Vadim Sidur. A Map of Myth. Permanent Exhibition

The Vadim Sidur Museum and the Moscow Museum of Modern Art present the exhibition project A Map of Myth — a revised permanent exhibition of Vadim Sidur’s works. It offers a fresh perspective on the evolution of the creator's artistic language, from his early easel sculptures of the 1950s — little known to the wider public — to his assemblages of found everyday objects from the 1970s and 1980s.

Vadim Sidur (1924–1986) was a major figure in Soviet non-conformism, an artist whose work evolved in constant dialogue with his era, yet he always remained outside the official canons. His journey is a story of ceaseless exploration: from academically refined early works to radical experiments, from classical sculpture to assemblages that give new meaning to everyday objects. Each stage of his artistic development represents not only a shift in techniques and materials, but also a profound reflection on the nature of human existence, on the traumas of history, and on the possibility of overcoming them through art.

Sidur did not merely create pieces of art — he constructed his own mythology, in which life and death, memory and oblivion, physicality and spirituality are woven into a unified narrative. Today, his works are regarded as a vital part of Russian culture, bridging the traditions of global visual art with a uniquely personal vision.

Among the key exhibits are the sculpture Monument to the Unburied (a model of the monument now known as the Grieving Mothers monument, which was erected near the museum in Perovo district in Moscow in 1992); the sculpture Girl Combing Her Hair, as well as the wooden sculpture From the Same Root, newly restored for the grand opening.

The exhibition A Map of Myth is an attempt to foster a dialogue between Vadim Sidur’s artistic myth and contemporary interpretations of his legacy. The exhibition invites visitors not only to see his works as a reflection of their era, but also to think about issues that remain relevant today.

In 2018, the Vadim Sidur Museum became part of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, and it has grown to be much more than just a place for storing and representing the artist’s legacy. Today, it is a venue that explores and develops the current cultural agenda. The museum collection contains more than 1,000 sculptures and graphic works by Vadim Sidur, as well as multiple archival materials. The museum works with the collection in a dynamic way through cutting-edge approaches to designing exhibitions. The museum collection contains Russian and foreign publications about Vadim Sidur, exhibition catalogues, research collections, fiction books illustrated by Sidur, a series of poetry collections Evenings at the Sidur Museum, as well as literature on the theory of contemporary culture and art.