What usually happens when the UK, wants to express its annoyance with a state too big to rattle any sabres at (quite often Russia)? The spat will play out in the safe but very public arena of the arts. So, Great Britain's annoyance with Russia's apparent invasion of Ukraine has a pretty high probability of bringing with it the cancellation of some arts events. That'll upset Putin. Well, it might rile someone over there, and then they will probably respond in kind. All of which means that the vaunted UK-Russia year of culture (on which we're in the early stages, incidentally) might be seriously diminished.
And, purely artistically-speaking, that would be a shame as there are some fabulous events planned. An exhibition at the Science Museum in London will examine Russian space exploration, while Brit film director Peter Greenaway will, in return, curate an exhibition at Moscow Museum about the Russian avant-garde (due to start in April). Other pieces of British heritage in Russia will (or should, perhaps we now say) include an exhibition of James Bond designs, a young British artists' show and a big Shakespeare celebration. Meanwhile, the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra (Russia's oldest) and various others will come to the UK, while Malevich art works will go to Tate Modern. And the London Philharmonic Orchestra will take Britten's War Requiem (under their Russian chief conductor Vladimir Jurowski) to the Rostropovich Festival.
The number of events is long and wide-reaching. There are science projects, theater projects (Shakespeare's Globe will also venture to Russia, with A Midsummer Night's Dream), music, visual arts. Or that's the plan. Let's see what happens.
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