NEW MUSEUM OF THEATRE in the Republic of Abkhazia
NEW MUSEUM OF THEATRE in the Republic of Abkhazia
The exposition traces the theatre's journey from its formation in the 1980s to the present day. Over 120 exhibits come together to form a living biography of the troupe and the city: costumes, posters, archival documents, rare photographs, and props. One of the key artifacts is Alyonushka's dress from the theatre's first production, «The Scarlet Flower», which premiered in 1981. Surrounding it are a poster, a program, and props from that very production: thanks to these items, the visitor sees not merely a date in a chronicle, but feels the very breath of the theatre's history at its dawn.
The exposition traces the theatre's journey from its formation in the 1980s to the present day. Over 120 exhibits come together to form a living biography of the troupe and the city: costumes, posters, archival documents, rare photographs, and props. One of the key artifacts is Alyonushka's dress from the theatre's first production, «The Scarlet Flower», which premiered in 1981. Surrounding it are a poster, a program, and props from that very production: thanks to these items, the visitor sees not merely a date in a chronicle, but feels the very breath of the theatre's history at its dawn.
Fragments of the Exposition
Photos provided by the F. Iskander RUSDRAM Theatre
Photos provided by the F. Iskander RUSDRAM Theatre
A special part of the exposition is dedicated to Fazil Iskander, whose name the theatre has borne since 2017. The central hall becomes a space for an encounter with the writer: his study has been recreated in the museum, featuring personal belongings, manuscripts, lifetime editions, and photographs donated by the writer's widow. The New Museum has become the first memorial site dedicated to Fazil Iskander in the Republic of Abkhazia: not a monument in the conventional sense, but a living space in which his words, biography, and cultural heritage form a unique intellectual and emotional field of presence.
Here his own words about this land resonate especially powerfully: «Abkhazia is not only a mountain outside the window and the sea at the threshold. It is the sense of dignity with which a person enters a home and steps out into the world». In this statement lies the very perspective through which Iskander viewed his country and its people; the recreated study becomes not so much a memorial installation as an attempt to reveal this inner world, the very lens through which he looked at Abkhazia, man, and the theatre.
The project became possible thanks to the close partnership between the Ministry of Culture of Abkhazia and the A. A. Bakhrushin State Central Theatre Museum. Our Bakhrushin Museum team supported the creation of the exposition at every stage: from the concept and spatial scenario to the artistic design and technical implementation.
A.G. Kolesnikova with representatives of the project working group from the Fazil Iskander State Russian Drama Theatre, Sukhum, Republic of Abkhazia, 2025.
A special part of the exposition is dedicated to Fazil Iskander, whose name the theatre has borne since 2017. The central hall becomes a space for an encounter with the writer: his study has been recreated in the museum, featuring personal belongings, manuscripts, lifetime editions, and photographs donated by the writer's widow. The New Museum has become the first memorial site dedicated to Fazil Iskander in the Republic of Abkhazia: not a monument in the conventional sense, but a living space in which his words, biography, and cultural heritage form a unique intellectual and emotional field of presence.
Here his own words about this land resonate especially powerfully: «Abkhazia is not only a mountain outside the window and the sea at the threshold. It is the sense of dignity with which a person enters a home and steps out into the world». In this statement lies the very perspective through which Iskander viewed his country and its people; the recreated study becomes not so much a memorial installation as an attempt to reveal this inner world, the very lens through which he looked at Abkhazia, man, and the theatre.
The project became possible thanks to the close partnership between the Ministry of Culture of Abkhazia and the A. A. Bakhrushin State Central Theatre Museum. Our Bakhrushin Museum team supported the creation of the exposition at every stage: from the concept and spatial scenario to the artistic design and technical implementation.
A.G. Kolesnikova with representatives of the project working group from the Fazil Iskander State Russian Drama Theatre, Sukhum, Republic of Abkhazia, 2025.
Interview with A.G. Kolesnikova by a theatre representative on the day of the project opening
Interview with A.G. Kolesnikova by a theatre representative on the day of the project opening
As a result, a museum space has emerged within the active theatre, one that is not detached from the life of the stage but organically woven into it, turning a visit to the theatre into a multi-layered cultural experience and establishing in Sukhum the first place in the republic where the memory of Fazil Iskander takes on a tangible, authentic form.
Federal project «New Museum of Theatre» of the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum at the F. A. Iskander State Russian Drama Theatre, Sukhum, Republic of Abkhazia, 2025.
A.G. Kolesnikova and I.R. Hintba, General Director of the Fazil Iskander State Russian Drama Theatre, Sukhum, Republic of Abkhazia, 2025.
I sincerely thank the General Director of the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum, K. D. Trubinova, for the trust placed in me to curate this project!
PROJECT MANAGER: Kristina Trubinova, General Director of the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum
CO-PROJECT MANAGER: Irakliy Hintba, General Director of the Fazil Iskander State Russian Drama Theatre
CURATOR: Anna Kolesnikova, Head of the Research and Methodological Department of the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum
CO-CURATOR: Daniel Yakovidi, Executive Director of the Fazil Iskander State Russian Drama Theatre
ARCHITECTURAL AND ARTISTIC DESIGN: Vladimir Kuzmin, architect-designer.
CO-PROJECT MANAGER: Irakliy Hintba, General Director of the Fazil Iskander State Russian Drama Theatre
CURATOR: Anna Kolesnikova, Head of the Research and Methodological Department of the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum
CO-CURATOR: Daniel Yakovidi, Executive Director of the Fazil Iskander State Russian Drama Theatre
ARCHITECTURAL AND ARTISTIC DESIGN: Vladimir Kuzmin, architect-designer.
As a result, a museum space has emerged within the active theatre, one that is not detached from the life of the stage but organically woven into it, turning a visit to the theatre into a multi-layered cultural experience and establishing in Sukhum the first place in the republic where the memory of Fazil Iskander takes on a tangible, authentic form.
Federal project «New Museum of Theatre» of the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum at the F. A. Iskander State Russian Drama Theatre, Sukhum, Republic of Abkhazia, 2025.
A.G. Kolesnikova and I.R. Hintba, General Director of the Fazil Iskander State Russian Drama Theatre, Sukhum, Republic of Abkhazia, 2025.
I sincerely thank the General Director of the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum, K. D. Trubinova, for the trust placed in me to curate this project!
PROJECT MANAGER: Kristina Trubinova, General Director of the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum
CO-PROJECT MANAGER: Irakliy Hintba, General Director of the Fazil Iskander State Russian Drama Theatre
CURATOR: Anna Kolesnikova, Head of the Research and Methodological Department of the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum
CO-CURATOR: Daniel Yakovidi, Executive Director of the Fazil Iskander State Russian Drama Theatre
ARCHITECTURAL AND ARTISTIC DESIGN: Vladimir Kuzmin, architect-designer.
CO-PROJECT MANAGER: Irakliy Hintba, General Director of the Fazil Iskander State Russian Drama Theatre
CURATOR: Anna Kolesnikova, Head of the Research and Methodological Department of the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum
CO-CURATOR: Daniel Yakovidi, Executive Director of the Fazil Iskander State Russian Drama Theatre
ARCHITECTURAL AND ARTISTIC DESIGN: Vladimir Kuzmin, architect-designer.