Khadzar of Dreams

An exhibition exploring the centuries-old traditions and contemporary culture of North Ossetia.

Vladikavkaz serves as the fifth stop in the GES-2: Cities programme. North Ossetia possesses a vibrant and unique cultural heritage: here, traditions are not merely preserved, but continue to evolve, adapting to changing circumstances. Collective practices have remained particularly significant to local residents for centuries. At this exhibition, these practices are embodied through the imagery of two urban spaces: the khadzar and the cinema.

In this new exhibition, the GES-2: Cities team reviews the outcomes of its work in Vladikavkaz, further developing themes and narratives first established in the Yard of Culture project in the summer of 2025.

The exhibition features 40 works, including six commissioned by GES-2 House of Culture

All our exhibitions can be visited free of charge on the first Wednesday of every month

The khadzar is a phenomenon exclusive to Ossetian culture—a dedicated structure built by residents in the courtyards of apartment blocks for gatherings and feasts to mark holidays and anniversaries. The cinema, by contrast, is a symbol of the twentieth century and an example of a former urban focal point; its visible decline across the post-Soviet landscape has come to signify the sunset of Modernist culture.

The project is presented across two locations: Gallery C6 on the 2nd Floor and the Platform on the 3rd. Works by contemporary artists sit alongside monuments of Ossetian fine art and cinema, as well as field research materials.

Authors

Karina Besolti — Izmail Burnatsev — Azanbek Dzhanaev — Daniil Fomichev — Genrikh Ignatov — Julia Kartoshkina — Kosta Khetagurov — Ruslana Osmanova — Fyodor Telkov — Madina Tezieva — Ioakim Sharoev — Marat Sidakov — Andrey Silvestrov — Soslanbek Yedziev

Curators
Yaroslav Aleshin, Sergey Babkin, Alexandra Kiseleva, Alexandra Tumarkina

Architecture
Olga Rokal (UTRO bureau), Denis Gavrilin

Producers
Stacy Dementyeva, Maria Kalinina, Angelina Vorona

Technical team
Andrey Belov, Artem Kanifatov, Ksenia Kosaya, Pavel Luzhin

Lighting
Ksenia Kosaya

Art logistics and registration
Daria Krivtsova, Polina Loskot, Daria Pankevich

Graphic design
Kirill Gorbunov

Accessibility and inclusion programmes team
Alexandra Kharchenko, Vlad Kolesnikov, Victoria Kuzmina, Varvara Merenkova, Vera Zamyslova

Editor
Sasha Kirillova

English texts
Ben Hooson

Media specialist
Irina Popovich

The exhibition Khadzar of Dreams is organised with the participation of:
Gosfilmofond of Russia
Makharbek Tuganov Art Museum
Museum of Gorsky State Agrarian University
Sovtelexport

Special thanks for assistance in editing the interviews with residents of the house in Vladikavkaz to Maxim Ignatiev and the Vaults Centre for Artistic Production