An open-air contemporary art gallery has opened at METROPOL Grand Hotel Gelendzhik — a public art project that makes art an integral part of the guest experience. The project was curated by art historian Anastasia Pronina.
The collection of art objects turns the hotel's grounds into an open-air exhibition space, where playful works of art interact organically with nature and the mood of the guests. The artworks form a new cultural route through the park, evoking the serenity of a holiday and playfully engaging with its key symbols.
The first work in the collection was a monumental piece by St. Petersburg sculptor Konstantin von Riben, "Flip-Flops" (Slantsy). The universally familiar form of beach footwear is transformed here into a symbol of freedom and summer memories. Flip-flops are found in everyone's wardrobe, regardless of social status. They have long served as a universal metaphor for a carefree holiday, the sea, and the sand — and the artist translates this everyday image into the language of monumental sculpture.
The work is made of garnet amphibolite, a rare natural stone quarried in the village of Chupa in Karelia. The material becomes an important part of the artistic statement, uniting the north and south of Russia in a single object: the harsh nature of Karelia and the Black Sea coast of Gelendzhik.
The second work in the collection is "Swan Lake" by artist Milena Strelkova. The piece is an ironic reinterpretation of the idea behind a "paddling pool" — Zurab Tsereteli's "Fish" in Adler. In place of the usual decorative sculpture, the fountain basin features a stainless steel composition shaped like an inflatable swan pool float — a light, almost ephemeral symbol of resort life. The contrast between the monumental nature of the fountain and the trappings of leisure turns the work into a meditation on the nature of holiday happiness and how fleeting it is.
Both artists live and work in St. Petersburg and treat the theme of beach leisure as a metaphor for freedom. Familiar objects — flip-flops and inflatable rings — acquire new resonance when rendered in granite and stainless steel. The artists literally "freeze" the fleeting holiday mood in some of the most durable materials, turning everyday symbols of the resort into works of contemporary art.
The open-air gallery project will be a long-term initiative of METROPOL Grand Hotel Gelendzhik. The collection will gradually be expanded with new works by contemporary artists, creating a unique cultural space on the hotel's grounds.
