Cultural hundred faces: will the investigative actions interfere with Kekhman's work at the St. Petersburg Forum

Vladimir Kekhman, who is under investigation, took an active part in organizing the XI St. Petersburg International Forum of United Cultures until the last few days and plans to appear at the event itself, Izvestia found out. And, judging by the information provided at the meeting of the organizing committee, the problems of Kekhman, who remains in the leadership of the event, did not affect the scale of the business marathon in any way: delegations from 34 countries are expected to arrive, and the total number of speakers will exceed 400 people. Izvestia has collected the main details about the upcoming event.

The main intrigues

This year, the official dates of the Forum are September 11-13, but the first discussions will start on the 10th, and the final session, chaired by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, will be held on the 12th. Thus, the last day will become something of a postscript. Its main event is the presentation of the Hermitage Prize. According to the tradition established in 2023, there is no intrigue here, the names of the laureates become known in advance. There are always two of them, and one represents our country, and the other is a foreigner who has been working fruitfully in Russia for a long time. This time, the award will go to Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the Hermitage Museum, and Theodor Currentzis, a conductor of Greek origin.

However, there are enough intrigues of a different plan around the upcoming forum. First of all, will he be present at events (especially with the participation of government members) Vladimir Kekhman? Investigative actions have been launched against him this summer. Kekhman, who also heads the Mikhailovsky Theater and the Moscow Art Theater. Gorky is accused of embezzlement and embezzlement of funds allocated for the reconstruction of the old Moscow Art Theater stage, as well as receiving a particularly large bribe.

Initially, Kekhman was involved in the case as a witness, but then two criminal cases were initiated against him. His property and family members were arrested, Kekhman was detained, but released on his own recognizance.

Nevertheless, at the time of writing, Kekhman, according to the SPARK database, remained the CEO of the Directorate of the St. Petersburg International Forum of United Cultures. He has been in this position since 2023, when, after a three-year pause, the forum was held for the ninth time.

Izvestia sent inquiries to the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the forum directorate regarding Kekhman's role in the event and the impact of the CEO's procedural status on his work, but did not receive prompt responses. In turn, GITIS Rector Grigory Zaslavsky told Izvestia that Kekhman's presence is expected and he remains deeply involved in the organization.

— On August 29, we had a meeting of the organizing committee, Kekhman was at the government coordination center. And, of course, I also coordinate some issues with him, as well as with the Ministry of Culture," Grigory Zaslavsky shared.

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34 delegations, 400 speakers

Another mystery is which status guests from foreign countries will take part in the forum? At the time of writing, the General Director of the F.A. Iskander Russian Drama Theater (Abkhazia) was among the participants in the discussions Irakli Khintba, Chairman of the Union of Theatrical Figures of Armenia Hakob Kazanchyan. But this list is clearly going to be longer.

—To date, 34 official foreign delegations have confirmed their participation, including senior officials from four international organizations, namely the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation, the CIS Executive Committee, and the League of Arab States," Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova said at a meeting of the Forum's organizing committee on August 29.

In total, more than 400 speakers from Russia and foreign countries will speak at the forum. Among the topics of discussion are the interaction of humans and artificial intelligence, new technologies in culture and art, neural networks in film production, and many others. One of the innovations is the Art Education section.

— How can we talk about culture without talking about cultural education? Over the past two years, I have been explaining, as they say, on all floors of the Ministry of Culture, how important it is for this section to appear. And I am very glad that my voice was heard. What are we going to discuss on the forum? Times are changing and education is changing with them. This is probably the key topic in our section," said Grigory Zaslavsky, who headed the section.

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Ancient palaces and new museums

The number of Forum sites will also be expanded. For the first time, events will be held in addition to the Hermitage Headquarters and other traditional locations in Tsarskoye Selo. The organizers are confident that the discussions in the recreated interior of the Catherine Palace and surrounded by masterpieces of park architecture will be remembered by foreign guests for a long time.

Along with the business program, the forum, as before, offers an extensive cultural component. Days of Ethiopian Culture will be held in Alexandrinka, weapons of Bahrain will be shown at the Hermitage Headquarters, the Circus Art Festival Without Borders will be held at the Bolshoi St. Petersburg State Circus, and the Mikhailovsky Theater will host a traditional gala concert of opera and ballet stars.

Special attention is drawn to the opening of two new exhibition spaces dedicated to the forum, both dedicated to contemporary art. After almost 10 years of reconstruction, the Sergei Kuryokhin Center for Contemporary Art will be opened in the building of the Surf Cinema on Vasilyevsky Island. And the Museum of Art of St. Petersburg of the XX–XXI centuries (a branch of the Central Exhibition Hall "Manege") will present the exhibition "Fragments of Epochs" in its new building— the mansion of merchant Ivan Alafuzov on the embankment of the Griboyedov Canal. The house was transferred to the Manege by the city administration at the end of 2024, and viewers will see the result of this decision very soon.

However, the Forum's guests will probably be much more interested in the next blockbuster of the State Russian Museum, although not included in the official program, but obviously not without intent, which begins its work on September 11: "Arkhip Kuindzhi. The illusion of light." And it is on the territory of the State Museum of Fine Arts — in the Mikhailovsky Garden — that the main social event will take place: a reception on behalf of Tatiana Golikova. While not formally appearing as a Forum venue (unlike not only the Hermitage, but also the Chapel, the Mariinsky Palace, and many other institutions), the Russian Museum elegantly reminds that the cultural life of the northern capital is unthinkable without it.