ZIMA Russian Restaurant presents NEZIMA, an original exhibition by Irina Zatulovskaya, benefitting Gift of Life
ZIMA Russian Restaurant has prepared a special surprise for its food and culture-loving customers. From Monday 7 June, ZIMA guests will be able to enjoy a free exhibition of renowned Russian artist Irina Zatulovskaya, supporting Gift of Life, a charity helping children beat cancer, now celebrating its 10th anniversary.
‘NEZIMA’ («НЕЗИМА») exhibition boasts nineteen unique artworks created by Irina Zatulovskaya in the rare genre of “Russian arte povera”. Items include portraits of Russian and British writers – Platonov, Khlebnikov, Shakespeare, Dickens, Pushkin, Chekhov – painted in Irina’s characteristic minimalist technique on fragments of wooden furniture, utensils and pieces of metal.
The works, which you’ll see around you on the ground floor, perfectly compliment ZIMA’s permanent aesthetic of Russian avant-garde combined with antique rural household items — painted spinning wheels, sleighs and panels.
As Irina Zatulovskaya says of the project:
“Exhibiting in a restaurant allows people to enjoy both food and art – the twin beating hearts of life. The subjects of this display are in conversation with each other; Shakespeare, Dickens, Platonov, Erofeev and Homer.”
Irina Zatulovskaya is one of the classic practitioners of contemporary Russian art. Her work is showcased in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Helsinki City Art Museum in Finland, Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki in Finland, National Museum in Warsaw in Poland, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Trento and Rovereto in Italy and in other museums and private collections in Russia and other countries. Her work is in the rare genre of neo-primitivist minimalism, which she herself calls “Russian arte povera” (“poor art”).
Irina began writing poetry and drawing at the age of five, inspired by her mother, herself an artist and daughter of renowned painter Sergei Mikhailov. Irina was educated at Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts school, as well as at the Children’s Art School on Krasnaya Presnya in Moscow. Later, she graduated from the Moscow Polygraphic Institute and in 1979 joined the Moscow Union of Artists.
Irina Zatulovskaya is already well known to the London public – her works were exhibited at Pushkin House in 2018. Now audiences have the opportunity to discover contemporary Russian art and Zatulovskaya’s work particularly, anew.
“For the past year of pandemic our lives have been frozen, it’s been a state of never-ending winter for the world, – says the artist. – And now – it’s NEZIMA, not winter any more – it’s spring, it’s blossom and germination of art, life and art of life, – Irina Zatulovskaya speaks about her latest exhibition.
The NEZIMA exhibition includes a charity sale, benefitting Gift of Life, helping children beat cancer. The Foundation was created in the UK to support one of the leading Russian children’s charities Podari Zhizn, and raises crucial funds for essential life-saving medicines unavailable in Russia, bone marrow transplantations, doctors education programmes and pays for surgeries performed by international specialists at the Moscow’s leading children’s hospital. ZIMA Russian Restaurant has been a long-term supporter of Gift of Life and takes part in the charity’s Dine for Good initiative. Every customer can support the work of the charity by donating £1 when paying the bill.
To see the exhibition, head over to Zima Russian restaurant in Soho.