London, Russian Art Center in stylish Kensington. Here, the group exhibition Harmony in Details: The Metaphysics of Beauty brings together the bronze of Karen Terzyan (Armenia) and the paintings of Dmitry Ermolov (Russia). At first glance, these are two entirely different artistic continents: romantic neo-impressionism and the silent permanence of bronze. Yet curator Valentina Shaeva chose to bring these artists into a single dialogue, where the light captured in the paintings and the texture of the canvas resonate in unison with the plasticity and multicolored surfaces of the metal.
Shaeva is a curator who does not arrange exhibitions “by the book.” Her projects in London and Russia are known for allowing different styles and techniques not just to coexist, but to enter into a thoughtful, deliberate conversation. Here, her curatorial credo is evident: minimal showiness, no “installations for installation’s sake,” and a deep faith that the works themselves can hold a dialogue with the viewer – without propping them up with explanatory texts.
Photo from Valentina Shaevoy’s personal archive
The concept is simple yet effective: when considered as parts of a whole, details can bring together under one roof what might otherwise seem incompatible. Ermolov, known for his meticulous, filigree brushwork, captures fleeting states of light and color in natural settings. Terzyan works with bronze, clay, and enamel, creating figures where human and natural elements are fused into a single form. The curator does not spoon-feed the viewer interpretations – the exhibition is arranged so that each artist (and, crucially, their interaction) can be read clearly without extra words.
Photo from Valentina Shaevoy’s personal archive
Ermolov catches a moment and holds it in a brushstroke; Terzyan fixes a natural motif in a material that will endure across centuries. And yet, there is no opposition here between the two worlds of painting and sculpture. The ephemeral and the eternal converge at a single point, and this balance speaks more clearly than any explanation could.
Ivan tea, artist Dmitry Ermolov
The exhibition operates with restraint, without theatrical effects. It imposes no route and does not rush the visitor forward – instead, it leaves them alone with the works, allowing them to study the gleam of bronze, the unevenness of a brushstroke, or the curve of a line. In this space, technique is not an end in itself – what is valued is the increasingly rare skill in contemporary art: the ability to slow down and observe attentively.
Forest Gin, artist Karen Terzyan
Valentina Shaeva invites us to perceive beauty not as a philosophical abstraction, but as a physical experience – immediate, tangible. And as visitors leave the gallery, they carry with them not just specific images, but a sense of completion and inner order. Which, after all, is exactly what the exhibition’s title promised – and in this case, the promise has been fulfilled.
