foundation and the RSUH Law Institute’s Legal Clinic, is located in the corridor adjacent to the Small Exhibition Hall. It features works by Yulia Tolstousova, an architect and combat participant since 2014.
3. “The Museum Front of the Great Patriotic War”
   Created in cooperation with the Department of Museum Studies under Associate Professor Viktoria Chernenko, this exhibition tells the story of how employees of Moscow’s major museums saved cultural heritage during the war: evacuating collections, curating exhibitions, engaging in educational outreach, and boosting national morale.

Each exhibition is both an artistic and research project, and an act of personal and collective remembrance.

“We really want our flower in the bouquet for Victory Day to be noticeable, meaningful, and sincere,” said Irina Bakanova, Director of the RSUH Museum Center, emphasizing that the three exhibits were united by authenticity, sincerity, and deep respect for those who had endured the War and gave us the chance to live in peace.