zaha hadid retrospective at the hermitage museum in russia

zaha hadid retrospective at the state hermitage museum
nikolaevsky hall, the winter palace, hermitage museum, st petersburg, russia
on view june 27 – september 27, 2015

a new exhibition at the state hermitage museum in saint petersburg provides visitors with unprecedented insight into the work of acclaimed architect zaha hadid. forming hadid’s first retrospective in russia, the display highlights her initial exploration of the avant-garde movement, and the continuing influence of its core principles on her work today.

‘the spirit of adventure to embrace the new and the incredible belief in the power of invention attracted me to the russian avant-garde,‘ explained zaha hadid upon receiving the pritzker prize in 2004. ‘I realized how modern architecture built upon the break-through achieved by abstract art as the conquest of a previously unimaginable realm of creative freedom. the idea that space itself might be warped and distorted to gain in dynamism and complexity without losing its coherence and continuity.‘

the exhibition, presented in the historic nicolaevsky hall of the winter palace, showcases many of the seminal paintings, drawings, models and design objects of hadid’s forty-year career; conveying her architectural projects through a variety of media including film, photography and installations. the exhibition is curated by ksenia malich, curator of contemporary art department at the state hermitage museum, and patrik schumacher of zaha hadid architects.

malevich’s tektonik, 1976-77
(main) heydar aliyev center, baku, 2013 / photo by hufton+crow