{"id":61684,"date":"2026-02-13T11:03:58","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T11:03:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/?p=61684"},"modified":"2026-02-19T14:51:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T14:51:07","slug":"vasiliy-zorkii-it-s-vital-to-create-new-neural-connections-every-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/vasiliy-zorkii-it-s-vital-to-create-new-neural-connections-every-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Vasiliy Zorkii: \u201cIt\u2019s vital to create new neural connections every day\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7995.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"5536\" data-lbwps-height=\"3595\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7995-600x390.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"665\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7995-1024x665.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61654\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7995-1024x665.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7995-600x390.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7995-731x475.jpg 731w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Opening of Roma Liberov\u2019s exhibition Reflections at The Arc London, 16 January 2026<br>Photo: Valery Konkov\/courtesy of The Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Today, Zorkii is one of the co-founders of ARC Space in London \u2014 an independent interdisciplinary arts venue. ARC was conceived as an open space where people from different cultures, professions and generations can meet, talk, collaborate and create joint projects: from exhibitions and discussions to new theatrical formats. ARC\u2019s February programme is vast and varied.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/469047545_10230908399066918_2619096657120426275_n.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"2048\" data-lbwps-height=\"1365\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/469047545_10230908399066918_2619096657120426275_n-600x400.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/469047545_10230908399066918_2619096657120426275_n-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61666\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/469047545_10230908399066918_2619096657120426275_n-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/469047545_10230908399066918_2619096657120426275_n-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/469047545_10230908399066918_2619096657120426275_n-713x475.jpg 713w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/469047545_10230908399066918_2619096657120426275_n.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: courtesy of The Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>How much time and energy did it take to put together such a programme?<\/strong><br>We properly started working on the project in October, and the number of events has been growing exponentially. How much energy it\u2019s taken, I honestly don\u2019t know. The headteacher at my school used to say: don\u2019t count the steps as you\u2019re climbing to heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Originally there were three of us: Misha Tomshinsky, who owns the space, his wife Vera, and me. For each of us the project is about something different \u2014 which is even more interesting. For me personally, it\u2019s a way to reinvent myself. When the war began in 2022, I thought: if even this doesn\u2019t force us to change inwardly, then nothing ever will. It\u2019s one of those points in history when it\u2019s time to think about an enormous number of things \u2014 how we live, how we\u2019re put together, how we want to live, what sort of people we are.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7601.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"3600\" data-lbwps-height=\"2400\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7601-600x400.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7601-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61652\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7601-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7601-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7601-713x475.jpg 713w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: courtesy of Th e Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>And it feels like we\u2019re in a moment when we should be asking: what kind of world are we building? How are we building it? What values unite us? I wanted there to be a place that becomes a meeting point for very different people, grounded in shared human values. On the one hand, it was important to create a space where people with similar humanist views could meet \u2014 people who believe you can remain open to the world; who believe war is wrong; who believe light wins over darkness; that a person can be more than they think they are; that loneliness is, in a sense, a choice. And who believe that sometimes you simply need to walk up to someone and say, \u201cHi \u2014 fancy a chat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7733.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"3600\" data-lbwps-height=\"2400\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7733-600x400.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7733-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61653\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7733-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7733-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7733-713x475.jpg 713w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: courtesy of Th e Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>So it\u2019s a place where, in a sense, \u2018your own\u2019 people gather?<\/strong><br>Absolutely not. It mattered to me, yes, to bring together people who feel close to us. But you can\u2019t turn something like this into a preserved bubble. Communities are very often formed through exclusion \u2014 especially in London: old money, Oxford. We\u2019re saying the opposite: you can join our community. It brings together younger and older people, English people with anyone at all, Poles with Russians \u2014 on the basis of shared human values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Misha, by the way, it was also important that ARC should be a meeting point between the IT universe and the humanities\/creative world. There\u2019s a sense an artificial divide has been created \u2014 largely by people in the humanities, frankly. I worked for many years at Afisha. I love Afisha, but it had this rather snobbish principle: if you don\u2019t understand something, you\u2019re a bit of an idiot. \u201cIt\u2019ll be as we say,\u201d was practically the slogan. On the one hand, it was charming. On the other, it was humiliating \u2014 separating.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dscf0655.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"6240\" data-lbwps-height=\"3512\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dscf0655-600x338.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dscf0655-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61651\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dscf0655-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dscf0655-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dscf0655-844x475.jpg 844w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Opening of Roma Liberov\u2019s exhibition Reflections at The Arc London, 16 \u042f\u043d\u0432\u0430\u0440\u044f 2026<br>\u0424\u043e\u0442\u043e: Valery Konkov\/courtesy of The Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>There are always two ways to explain something. One: if you don\u2019t get it, you\u2019re thick. Two: come on, I\u2019ll show you \u2014 it\u2019s genuinely fascinating. I think the second way is better.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02920.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"2500\" data-lbwps-height=\"1667\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02920-600x400.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02920-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02920-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02920-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02920-712x475.jpg 712w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: courtesy of The Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Our place is devoted to the creative process. It\u2019s independent, it doesn\u2019t belong to any institution, and we bring together very different personalities \u2014 people with experience and people without. For instance, we currently have an exhibition by Roma Liberov, Reflections: \u201cA Poem Is as Real as a Utility Bill\u201d. Roma\u2019s work is precisely about exploring one\u2019s relationship with the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It matters hugely to us that the curator of this exhibition is a UCL student, Miriam Kanner \u2014 because she came in, looked at Roma\u2019s work, then connected it to another of his projects and suddenly there was extra depth, a fresh perspective. In other words, we give young people the chance to try things \u2014 and that\u2019s where life is. The very first exhibition we did \u2014 by the artist Zoya Ilyina \u2014 was also about that: the curators were Miriam and Alisa Misrikhanova from Parsons. I think that if we want to live in a new world, it\u2019s vital to create new neural connections every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02913-2.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"1667\" data-lbwps-height=\"2500\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02913-2-400x600.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"61649\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02913-2-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61649\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02913-2-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02913-2-400x600.jpg 400w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02913-2-317x475.jpg 317w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02913-2-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02913-2.jpg 1667w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: courtesy of The Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02905.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"1667\" data-lbwps-height=\"2500\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02905-400x600.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"61647\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02905-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61647\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02905-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02905-400x600.jpg 400w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02905-317x475.jpg 317w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02905-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/dsc02905.jpg 1667w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: courtesy of The Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We had an event the other day called Serving the People: creatives from different countries meet and talk about how they live. One evening an American, a Canadian, a German, a Chinese woman and an Englishman were discussing the Second World War. The American says, \u201cWe won you the war.\u201d I say, \u201cHang on \u2014 there\u2019s a nuance.\u201d And then the girl from China says, \u201cListen, fifteen million Chinese people died in that war!\u201d \u2014 and practically no one in the room knew it\u2026 It was an incredibly important conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>So it\u2019s a place where people from different cultures meet, look at one another, learn?<\/strong><br>Of course. Russian culture is very used to operating in this mode: \u201cSit down, I\u2019m going to tell you about myself \u2014 how I suffer, how awful I feel. But I\u2019m not going to do anything about it. You\u2019ll feel sorry for me, and you won\u2019t be able to help anyway.\u201d And then it turns out that when you give space to another person, they can talk to you. They can tell you how they feel, what they think about you. That dialogue is essential. Since the war began, it has become even more essential, I think.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7605_1.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"3600\" data-lbwps-height=\"2400\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7605_1-600x400.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7605_1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61658\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7605_1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7605_1-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7605_1-713x475.jpg 713w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Opening of Zoya Ilina\u2019s exhibition Moving in Translation at The Arc London, 7 November 2025.<br>Photo: Anna Dmitrieva\/courtesy of The Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>I want to do an event where Boris Grebenshchikov and Thom Yorke listen to each other\u2019s songs in a room with fifty people \u2014 and we won\u2019t even sell tickets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Well that\u2019s elitism, isn\u2019t it. Here it comes.<\/strong><br>No, no. No elitism. First come, first served \u2014 whoever gets there first gets the slippers. I don\u2019t yet know how to do it. But I think we\u2019re far too blinkered about what can and can\u2019t happen. We walk through these endless tunnels of the same events \u2014 events we ourselves have been bored of for twenty years, but we don\u2019t know any others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So let\u2019s do an evening of bad dancing. Let\u2019s play an imaginary circus. Let\u2019s do history classes at Year 7 level, because it turns out I \u2014 and many of my friends \u2014 don\u2019t know any of it. We were just embarrassed to admit it our whole lives. Or let\u2019s have major artists reading fairy tales to children and adults, like we did before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I remember that. During Covid, it was called Fairy Tales at Home, wasn\u2019t it?<\/strong><br>Milla Jovovich rang me in the middle of the night and said, \u201cCan I read Mukha-Tsokotukha in Russian for you?\u201d I literally fell off my chair at home. The truth is there are no limits \u2014 it only depends on us.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7766.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"3600\" data-lbwps-height=\"2400\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7766-600x400.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7766-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61659\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7766-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7766-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7766-713x475.jpg 713w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Opening of Zoya Ilina\u2019s exhibition Moving in Translation at The Arc London, 7 November 2025.<br>Photo: Anna Dmitrieva\/courtesy of The Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>I grew up in that very brief moment when Moscow really did feel like the cultural centre of the country. Bands that now fill stadiums would come and play in tiny Moscow clubs. It was an exciting place. It was a time of great freedom. I want to experience that again \u2014 but on new value-based terms. Yes, it was brilliant then, but we didn\u2019t think enough about the values from which we were speaking to one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>But everyone was young and happy.<\/strong><br>I\u2019m not blaming anyone. But I think we \u2014 I personally \u2014 bear a certain responsibility. Even then we could have thought: democracy matters. An independent judiciary matters. It matters that police officers don\u2019t torture people in prisons. But we were having so much fun that we missed it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now we have a unique opportunity to apply our talents where there is ground for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the second thing: the Soviet system taught us that we have our own special path and the West doesn\u2019t need us. That\u2019s utter rubbish. There are things we can do brilliantly \u2014 we just need to stop being ashamed of it. Our experience doesn\u2019t have to be thrown into the fire simply because we now live somewhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8001.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"3600\" data-lbwps-height=\"2400\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8001-600x400.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8001-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61669\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8001-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8001-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8001-713x475.jpg 713w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Opening of Zoya Ilina\u2019s exhibition Moving in Translation at The Arc London, 7 November 2025.<br>Photo: Anna Dmitrieva\/courtesy of The Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>So anyone can come to you and say, \u201cVasiliy, I have a project\u201d?<\/strong><br>That\u2019s exactly what happens. But we now want to assemble some kind of board \u2014 people whose taste we trust \u2014 so it isn\u2019t a personal decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once, I was the creative director of Strelka in Moscow, and I tried to turn Strelka into an interdisciplinary discussion space \u2014 where gallery owners could gather and talk about their business, or sixteen designers could argue about the future of the profession. I\u2019m for discussing all sorts of questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, anyone can come to us and say, \u201cI\u2019ve got a project.\u201d Then we have to work out whether we can carry it \u2014 we\u2019re a small place \u2014 and whether it fits our value system. And then, yes: we do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, on 13 March we\u2019re opening an exhibition by Dima Pantyushin. He\u2019s a major poster artist who still doesn\u2019t fully grasp the scale of his own talent. He did a huge amount for Russia\u2019s cultural scene in the 2010s: Solyanka, Enthusiast, TOTO, Krugly Shar, New Holland. As a poster designer he built an astonishing bridge between Rodchenko and the Soviet poster tradition, combining it with Eastern European and Italian poster styles. No one has really processed just how important a cultural figure he is.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7560.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"3600\" data-lbwps-height=\"2400\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7560-600x400.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7560-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7560-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7560-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7560-713x475.jpg 713w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Opening of Zoya Ilina\u2019s exhibition Moving in Translation at The Arc London, 7 November 2025.<br>Photo: Anna Dmitrieva\/courtesy of The Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>You talk about dialogue. In February you\u2019re hosting a performance in the form of a conversation \u2014 Night Conversation.<\/strong><br>It\u2019s a film script I wrote in 2021, before the war began. Two people \u2014 a Moscow actress and an events professional \u2014 end up in the kitchen of a woman who\u2019s been living in Berlin for twenty years. And they start talking about basic, life-defining things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those two see themselves as very liberal, but it turns out that no matter what they start discussing with the Berlin woman, there\u2019s a chasm between them. They talk about everything. Is it acceptable to hit children? Can you wear Hugo Boss if Hugo Boss produced Nazi uniforms? Is it acceptable to laugh at disabled people? They begin arguing, and through that argument a much larger story unfolds \u2014 the context of each person\u2019s life, and a deep layer of serious, lived pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here at ARC we\u2019ll do a reading in which the audience will find themselves inside the film. Three performers \u2014 me, Alisa Khazanova and Maria Bolshova \u2014 act out the script while a camera operator simultaneously brings it up on screen. You can watch it as theatre, or you can watch it as a finished piece of cinema.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a sense it\u2019s a performance about the causes of the war \u2014 about what was washed away in an instant on the morning of 24 February. I don\u2019t know what was in the head of someone working at a factory in Vladivostok. But I do know what was in mine \u2014 a liberal Moscow intellectual with a decent salary, living in the centre, attending events, sitting at the same table with, say, Kirill Serebrennikov, Ksenia Sobchak, Anton Krasovsky and Vyacheslav Volodin. We all greeted each other, shook hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now I\u2019m trying to understand my own measure of responsibility. Obviously I didn\u2019t start the war \u2014 but as a public figure I do carry some degree of responsibility. It\u2019s a difficult ethical question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re going to host debates \u2014 a British initiative, by the way \u2014 on whether people should be held responsible for the actions of their country. Are the British responsible for the Arab\u2013Palestinian and Israeli conflict? Are Americans responsible for Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya and the rest? And Russians \u2014 are we responsible? And if Palestinians aren\u2019t responsible for Hamas, then why are Russians\u2019 bank cards blocked?<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/vb_05698-2.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"2500\" data-lbwps-height=\"1406\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/vb_05698-2-600x337.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/vb_05698-2-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61655\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/vb_05698-2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/vb_05698-2-600x337.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/vb_05698-2-845x475.jpg 845w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: courtesy of The Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Do you want to talk about that in Britain in 2026? It\u2019s a nuclear conversation \u2014 but a good one, an important one, and a very difficult one. The kind of conversation it\u2019s actually great to have \u2014 without being afraid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>That was going to be my question \u2014 about \u201cnot being afraid\u201d\u2026<\/strong><br>We\u2019ve already been afraid. That\u2019s enough. We left a country where you had to be afraid of everything. Perhaps we\u2019ve ended up in a similar situation partly because of social media: the ability to talk to another person without assuming they\u2019re an idiot has disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re so polarised that any view that doesn\u2019t match ours is dismissed. It\u2019s a propaganda tactic: the world is so complicated that we won\u2019t even discuss it. But discussion is exactly where our conversation begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We recently did a project like this: we took one song, translated it into eight languages, recorded it in eight different countries with eight different musicians. It was fascinating how changing the language shifted the mood and the meaning. It\u2019s a huge research field: how do we learn to speak to each other?<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8181.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"2000\" data-lbwps-height=\"1333\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8181-600x400.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8181-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61670\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8181-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8181-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8181-713x475.jpg 713w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8181.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: courtesy of The Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>I always felt that musicians are, by nature, people who reject war. Did you lose friends, close people, when you left \u2014 when you saw that your views didn\u2019t align?<\/strong><br>The whole idea of asking musicians or actors what they think about life seems slightly misguided to me. If not downright presumptuous. Most musicians I know \u2014 and actors too, with rare exceptions \u2014 are absorbed in their craft. To talk about life, you need to live life. If you spend four years in a theatre from morning to night, then read books until six in the morning, you don\u2019t become a great thinker \u2014 you remain an artist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That doesn\u2019t mean artists are stupid. But asking any artist what they think about life seems incorrect. Yet for some reason we endlessly watch interviews with Actors, Musicians, Artists. Let\u2019s ask people whose job is to think. Artists won\u2019t explain how to live. And perhaps it\u2019s time to stop asking everyone altogether \u2014 and think for ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I had a great experience in Cannes in May last year. There was a Robert De Niro masterclass, and people kept asking him: how did we get to what\u2019s happening in the world? And he kept answering the same thing: \u201cI don\u2019t know \u2014 I\u2019m an actor! Ask me how I act. As for life, any thoughts I have aren\u2019t worth more than yours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7982.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"4842\" data-lbwps-height=\"4017\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7982-600x498.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"850\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7982-1024x850.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61663\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7982-1024x850.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7982-600x498.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7982-573x475.jpg 573w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: courtesy of The Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>I think the division between those who left and those who stayed is artificial. It\u2019s important to say that there\u2019s some huge merit in the fact I left. I\u2019m simply privileged \u2014 I was lucky, I had the opportunity. Some people don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I divide people more by views. In that Moscow frenzy \u2014 when everything was great, there was money \u2014 we simply didn\u2019t discuss certain topics. And now I\u2019ve suddenly realised: there are vast numbers of people, musicians especially, who passionately support what\u2019s happening \u2014 and that was an enormous disappointment. There are those who are frightened \u2014 and you can understand them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Only when I left Russia did I start understanding how traumatic certain things actually were: the fear of being arrested, the fear of unaccountable power. You never know \u2014 if you\u2019re thrown into a cell, what they\u2019ll do to you there.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8186.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"1536\" data-lbwps-height=\"2000\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8186-461x600.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"786\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8186-786x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61664\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8186-786x1024.jpg 786w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8186-461x600.jpg 461w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8186-365x475.jpg 365w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8186-600x781.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8186.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 786px) 100vw, 786px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Opening of Roma Liberov\u2019s exhibition Reflections at The Arc London, 16 January 2026.<br>Photo: Valery Konkov\/courtesy of The Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>I lost many friends because of the war in Ukraine, but oddly enough I\u2019ve fallen out with far more people because of Israel. When I read posts by my right-wing friends, I want to shoot myself; when I read posts by my left-wing friends, I want to shoot myself. It feels like everyone\u2019s lost the plot. It\u2019s probably made me more centrist, because both sides scare me equally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And what I want to do at ARC is connected to common sense: let\u2019s talk. We\u2019re adults. We can moderate emotions \u2014 our own and other people\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>But who\u2019s going to moderate those conversations? They\u2019re very \u2018nuclear\u2019, as you said.<\/strong><br>When the war in Ukraine began, many people said: why try to talk to Ukrainians now \u2014 they won\u2019t hear us, they won\u2019t understand us. I replied: I want to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time it\u2019s strange, when you meet someone whose home a rocket has hit, to say: I\u2019m so sad, I hurt for you, I can\u2019t sleep, I\u2019m suffering. It doesn\u2019t make them warmer or colder \u2014 they no longer have a home. But if you say: how are you, tell me what\u2019s happening to you \u2014 you discover that for many people from Ukraine it was incredibly important that someone born in Russia understood how they were doing.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7986.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"5536\" data-lbwps-height=\"4160\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7986-600x451.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"769\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7986-1024x769.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7986-1024x769.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7986-600x451.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7986-632x475.jpg 632w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Opening of Roma Liberov\u2019s exhibition Reflections at The Arc London, 16 January 2026.<br>Photo: Valery Konkov\/courtesy of The Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Sometimes pain, rage, anger boil over \u2014 but then you build unbelievably strong relationships. Over four years of war I\u2019ve made more friends from Belarus, Ukraine and other countries shaped by the Soviet past than from my own country. Because you need to be able to listen, to feel another person\u2019s pain and be ready for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time you don\u2019t have to burn your passport and pretend you weren\u2019t born in Russia \u2014 on the contrary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was recently in Paris with the Canadian musician Patrick Watson, and we spent two hours talking about why Russian music never became popular internationally, why it didn\u2019t break out of its local bubble. And he said, \u201cYou Russians have one problem: you don\u2019t lean on your own heritage. Instead of listening to your Stravinsky and Shostakovich, you keep trying to make English music \u2014 and English music, in turn, takes everything from Stravinsky and Shostakovich\u2026 like your beloved Radiohead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That really interests me. Why is C\u00e9line Dion\u2019s All By Myself essentially Rachmaninov\u2019s Second Piano Concerto, and I don\u2019t have a song like that? Why don\u2019t we use this? Why do we know nothing about our own folk songs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8214.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"720\" data-lbwps-height=\"1280\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8214-338x600.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"61657\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8214-576x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61657\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8214-576x1024.jpg 576w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8214-338x600.jpg 338w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8214-267x475.jpg 267w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8214-600x1067.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8214.jpg 720w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Opening of Roma Liberov\u2019s exhibition Reflections at The Arc London, 16 January 2026.<br>Photo: Valery Konkov\/courtesy of The Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/vb_05565.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"1667\" data-lbwps-height=\"2500\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/vb_05565-400x600.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"61656\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/vb_05565-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61656\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/vb_05565-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/vb_05565-400x600.jpg 400w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/vb_05565-317x475.jpg 317w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/vb_05565-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/vb_05565.jpg 1667w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: courtesy of The Arc Space.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s explore that intersection \u2014 that seam, that place where things are glued together. And try to reassemble it in our heads: understand what matters, what doesn\u2019t, what to keep \u2014 and what to say goodbye to forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We started with Roman Liberov\u2019s exhibition about the relationship with the city. What is your relationship with London?<\/strong><br>There\u2019s a brilliant video where Sir Ian McKellen explains why he loves Manchester: because taxi drivers there say, \u201cHello, love \u2014 how are you, love?\u201d and he feels at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first time I came to England was at Christmas. Everyone was in festive jumpers at the airport, singing songs. I remember thinking: this is a good city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7013.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"1500\" data-lbwps-height=\"1875\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7013-480x600.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"61662\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7013-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61662\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7013-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7013-480x600.jpg 480w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7013-380x475.jpg 380w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7013-600x750.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7013.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7012.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"1500\" data-lbwps-height=\"1875\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7012-480x600.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"61661\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7012-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61661\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7012-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7012-480x600.jpg 480w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7012-380x475.jpg 380w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7012-600x750.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7012.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a ref=\"magnificPopup\" href=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7011.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"1500\" data-lbwps-height=\"1875\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7011-480x600.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"61660\" src=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7011-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7011-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7011-480x600.jpg 480w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7011-380x475.jpg 380w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7011-600x750.jpg 600w, https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_7011.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In general, everything important in life \u2014 at least in my life \u2014 begins with love. It just happened, and I felt I was in the right place. And there\u2019s also a powerful feeling when you realise that all the quotations, all the films, the books, the music \u2014 they\u2019re here, on the streets next to yours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I once spoke about this with Boris Borisovich Grebenshchikov, and he said that when he first came to London in the 1980s he also felt it was his place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People often ask me what creativity is \u2014 I don\u2019t like the word very much \u2014 but I think it\u2019s a mix of a few things: genuine curiosity and love of life; the desire to keep learning; the desire to share what you learn; and the ability to play \u2014 not in the sense that \u201clife is a game\u201d, but in the sense that you can make the world around you a little more unusual and interesting. I think it\u2019s an important feeling, one you have to protect in yourself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vasiliy Zorkii is a musician, director, writer, producer and screenwriter, known for work at the intersection of music, theatre and text. He has led and participated in several musical projects, created theatre productions (Strana Moskva at TsIM; I\u2019m 30 Years Old at the Gogol Centre), launched the international pandemic-era project Fairy Tales at Home, and written the novel The Biggest Bloody Ferris Wheel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":61676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[84],"tags":[],"type_post":[184],"column":[],"class_list":["post-61684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61684"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61684\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61929,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61684\/revisions\/61929"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61684"},{"taxonomy":"type_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type_post?post=61684"},{"taxonomy":"column","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/column?post=61684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}