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Radical Stability: Mediation in the Context of Contemporary Cultural Practices

Offline participants

Online participants

Official partner of the GES-2 mediation programme

Forum agenda

 Up

 10 Apr, Fri

Central Platform

Russian, English, RSL

Classrooms E5–E6

Russian, English, RSL on demand. Online

Classroom E9

Russian

Square

Russian. Online

12:00–12:15

Forum Opening


—

—

—

—

—

12:15–13:45

Any Predictions? Discussion


—

—

—

—

—

14:00–15:30

Exchange of Experiences. Part I


Approaches to Mediation for Families and Young Adults. Part I


Mediation Studies 


—

—

—

15:30–16:30

Break

16:30–18:00

Documenting Mediation


Approaches to Mediation for Families and Young Adults. Part II


—

—

Practical Tools and Original Methods. Part I: Workshops 


—

18:00–18:30

Break

18:30–19:30

—

—

—

—

—

—

19:30–21:00

Community of Praxis: Training UCLA Student Educators at the Hammer Museum


—

—

—

—

—

Central Platform

Russian, English, RSL

Classrooms E5–E6

Russian, English, RSL on demand. Online

Classroom E9

Russian

Square

 11 Apr, Sat

Russian. Online

12:00–13:30

Exchange of Experiences. Part II


Open Sessions. Reimagining Artistic Mediation through a Participatory Fanzine Workshop
(in English)


Practical Tools and Original Methods. Part II: Discussion 


—

—

—

13:30–14:30

Break

14:30–16:00

Mediation Potential in Inclusive Practices. Part I


Organisation and Teamwork


Practical Tools and Original Methods. Part III: Discussion 


—

—

—

16:00–16:30

Break

16:30–18:00

Mediation Potential in Inclusive Practices. Part II


Designing Objects for Interaction. Part I


Open Sessions. World Cafe: ‘Developing Mediation Without Resources’


—

—

Mediation with Katerina Leinen and Natalia Mikhailova


18:00–18:30

Break

18:30–20:00

Partnerships in Mediation


Mediation Potential in Inclusive Practices. Part III


Designing Objects for Interaction. Part II


—

—

—

Central Platform

Russian, English, RSL

Classrooms E5–E6

Russian, English, RSL on demand. Online

Classroom E9

Russian

Square

 12 Apr, Sun

Russian. Online

12:00–13:30

Mediator Image: Uniform or No Uniform?


Collaborators: Partnership and Collective Sociocultural Design. Part I


—

—

Practical Tools and Original Methods. Part IV: Workshops


—

13:30–14:30

Break

14:30–16:00

Professional Training: How to Teach (and Learn) Mediation? Part I: Showcase 


Collaborators: Partnership and Collective Sociocultural Design. Part II


—

—

—

Mediation with Thiago Gil Virava. Invitation to Attention
(in English)


16:00–16:30

Break

16:30–18:00

—

Curatorial Practices of Mediation and Mediation of Cultural Heritage


Professional Training: How to Teach (and Learn) Mediation? Part II: Workshop


Open Sessions. . Where to Find Funding for Mediation Programmes? 


—

Mediation with Dmitry Moskvin


18:00–19:00

Break

Russian, English, RSL

19:00–19:30

Closing Session


19:30–21:00

Forum programme

 10 Apr, Fri

 11 Apr, Sat

 12 Apr, Sun

10 Apr, Fri

12:00–12:15
Central Platform

Forum Opening

Forum opening and the presentation of the sections and their work plans.

Speakers

Ekaterina Voronovich—Head of Mediation, GES-2 House of Culture. 

Alisa Prudnikova—Programme Director, GES-2 House of Culture. 

To agenda 

12:15–13:45
Central Platform

Any Predictions? Discussion

Mediation began as an experimental practice subverting the familiar hierarchies between artist, viewer, and institution. Today, mediation is increasingly included into the organisational setups: it becomes part of programmes, methodologies, and organigrams.

As this happens, one inevitably wonders, how does the original radical intention fare alongside sustainability strategies? How does the role of the mediator transform across different contexts, from the conventional museum to independent projects and higher education?

How do these changes impact the fragility of the original practice and how does it transform? Can mediation be used to care and promote social inclusion? Is it affected by the rise of artificial intelligence? What does “radical stability” mean across different types of cultural institutions, from classical museums to project-based and independent formats?

The speakers of the opening session will address these questions and propose directions for discussion on the future of mediation throughout the forum.

The event will take place in Russian with simultaneous interpretation into English and Russian Sign Language (RSL).

To agenda 

Speakers

Aleksei Boiko (Saint Petersburg) is a mediator, Ph. D in art history, and museum educator coordinating the Art Mediation programme of the State Russian Museum.

Maria Galochkina (Moscow) is senior mediator at GES-2 House of Culture focusing on accessibility and adaptation, art historian, and curator of projects for children with migration backgrounds as part of the Equally Different programme in temporary accommodation facilities. Her interests lie mainly in critical and libertarian approaches in pedagogy.

Sergei Kochkurov (Moscow) is a curator of mediation programmes at GES-2.

Daria Malikova (Yekaterinburg) is a producer at the ZA ART Centre for support and development of contemporary art as well as Head of the Mediation School of the Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art.

Alena Melnikova (Ufa) is a project manager and coordinator of the art mediation programme at ZAMAN MUSEUM, co-author of participatory tools for urban and museum mediations.

Alisa Prudnikova (Moscow) is Programme Director at GES-2 House of Culture.

13:45–14:00

Break

14:00–15:30
Central Platform

Exchange of Experiences. Part I

A session dedicated to radical and sustainable approaches to mediation—not only as a format, but as a principle of relationships within culture. It includes a discussion on designing visitor experiences in cultural institutions, transformational processes in the public sphere, and communication with various audiences.

The event will take place in Russian with simultaneous interpretation into English and Russian Sign Language (RSL).

To agenda 

Mediation in the Expanded Field. How to decode exhibitions and create collective statements

Sonya Mezhericher (Moscow) is a mediation programme coordinator at GES-2 House of Culture, cultural projects producer, and programmer at the Summer School of Mediation for Teenagers. She curates partnership projects with the Museum of Moscow, the Young Architects Society, and Muzeon Park.

From Arrow to Circle: notes on mediation at the São Paulo Biennial

Thiago Gil de Oliveira Virava (São Paulo) is a postdoctoral researcher at the Instituto de Arte da Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil (since 2025), previously — researcher and manager of the Education Department at the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo (2013–2024), having collaborated in the editing of several educational publications; planning and conducting training courses for mediators and teachers, as well as outreach activities aimed at different audiences.

Mediation and Site-specific Art: the Supporting Structure project at the Narkomfin Building

Polina Mikhailik (Moscow) is the manager of mediation programmes at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art. She has a master’s degree in art management from the Institute of Social Sciences (RANEPA). She researches participatory art projects and alternative pedagogies.

The Museum Kurultai Project: the experience of establishing mediation in museums of Bashkortostan. Points of growth and zones of turbulence. From community to institution: the idea of creating a Mediation Centre

Liliya Akhmetova (Sterlitamak) is an art historian, mediator, and head of the Sterlitamak Art Gallery (a branch of the Bashkir State Art Museum).

Section curator

Sergei Kochkurov is a curator of mediation programmes at GES-2. 

14:00–15:30
Classrooms E5–E6

Approaches to Mediation for Families and Young Adults. Part I

A session on diverse strategies in developing mediated tour scenarios for family audiences and young adults, with a special focus on the role of mediation in expanding and shaping individual impressions of art and sustaining group attention.

The event will be held in Russian with simultaneous interpretation into English. Russian Sign Language (RSL) interpretation is available upon request. 

To agenda 

Mediating with Students: the case of interactive sessions at GES-2

Vasilisa Glazistova (Moscow) is an educator in the school outreach programmes at GES-2. She assisted the Body and Sound section at the Cascade project school for teenagers, worked as a facilitator at the GES-2 Atelier, and curated several international projects, including Who Was That? Who Was That? It Wasn’t Me! with the Kakooti Kids puppet theatre from Iran and Framing Abacadabra with artists from India.

Mediation on Difficult Subjects for Teenagers: from monologue to co-creation

Diana Bakieva (Saint Petersburg) is a museum educator and curator of the parallel programme at the Children’s Days festival. She has received grants from the Professional Development and Creative Museum competitions of the Potanin Foundation.

The Mysterious Tree: New Year mediation as a collective action format

Marina Ustinova (Moscow) is a curator of children’s educational programmes at the Cryptography Museum, and a social anthropologist.

Irina Svetlichnaya (Moscow) is an artist, curator, art educator, methodologist, and founder of the One More Minute idea lab. She creates museum programmes and festival cultural events, art objects, and theatre laboratories. She works across various mediums, bringing together people with diverse abilities and experience.

Evgenia Fomina (Moscow) is a vocalist, sound artist, and sound researcher. Her work lies at the intersection of vocal practices and sound research, improvisational vocal music, body and object-based practices, light and video art, as well as projects using various knitting techniques and textile repurposing.

Vladimir Averin (Moscow) is an artist, documentary photographer, and art educator. He co-founded the Ukralporezal (“Stole and cut up”) collage workshop. Vladimir works with animation, photography, collage, alternative printing methods, text, and also with social media as a documentary photographer and illustrator.

Section curator

Karina Chernyshova is a senior mediator at GES-2 House of Culture responsible for family programmes and working with different artistic mediums. Her research focus lies in body and performative practices as well as individual visitor mediation.

14:00–15:30
Classroom E7

Mediation Studies

How is mediation conceptualised in contemporary research? What topics and questions are currently of interest to those studying mediation practices from within? Can mediation be not only an object of study, but a research method as well? In this section, mediation is examined through the lenses of translation studies, coincidental philosophy, museology, and communication theory. Participants will present their research projects, methodological approaches, and key findings.

To agenda 

Linguistic Invariants: mediations as a translation practice

Nadezhda Valeeva (Tyumen) is a student at the School of Advanced Studies (SAS) of Tyumen State University and a researcher of media and technology.

Art and the Individual: a mediation cycle for engaging viewers

Dianna Kovalyova (Saint Petersburg) is an art historian, independent art mediator, and curator. She runs the Call_of_Art Telegram channel and studies art mediation as a tool for empowering viewers to perceive contemporary art individually.

Radical Critiques: phenomenology of mass spectatorship in contemporary art

Polina Talalaeva (Saint Petersburg / Moscow) is a curator, producer, dance artist, and researcher of performative practices. She runs the PROSTO (“Easy”) Telegram channel and podcast. Polina holds an MA in Artistic Practices of Contemporary Dance from the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet.

Methodological Approaches to Mediation Research: GES-2 as a Case Study

Anastasia Streblyanskaya (Moscow) is a mediator at GES-2, tutor and educator, coordinator of the Cultural Mediation Workshop at the Summer School project, researcher, and co-founder of the Quiet in the Garden project.

Svetlana Tyurina (Moscow) is a mediator at GES-2 and postgraduate researcher at the Department of Aesthetics at the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2023–2025).

Not “Above”, But “Between”: key notions of museum mediation based on the experience of GES-2

Arina Torubarova (Moscow) is a third-year student at the Higher School of Economics, School of Communications.

Section curators

Ekaterina Voronovich is head of mediation at GES-2.

Katya Tsyrlina is an independent researcher, mediator, and curator, graduate of Paris 8 Vincennes–Saint-Denis University (2024). She co-founded the Cultural Mediation Workshop and worked as a mediator at GES-2 (2021–2022) and at the Cultures du Cœur en Seine-Saint-Denis association (France, 2024–2025).

15:30–16:30

Break

16:30–18:00
Central Platform

Documenting Mediation

Who documents mediation, why, and how (or why not)? Is it possible, or even necessary, to provide mediation recordings for the archives while representing the diversity of its participants?

The panel is dedicated to practices, mechanisms, and complexities involved in documenting mediation—from the perspective of mediators, participants, and institutions.

The event will be held in Russian with simultaneous interpretation into English and Russian Sign Language (RSL).

To agenda 

Presentations

The Quiet in the Garden team

Liza Voronina (Saint Petersburg) is a researcher, mediator, laboratory assistant at the Contemporary Art Department of the State Hermitage and co-curator of the creative track at the 2024 Cultural Mediation Workshop (CMW).

Anastasia Streblyanskaya (Moscow) is a mediator at GES-2, tutor and educator, coordinator of the Cultural Mediation Workshop at the Summer School project, and researcher.

Polina Zadorozhnaya (Saint Petersburg) is an editor, mediator, independent researcher, and facilitator of reading groups. She co-curated the CMW—2024 creative track. Her research focuses on commemorative practices and urban memoryscapes.



Anna Abramova (Saint Petersburg) is an art researcher. She explores digital art projects and their mediation strategies.

Vlada Bulygina (Saint Petersburg) is a theatre and performance director, dance dramatist, curator, and researcher of interdisciplinary cultural practices. She focuses on mediation as a practice of body-to-body co-presence and a palimpsest of viewer experiences in exhibition space.

Ira Frenkel (Saint Petersburg) is a researcher, mediator, and curator of educational and exhibition projects. She curates the archive programme and mediation projects at Dom Radio.

Yana Dvoenko (Moscow) is an archivist at GES-2 and researcher. She studies cultural memory and digital archiving methods.

Section curator

Katya Tsyrlina is an independent researcher, mediator, and curator, graduate of Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis University (2024). She co-founded the Cultural Mediation Workshop and worked as a mediator at GES-2 (2021–2022) and at the Cultures du Cœur en Seine-Saint-Denis association (France, 2024–2025).

16:30–18:00
Classrooms E5–E6

Approaches to Mediation for Families and Young Adults. Part II

We will explore mediation as a flexible set of practices for working with family and teen audiences, examining individual case studies that serve as a springboard for developing new methodologies and further experimentation. We will discuss how a toolkit of research-based and play-based practices helps sustain the engagement of both children and adults—whether in a single mediation session or across a thematic series of events.

The event will be held in Russian with simultaneous interpretation into English. Russian Sign Language (RSL) interpretation is available upon request. 

To agenda 

Where Did the Khwarezmians Go? A mediated exhibition tour as a journey

Alina Miroshnik (Moscow) is a mediator at GES-2, art historian, and educator. She volunteers in charitable foundations and cultural projects and works as a counsellor in a camp for neurodivergent children.

Yulia Karpenkova (Moscow) is a mediator at GES-2 and art historian. She volunteers as an educator in summer camps at a rehabilitation centre for neurodivergent children and teenagers.

Maria Kolpakova (Moscow) is a mediator at GES-2, researcher of contemporary art, illustrator, and educator.

Art Mediation: Hunting for Feelings. Specifics and development of teenage-focused practices

Alena Khokhlova (Moscow, Bali) is a contemporary artist, art therapist, and postgraduate student in psychoanalysis at HSE University, as well as a researcher of psychoanalysis in art and an art mediator. She works with video art, photography, installations, and painting. Alena has developed a set of original artistic practices and mediation techniques. Her work has been exhibited in Russia, China, France, Qatar, and Bali. Her research interests include adolescent psychology, women in contemporary art, and artificial intelligence.

First Impressions: how to visit a museum with a child so they want to come back

Daria Tarasova (Moscow) is an educational psychologist, tutor, and creator of her own art mediation programme for pre-school and primary school children, centred on the art museums of Moscow.

Section curator

Karina Chernyshova is a senior mediator at GES-2 House of Culture responsible for family programmes and working with different artistic mediums. Her research focus lies in body and performative practices as well as individual visitor mediation.

16:30–18:00
Left Platform

Practical Tools and Original Methods. Part I: Workshops

During the forum, participants of this section will conduct workshops and mediation sessions open to all. At 30- and 60-minute workshops, specialists will demonstrate their mediation tools and approaches, followed by a methodological analysis. Participants may join either as contributors, immersing themselves in the practice and interacting with the mediator, or as an observer, evaluating the workshop with a checklist.

Participation in all workshops is by prior registration at the information desk, subject to availability.

To agenda 

Constructing Meaning: prompt cards as a tool for observation and interpretation

Anastasia Makovoz (Moscow) is a mediator at GES-2, researcher of visual culture.

Olfactory Practices in Mediation

Anna Sukhina (Moscow) is an art mediator at the Museum of Russian Impressionism, contemporary artist, and lecturer.

Text Mediation: implementation and potential

Taisia Frolova (Moscow) is a mediator at GES-2, graduate of the Gorky Literary Institute, PhD student at the HSE Design School.

Discussing “Nothing”: mediation without an artifact

Viktor Tsiryanidi (Moscow) is a mediator at GES-2, artist. MA in pedagogy (art education).

Section curators

Katerina Leinen is a senior mediator at GES-2, director of the Cultural Meditation Workshop (CMW), author of educational programmes on mediation for institutional and independent specialists.

Daria Malikova is a producer at the ZA ART Centre for support and development of contemporary art as well as Head of the Mediation School of the Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art.

18:00–18:30

Break

19:30–21:00
Classrooms E5–E6

Community of Praxis: Training UCLA Student Educators at the Hammer Museum

In many University art spaces, student guides seek to engage visitors and create a feeling of belonging in the galleries. How can museum educators train and support students in their efforts?

The presentation includes a new gallery educational framework created specifically for student guides who encourage visitors from all age groups and walks of life to share their ideas about art.

The event is part of the Professional Training: How to Teach (and Learn) Mediation section.

The event will be held in English with simultaneous interpretation. Interpretation into Russian Sign Language (RSL) is available upon request.

To agenda 

Speakers

Kai Monet (Los Angeles)—University Audiences Specialist, Hammer Museum. 

Rachel Regalado (Los Angeles)—Assistant Educator, Hammer Museum. 

Hallie Scott (Los Angeles)—Association Director, Academic Programs, Hammer Museum. 

Liz Novikova (Los Angeles)—Student Educator. 

11 Apr, Sat

12:00–13:30
Classrooms E5–E6

Exchange of Experiences. Part II

The second part of the section will present radical and sustainable approaches to mediation—not only as a format, but as a principle of relationships in culture—as well as strategies for designing visitor experience in cultural institutions and transformative processes in the public sphere and audience communication.

The event will be held in Russian and English with simultaneous interpretation. Interpretation into Russian Sign Language (RSL) is available upon request.

To agenda 

Shchich shchunatla shchurt (“The House with Seven Wings”)— on the 2nd Chuvash Biennale of Contemporary Art

Anastasia Vazikova (Cheboksary) is a mediator of the 2nd Chuvash Biennale of Contemporary Art.

Revolt Against Everyday Life: mediation as a way to rethink the local history museum

Alisa Teryokhina (Perm) is an independent art mediator, an interdisciplinarian researcher of urban spaces, and an employee of the Tut space, an art residency for children, teenagers, and young adults.

Between Curatorship and Education: Mediation and Public Programmes at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand and the Histories Cycle

André Mesquita (São Paulo) is a curator, Head of Mediation and Public Programmes at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (MASP) in Brazil, and a member of the Southern Conceptualisms Network. His research focuses on the intersections of art, politics, and activism, with particular interests in state violence, public secrecy, social movements, counter-cartography, ecology, and decolonisation.

Mediation in the archive, the artist’s studio, technical, and art museums: Practice, challenges, inclusive approaches

Tina Shirokostup (Moscow) is an independent mediator who works with the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Russian Impressionism, the Cryptography Museum; a speaker at the interdisciplinary forum How to Work Together? Mediation in the Context of Contemporary Cultural Practices; and mediator of the A-S-H festival (2025).

Section curator

Sergei Kochkurov is a curator of mediation programmes at GES-2. 

12:00–14:30
Classroom E9

Open Sessions. Reimagining Artistic Mediation through a Participatory Fanzine Workshop

Working in small groups, participants will create a participatory fanzine through co-design sections, layout, folded format, cover, title, and other elements. Every contribution is valued, highlighting the singularity of each participant while shaping a collective outcome. The process emphasises co-creation, dialogue, and redistribution of roles, showing how collaborative creativity emerges from shared experimentation.

The resulting fanzine will also serve as a reflective platform rooted in initial indeterminacy, leaving space for listening, improvisation, and collective intelligence, in dialogue with the work of Grant Kester and François Deck, documenting ideas, reflections, and insights from the workshop and the forum.

The event will be held in English without interpretation.

To agenda 

Speaker

Paola Mendoza Osorio (Paris) is a visual and plastic artist, member of the PuntaSeca artist collective. Participant at Cohabiter: Imagining Cultural Mediation in the 21st Century symposium at the Observatoire des médiations culturelles (Canada) and contributor to its book of proceedings. Paola holds a master’s degree in plastic and visual arts with a specialisation in arts ecology and media.

12:00–13:30
Left Platform

Practical Tools and Original Methods. Part II: Case Studies

Five thematic roundtables will bring together specialists working with an identical mediation format or object. Their task is to identify similarities and differences between cases, and to outline the boundaries between mediation and related non-mediation practices.

Discussions will take place simultaneously, after which the results will be presented to all participants. Forum participants may freely join any roundtable.

To agenda 

Mediation in the Urban Space. Roundtable

Polina Ivankina (Saint Petersburg) is a mediator, researcher of cultural memory, student at the school of humanities and arts of HSE University, participant of the Cultural Mediation Workshop.

Dmitry Moskvin (Yekaterinburg) has a PhD in political science, and is head of the EkbLetsWalk centre of curated tours and cultural practices.

Nadezhda Kovalyova (Saint Petersburg / Moscow) is an art historian, independent art mediator and curator. Author of art mediations at the exhibition projects of the Limonov Art Foundation, Anna Nova Gallery, ROSFOTO museum, and the Nothing to Worry About street art festival. Curator of the exhibition Thanks for Nothing in the building of Catherine’s Public Assembly (Saint Petersburg) and the public programme of its Rostov-on-Don edition, international projects at Inloco Gallery (Dubai), and art mediation programmes at the Third Place pop-up project (Saint Petersburg).

Darya Lungina (Moscow) is a lecturer in history and cultural theory, associate professor at the Philosophy department of Moscow State University, academic supervisor of its art management programme, and PhD in philosophy.

Ira Maslova (Nizhny Novgorod) is a researcher of Soviet architecture, curator of the Urban Expeditions guided tour project.

Sonya Legavina (Moscow) is a mediator and cultural researcher. Works at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art and in various independent projects. Co-founder of the Panelnoe urban mediation project.

Larisa Piskunova (Yekaterinburg) is the head of the Avant-garde Territory project, associate professor at the Ural Federal University, PhD in philosophy. Professional interests include mediation as a principle of communication in urban and institutional spaces.

Tasya Sedova (Moscow) is an independent mediator, alumna of the Cascade project, student at HSE University.

Clubs as a Form of Mediation. Panel discussion

Natalya Bortnikova  (Zelenograd) is an associate professor at the department of advertising and sociocultural technologies, PhD in philosophy.

Tatyana Melnikova (Moscow) is a mediator at GES-2, founder of the Kinoclub Moscow project.

Irina Suvorova (Yekaterinburg) is the producer of the Senior Generation Art Club project, former lead specialist at the Ural branch of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, olfactory artist.

Elena Bikiteeva (Yekaterinburg) is the head of the Senior Generation Art Club project, former head of the Ural branch of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, director of the Osnovo Centre for creative industries (Ekaterinburg).

Vladimir Beresnev (Perm) is a leading scientific associate at the Perm State Art Gallery, senior lecturer at the department of cultural studies and socio-humanitarian technologies, Perm State University.

Creative Practices in Mediation. Panel discussion

Ekaterina Bespalova (Saint Petersburg) is an art historian, artist, employee of the Youth Centre of the State Hermitage, developer of the creative mediation format the Manege Central Exhibition Hall.

Anna Kochneva  (Saint Petersburg) has a master’s degree in museology from Saint Petersburg State University. She is chief methodologist for research and educational work at the Russian National Library and founder of It All Sticks Together collage workshop.

Natalia Mikhailova (Moscow) is the head of the educational department of the State Darwin Museum, PhD in biology, honoured cultural worker of the Russian Federation, ICOM member.

Performative and Plastic Mediation. Panel discussion

Katerina Mironova (Moscow) is an art therapist, medical clown, game practitioner, facilitator of communication games, director of documentary performances, founder of the Art Hiker creative camp for adults.

Marina Romanova (Moscow) is a mediator, museum educator, curator of the Yandex Museum, lead methodologist at the Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve. Former head of mediation at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art. Focuses on participatory practices and community work.

Anna Karganova (Moscow) is an art historian, curator, exhibition specialist at the Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve; co-curator of the 4th and 5th Triennial of Textile Art and Contemporary Tapestry.

Irina Selezneva (Moscow) is a curator of the Textile Collection at the Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve, mediator.

Olga Simonova (Moscow) is a performer, professional dancer and teacher with 12 years of experience. Practices improvisation as a form of live dialogue with body, space, and people. Faculty member at Mainstream Dance Studio.

Daria Plokhova (Moscow) is a dance artist, choreographer, contemporary dance teacher, co-founder of the dance cooperative Isadorino Gore, developer of performative programs for museums (Polytechnic Museum, Jewish Museum, ZILART).

Spontaneous/Free Mediations. Panel discussion

Nastya Antonova (Moscow / Krasnoyarsk) is a mediator, forum theatre practitioner, student of the museum studies department (Moscow State Institute of Culture), coordinator of the Perm Seasons project, head of Student Metacognitive Lab (2025) and Participatory Design Workshop (2026) programmes.

Section curators

Katerina Leinen is a senior mediator at GES-2, director of the Cultural Meditation Workshop (CMW), author of educational programmes on mediation for institutional and independent specialists.

Daria Malikova is a producer at the ZA ART Centre for support and development of contemporary art as well as Head of the Mediation School of the Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art.

13:30–14:30

Break

14:30–16:00
Left Platform

Practical Tools and Original Methods. Part III: Discussion

Discussion with section participants. 

Section curators

Katerina Leinen is a senior mediator at GES-2, director of the Cultural Meditation Workshop (CMW), author of educational programmes on mediation for institutional and independent specialists.

Daria Malikova is a producer at the ZA ART Centre for support and development of contemporary art as well as Head of the Mediation School of the Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art.

To agenda 

14:30–16:00
Classrooms E5–E6

The event will be held in Russian with simultaneous interpretation into English and Russian Sign Language (RSL). 

Mediation Potential in Inclusive Practices. Part I

What do mediation and inclusive practices have in common? They share a set of closely aligned principles: equal access to public goods, the creation of a space for respectful dialogue, the rejection of the idea of a norm, and the overcoming of social and cultural isolation.

We invite participants to discuss how mediation transforms cultural institutions for the needs of visitors, how to broaden the representation of diverse groups and perspectives, and how not only to listen to these voices, but to truly hear them.

To agenda 

The Art of Being Seen: mediation through the lens of hospitality

Kristina Kim and Akniya Amirova (Almaty) are mediators in the hospitality team at the Tselinny Centre of Contemporary Culture. In their work, they explore and develop practices from the hospitality industry, with particular attention to how mediation can serve as an invitation for guests to encounter and enter into dialogue with contemporary art.

From Accessibility to Co-Creation: art mediation as a new language of inclusive dialogue

Vera Reikhet (Saint Petersburg) is a curator of inclusive and educational projects, a mediator, advisor to the director of public programmes at the Manege Central Exhibition Hall, co-founder and lecturer at the Manege School of Art Mediation, member of the Association of Art Critics.

How Multimodality Shapes Inclusive Mediation: the emergence and reflection of meaning across different channels of perception

Alesya Ververlskaya (Ufa) is a fifth-year student at the Higher School of Russian Philology, Ufa University of Science and Technology, mediator at ZAMAN MUSEUM. Her academic focus is multimodality in linguistics and philology: how meaning is produced and reflected through different perceptual channels.

How Museum Methodology Creates an Environment for Inclusive Practices

Darina Telepnyak (Vladivostok) is a methodologist for museum educational programmes for children and teenagers, guide, and participant in inclusive projects.

Mediation Practices for Multilingual Audiences: nonverbal communication and native languages

Bogdana Skorik (Barcelona) is a curator, mediator and researcher working with biennials, independent platforms, and institutional spaces. She has been a speaker at the Women and Space UNESCO initiative, collaborated with the FCPC foundation and Centres Civics exhibition spaces in Barcelona, and curated over forty exhibitions. Her projects have been published in METAL Magazine and The Posttraumatic. Her practice focuses on experimental institutional models, inclusivity, community engagement, and emerging contemporary art.

Section curator

Maria Galochkina is a senior mediator at GES-2 House of Culture focusing on accessibility and adaptation, art historian, and curator of projects for children with migration backgrounds as part of the Equally Different programme in temporary accommodation facilities. Her interests lie mainly in critical and libertarian approaches in pedagogy.

14:30–16:00
Classroom E7

Organisation and Teamwork

How can the work of a mediation team be organised so that processes remain sustainable and staff do not burn out? What tasks do mediators handle beyond communicating with visitors, and how are work schedules arranged? How is a team formed?

The discussion will take the form of a roundtable. Participants will present real cases from their practice, focusing on difficult questions, dilemmas, and unexpected solutions.

Participants

Darya Goryacheva (Moscow) is a mediator, shift manager at the mediation department at GES-2. Co-author of the mediation tours Your Turn and Fashion Contours at GES-2.

Maria Zakurazhnova (Moscow) is a mediator, shift manager at the mediation department at GES-2. Author of the project Practices of Not Being Alone, and co-author of the first family tour of the Forest at GES-2, Young Naturalist’s Diary.

Gulnara Mansurova (Kazan) is a linguist and folklorist; author and curator of interdisciplinary projects, academic secretary of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan. She consistently develops museum mediation practices and approaches to the interpretation of intangible cultural heritage.

Alena Melnikova (Ufa) is a project manager and coordinator of the art mediation programme at ZAMAN MUSEUM, co-author of participatory tools for urban and museum mediations.

Polina Mikhailik (Moscow) is the mediation programme manager at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art. Graduate of the master’s programme in art management at the Institute of Social Sciences (RANEPA). Her research focuses on participatory art projects and alternative education practices.

Maria Nikonova (Venice) is an MA student in economics and management of arts and cultural activities at Ca’Foscari University, researcher and art manager. She has collaborated with UNESCO, SMAC, Saatchi Yates and Fondazione Giorgio Cini, and participated in projects at the 60th Venice Biennale of Art and the 19th Venice Architectural Biennale (Ethiopia and Oman pavilions).

To agenda 

Section curator

Ekaterina Voronovich is head of mediation at GES-2.

16:00–16:30

Break

16:30–18:00
Classrooms E5–E6

The event will be held in Russian and Russian Sign Language (RSL) with simultaneous interpretation into English.

Mediation Potential in Inclusive Practices. Part II

To agenda 

Perspectives of Using Mediation Tools in an Interdisciplinary Participatory Lab for People With Migration Experience

Olga Leonova (Moscow) is a museologist, and curator of inclusive projects.

Mediation in Sign Language: discussing space technologies with deaf and hard of hearing visitors at the Cryptography Museum

Natalie Maksma (Moscow) is a deaf tour guide, visiting guide at the Cryptography Museum, winner of the Guiding Star 2025 award.

Nikita Bolshakov (Moscow) is the curator of accessibility and inclusion programmes at the Cryptography Museum, associate professor and senior researcher at the International Laboratory for Social Integration Research at HSE University.

Guided Tours for Visually Impaired and Blind Visitors: mediation by default or a distinct path of inclusive practice

Pavel Leonov (Moscow) is a visually impaired expert on experiments with accessibility. Author of guided tours for mixed groups at St. Basil’s Cathedral, the Zotov Centre, and the Moscow Transport Museum. Expert for the No Exceptions 2025 grant competition at SVET Foundation.

Using Mediation in Inclusive Engagement: working with blind visitors

Svetlana Melnikova (Yekaterinburg) is an associate professor at Ural Federal University, PhD in philosophy, head of the MA programme in Design. Participant in the Avant-garde Territory project (guide and curator), volunteer and developer of student projects at the White Cane NGO (Yekaterinburg).

Marks and Movements Laboratory: a performative mediated tour with blind performers

Tatyana Melnikova (Moscow) is a mediator at GES-2, founder and curator of the Kinoclub Moscow project, and a culturologist.

Section curator

Maria Galochkina is a senior mediator at GES-2 House of Culture focusing on accessibility and adaptation, art historian, and curator of projects for children with migration backgrounds as part of the Equally Different programme in temporary accommodation facilities. Her interests lie mainly in critical and libertarian approaches in pedagogy.

16:30–18:00
Classroom E7

Designing Objects for Interaction. Part I

At what point does a mediator introduce a participatory object into practice? What kind of design supports group dynamics and stimulates discussion? To understand the mechanics of these tools, we will turn to an expert methodologist who will outline research strategies used when preparing and selecting particular formats or game-based scenarios. We will discuss design principles for mediation and test different objects in practice.

To agenda 

Research Design and Information Analysis in Mediation Planning

Elizaveta Shumilova (Moscow) is a methodologist at the mediation department at V–A–C Foundation and GES-2.

Construction and Rumination: expropriation of divination practices

Alek Petuk (Ukhta, Moscow) is an artist, musician, teacher and k-engineer. Initiator of the Coincidental Institute, organiser of the independent festival Kuzlesfest, member of the Soundartist.ru community.

The Practice of Self-Mediation in Theatre: an individual booklet as an alternative to discussion after the performance

Varvara Azizova (Moscow) is a producer and cultural manager, student of the producing department at the Russian Institute of Theatre Art (GITIS).

“Keeping Oneself in Hand”: material objects as a tool for working with repressed themes in mediation

Liza Voronina (Saint Petersburg) is a researcher, mediator, laboratory assistant at the Contemporary Art Department of the State Hermitage and co-curator of the creative track at the 2024 Cultural Mediation Workshop (CMW).

Polina Zadorozhnaya (Saint Petersburg) is an editor, mediator, independent researcher, and facilitator of reading groups. She co-curated the CMW—2024 creative track. Her research focuses on commemorative practices and urban memoryscapes.

Anastasia Streblyanskaya (Moscow) is a mediator at GES-2, tutor and educator, coordinator of the Cultural Mediation Workshop at the Summer School project, researcher, co-founder of Quiet in the Garden.

Section curator

Karina Chernyshova is a senior mediator at GES-2 House of Culture responsible for family programmes and working with different artistic mediums. Her research focus lies in body and performative practices as well as individual visitor mediation.

16:30–18:00
Classroom E9 

Moderator

Darya Cherkasova (Yekaterinburg) is an art historian and mediator, head of the international art section at the Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts.

Open Sessions. World Cafe: Developing Mediation Without Resources

Together, we will try to work out the best strategy for someone who is the only mediator in the entire institution. How to deal with the management? What is the best way to highlight the value of mediation? How to promote mediation outside your institution? Where to look for support and supervision if there is no active mediator community? The session aims to create a FAQ manual for a single mediator.

Participation is by prior registration at the information desk, subject to availability.

To agenda 

 18:00–18:30

Break

18:30–20:00
Central Partnership

The event will be held in Russian with simultaneous interpretation into English and Russian Sign Language (RSL). 

Partnerships in Mediation

A conversation on the role of partnerships in professional development and mediation programme support.

What can a partnership in the field of mediation look like? What shared goals bring partners and mediators together? How can a partner help to advance mediation in a region, or as an area of focus within a cultural institution?

During the conversation, representatives of the LIMÉ brand and GES-2 House of Culture will share their three-year-long experience of collaboration, while representatives of the OMK-Uchastie charitable foundation and the Volga-Vyatka branch of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (Arsenal) will present the outcomes of the Mediation Workshop lab in Vyksa (2026) and the Mediation School project (2024).

This discussion is part of the Collaborators: Partnership and Collective Sociocultural Design section. 

To agenda 

Speakers

Mitya Astafyev—Special Projects Manager in the Marketing Department at LIMÉ.

Sergei Kochkurov—curator of mediation programmes at GES-2.

Yulia Mishina—Director General at OMK-Uchastie Foundation.

Polina Sporysheva—Senior Expert at the Educational department of the Volga-Vyatka branch of the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts (Nizhny Novgorod).

Moderator

Victoria Salla—Head of Fundraising at GES-2 House of Culture

18:30–20:00
Classrooms E5–E6

The Potential of Mediation in Inclusive Practices. Part III

The event will be held in Russian and English with simultaneous interpretation into Russian Sign Language (RSL). 

To agenda 

Informal Mediation Experiences, Led by Non-professional Mediators, Such as Teenagers or Citizens With Migratory Background

Federica Pascotto (Milan) is an education consultant, member of the ICOM Italy Accessibility Working Group (2023–2027).

Accessibility in Cultural Institutions

Alexandra Syrenova (New York) is a researcher, curator, assistant for accessibility programmes and initiatives at the Whitney Museum of American Art, member of the Creative Union of Artists of Russia, Newest Trends section. Alexandra holds an MA in Arts Administration from Columbia University.

Alina Miroshnik (Moscow) is a mediator at GES-2 and an art historian. Volunteer at charitable foundations and cultural projects, counsellor at a camp for neurodivergent children, children’s educator.

Alexandra Shchetkina (Moscow) is the director of the Alzrus Foundation (since 2019, and a lecturer. Recipient of the Forbes Woman Mercury Awards (2025) for the Alzheimer café network Nezabudka and the Znanie Award (2024) for educational work on dementia.

Elena Bikiteeva (Yekaterinburg) is the head of the Senior Generation Art Club project, former head of the Ural branch of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, director of the Creative Industries Centre Osnova (Yekaterinburg).

Irina Suvorova (Yekaterinburg) is a curator of the Senior Generation Art Club project, former leading specialist at the Ural branch of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.

Larisa Piskunova (Yekaterinburg) is the curator of the Senior Generation Art Club project, head of the Avant-garde Territory project, associate professor at Ural Federal University, curator of the exhibition and tour Avant-garde Architecture of Sverdlovsk/Yekaterinburg. With a PhD in philosophy, her interests include mediation as a principle of communication in urban and institutional spaces. Former leading specialist of the Ural branch of the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts.

Nadezhda Vologzhanina (Yekaterinburg) is the founder and leader of the Senior Generation Art Club project.

Ksenia Baikina (Moscow) is an art mediator, museum art therapist, psychologist, and performer; formerly an architect. Develops and leads original programmes in art mediation and museum art therapy for both groups and individual participants. Art mediator for the exhibition About PNI at the Museum of Moscow, dedicated to the experiences of people living in psychoneurological residential institutions.

Section curator

Maria Galochkina is a senior mediator at GES-2 House of Culture focusing on accessibility and adaptation, art historian, and curator of projects for children with migration backgrounds as part of the Equally Different programme in temporary accommodation facilities. Her interests lie mainly in critical and libertarian approaches in pedagogy.

18:30–20:00
Classroom E7

Designing Objects for Interaction. Part II

We propose to look at various accompanying materials that help groups explore art together or allow visitors to engage in self-guided mediation. Alongside printed cards, performative instructions, zines, and board games, online and digital solutions will also be presented. The session will move from analysing design to its practical application in mediation.

To agenda 

Pachiz: Playing Backgammon the Khorezmian Way: a board game as a tool for mediation

Yulia Karpenkova and Vasily Elenkin (Moscow) are mediators at GES-2.

Fashion Contours: a card system as a means of dialogue between fashion and art

Nika Karpenko (Moscow) is a mediator at V–A–C Foundation and GES-2, researcher of the history and anthropology of fashion.

Dance Guide: a zine as a guide to studying one’s own body through movement, imagination, and writing

Polina Chentsova (Saint Petersburg) is a choreographer and contemporary dancer, participant of independent dance companies: Gruppavarnava (choreographer: V. Varnava) and Pink Dance Company (choreographer: K. Kovalyova). Graduate of the Saint Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory, specialising in the art of contemporary dance.

Viktoria Kibe (Saint Petersburg) is a graphic designer and multidisciplinary artist, working with photography, performance and graphic media; creates material objects at the intersection of these practices.

Maria Zevakina (Saint Petersburg) is a dance dramatist, performer, writer, participant and creator of choreographic laboratories and performance, digital marketing specialist.

Ekaterina Zevakina (Saint Petersburg) is a dance dramatist, performer, producer, and brand director.

Section curator

Karina Chernyshova is a senior mediator at GES-2, and coordinates mediation programmes for families with children and teenagers. Collaborates with artists from various disciplines. Researches body-oriented and performative practices and one-on-one mediation.

16:30–18:00
Square, Forest

Mediation by Katerina Leinen and Natalia Mikhailova

The Forest is an essential part of GES-2 House of Culture. Renzo Piano, who designed the building, believed it to “give beauty, which can sometimes save the world.” Here, one finds the path that leads to the Belvedere observation deck, a rainwater and melted water collection system, some parts of the former power station’s hydraulic system, as well as over 620 birch trees and 800 plant varieties that will become the focus of research and observation.

During the tour, we will discover the basic notions of botany, meet the green population of the Forest, learn to study them gently and carefully, and talk about the role of vegetation in the life of the planet, the city, and each and every one of us.

Participation is by prior registration at the information desk, subject to availability.

Hosts

Natalia Mikhailova is the head of the educational department of the State Darwin Museum, PhD in biology, honoured cultural worker of the Russian Federation, ICOM member.

Katerina Leinen is a senior mediator at GES-2, director of the Cultural Meditation Workshop (CMW), author of educational programmes on mediation for institutional and independent specialists.

To agenda 

12 Apr, Sun

12:00–13:30
Central Platform

Mediator Image: uniform or no uniform?

How does the appearance of a staff member affect relationships during mediation? How can an outfit be used to overrule the hierarchy between a worker and a visitor, while still allowing for a distinctive presence within the institutional space?

The discussion presents a variety of approaches to creating visual identities and shaping mediator representation guidelines in different institutional and project-based contexts.

The event will be held in Russian, with simultaneous interpretation into English and Russian Sign Language (RSL). 

To agenda 

Speakers

Victoria Yurikova (Moscow)—souvenir curator at Zotov Centre.

Diana Shabarshina (Moscow)—museum guide, creator and host of the Zotov Centre art brunches.

Polina Mikhailik (Moscow)—mediation programme manager at Garage Museum of Contemporary Art.

Marina Romanova (Moscow)—curator at Yandex Museum, Head of education programmes at Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve, mediator and museum educator, formerly Head of Mediation at Garage Museum of Contemporary Art.

Sergei Kochkurov—curator of mediation programmes at GES-2

Moderator

Nika Karpenko (Moscow)—mediator at GES-2 House of Culture.

12:00–13:30
Classrooms E5–E6

Collaborators: Partnership and Collective Sociocultural Design. Part I

Collective design with outside organisations, including those not directly related to culture, is becoming an important aspect of development for mediation expertise, expanding formats and themes of interaction with audiences.

Following an open call, two main directions emerged: cooperation with commercial partners and work with the urban environment and artists.

We will discuss the difficulties of horizontal partnerships, possible discoveries for future co-authors, and the role of mediation beyond the institution—in residential neighbourhoods, artistic initiatives, and patronage projects.

The event will be held in Russian with simultaneous interpretation into English. Russian Sign Language (RSL) interpretation is available upon request.

To agenda 

Caution, Science Art: projects and art-mediations at the Tsarskoe Selo Museum-Reserve with partners and representatives of creative industries

Lyudmila Kashtanova (Saint Petersburg) is a curator of cultural projects, specialist at the department of development and project implementation at the Tsarskoe Selo Museum-Reserve, exhibition reviewer and independent art mediator.

Prefab Urban Mediation Project: collaboration practices

Sonya Legavina (Moscow) is a mediator and cultural researcher. She works at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art and in various independent projects. Sonya co-founded the Panelnoe (“Prefab”) urban mediation project.

Alexei Zakharov (Moscow) is an urban researcher at FSK Group and architecture workshop participant. He is also responsible for urban analytics in independent projects. Alexei is one of the co-founders of the Panelnoe (“Prefab) urban mediation project.

Tasya Sedova (Moscow) is a lab coordinator, graduate of the Cascade project school, student of the Culturology programme at the department of Humanities of HSE University.

Denis Pankevich (Moscow) is an urban researcher, student at the Urban and Regional Development department at HSE University in Moscow, participant of several urban initiatives and the Panelnoe (“Prefab”) urban mediation project.

Demolish or Save: the experience of the urban mediations in Rybinsk, working with owners and communities

Anastasia Makarova (Rybinsk) is a tour guide, journalist, researcher of urban space. PhD candidate at the Department of History and Philosophy, Cherepovets State University. Author of tours and exhibitions at private museums in Rybinsk. Conducts city tours and mediations.

How Could a Wild Game Dinner in the Urals Bring About Art Patronage: a case of radical environmental mediation

Maria Malyshchuk (Yekaterinburg) is a cultural mediator working with local identity. Curator of the Biennial Phrasebook project for the 4th Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art (2017), author of the online catalogue of Ural artists (2018). Since 2025, author of the blog Uralcontemporary.

Section curators

Sonya Mezhericher is the coordinator for mediation programmes at GES-2, a producer of cultural projects, developer of the Summer School of Mediation for Teenagers, and also partner projects with the Museum of Moscow, the Young Architects Society, and Muzeon.

Maria Galochkina is senior mediator at GES-2 House of Culture focusing on accessibility and adaptation, art historian, and curator of projects for children with migration backgrounds as part of the Equally Different programme in temporary accommodation facilities. Her interests lie mainly in critical and libertarian approaches in pedagogy.

12:00–13:30
Left Platform

Practical Tools and Original Methods. Workshops

During the forum, participants of this section will conduct workshops and mediation sessions open to all. At 30- and 60-minute workshops, specialists will demonstrate their mediation tools and approaches, followed by a methodological analysis. Participants may join either as contributors, immersing themselves in the practice and interacting with the mediator, or as observers, evaluating the workshop with a checklist.

Participation in all workshops is by prior registration at the information desk, subject to availability.

To agenda 

Slowing Down as a Mediation Tool: creating an environment for visual thinking strategy

Alexandra Zelenova (Saint Petersburg) holds an MA in Museology from Saint Petersburg State University, founder of the project Art FOR Adults.

What can be turned into movement, and why?

Darya Plokhova (Moscow) is a dance artist, choreographer, contemporary dance teacher, co-founder of the dance group Isadorino Gore, developer of performative programmes for museums (Polytechnic Museum, Jewish Museum, ZILART).

Section curators

Katerina Leinen is a senior mediator at GES-2, director of the Cultural Meditation Workshop (CMW), author of educational programmes on mediation for institutional and independent specialists.

Daria Malikova (Yekaterinburg) is a producer at the ZA ART Centre for support and development of contemporary art as well as Head of the Mediation School of the Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art.

13:30–14:30

Break

14:30–16:00
Central Platform

Professional Training: how to teach (and learn) mediation. Part I: Showcase

Over the past decade, various approaches and formats for teaching mediation have emerged. In this showcase section, a wide range of practical experiences will be presented. In the subsequent workshop, participants will discuss how to design mediation education programs according to their goals and objectives, which pedagogical approaches to apply, how to evaluate training effectiveness, and how to consider the interests of all stakeholders.

To agenda 

Mediation Lab at the Cascade Project School

Tasya Sedova (Moscow) is a lab coordinator, graduate of the Cascade project school, student of the Culturology programme at the department of Humanities of HSE University.

Marina Romanova (Moscow) is a curator at Yandex Museum, mediator, and museum educator. Formerly head of mediation at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art. She focuses on participatory practices and community work.

Elizaveta Shavandina (Moscow) is a multidisciplinary artist, independent researcher and practitioner, and student at the Cascade project school.

Katya Zinina (Moscow) is an alumna of the Mediation Lab and the Cascade project school, student of the department of philology at the Moscow State University.

The Potential of Student Mediation in Museums Through the Example of Programmes of the State Hermitage

Anna Tyrenko (Saint Petersburg) is a curator of educational programmes for young people, lecturer on contemporary art, art mediator, and methodologist at the Youth Centre of the State Hermitage Museum.

Natalia Vasilieva (Saint Petersburg) is Head of the School of Art Mediation at the Manege Central Exhibition Hall in Saint Petersburg, teacher, psychologist, art historian, and specialist in museum communications.

Training Course for Art Mediators at the Manege Central Exhibition Hall

Shaping and Training a Team of Mediators of Different Age Groups for the I Love You, Don’t Be Afraid Exhibition at the Yeltsin Centre Art Gallery

Yulia Chertikhina (Yekaterinburg) is a VX specialist at the Yeltsin Centre Art Gallery, mediator, tutor at the Mediation School, and museologist.

Art Mediation at Principle of Hope, the 16th Krasnoyarsk Museum Biennale: mediator training programm

Ella Efremova (Krasnoyarsk) is an educator, research associate, and curator of mediation programmes at the Ploshchad Mira Museum Centre as well as mediator at SCAN.

The Evolution of Mediator Training: from skills to values

Inna Prilezhaeva (Moscow) is a sociocultural project designer, producer, methodology expert in social project management, and executive director of the Association of Cultural Managers.

The Cultural Mediation Workshop as an Independent Space for Exchanging Experience and Knowledge

Katya Tsyrlina is an independent researcher, mediator, and curator, graduate of Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis University (2024). She co-founded the Cultural Mediation Workshop; worked as a mediator at GES-2 (2021–2022) and at the Cultures du Cœur en Seine-Saint-Denis association (France, 2024–2025).

Anastasia Streblyanskaya (Moscow) is a mediator at GES-2, tutor and educator, coordinator of the Cultural Mediation Workshop at the Summer School, researcher, and co-founder of the Quiet in the Garden project.

Katerina Leinen (Moscow) is a senior mediator at GES-2, director of the Cultural Meditation Workshop (CMW), author of educational programmes on mediation for institutional and independent specialists.

Section curators

Katya Tsyrlina is an independent researcher, mediator, and curator, graduate of Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis University (2024). She co-founded the Cultural Mediation Workshop; worked as a mediator at GES-2 (2021–2022) and at the Cultures du Cœur en Seine-Saint-Denis association (France, 2024–2025).

Katerina Leinen is a senior mediator at GES-2, director of the Cultural Meditation Workshop (CMW), author of educational programmes on mediation for institutional and independent specialists.

14:30–16:00
Classrooms E5–E6

Collaborators: Partnership and Collective Sociocultural Design. Part II

The event will be held in Russian with simultaneous interpretation into English. Russian Sign Language (RSL) interpretation is available upon request.

To agenda 

Experiences of Mediation Partnerships at GES-2

Sergei Kochkurov (Moscow) is a curator of mediation programmes at GES-2.

Sonya Mezhericher (Moscow) is a mediation programme coordinator at GES-2 House of Culture, cultural projects producer, and programmer at the Summer School of Mediation for Teenagers. She curates partnership projects with the Museum of Moscow, the Young Architects Society, and Muzeon Park.

Artistic Mediation on a Football Field in Belleville

Paola Mendoza Osorio (Paris) is a visual and plastic artist, member of the PuntaSeca artist collective. Participant at Cohabiter: Imagining Cultural Mediation in the 21st Century symposium at the Observatoire des médiations culturelles (Canada) and contributor to its book of proceedings. Paola holds a master’s degree in plastic and visual arts with a specialisation in arts ecology and media.

Nobody Is Excluded: a reflective study of mediation practices with young artists

Irina Lavrinovich (Moscow) is a researcher in cultural studies, mediator, artist, and resident of the Cascade Project.

Section curators

Sonya Mezhericher is a mediation programme coordinator at GES-2 House of Culture, cultural projects producer, and programmer at the Summer School of Mediation for Teenagers. She curates partnership projects with the Museum of Moscow, the Young Architects Society, and Muzeon Park.

Maria Galochkina is senior mediator at GES-2 House of Culture focusing on accessibility and adaptation, art historian, and curator of projects for children with migration backgrounds as part of the Equally Different programme in temporary accommodation facilities. Her interests lie mainly in critical and libertarian approaches in pedagogy.

14:30–16:00
Galleries

The event will take place in English.

Mediation with Thiago Gil Virava. Invitation to Attention

Invitation to Attention is a collective exercise in prolonged and reflective attention to a work from a GES-2 exhibition, to be determined at the time of the session.

During the exercise, the group will focus solely on that work, using prompt cards adapted from a set developed for the 33rd Sao Paulo Biennial in 2018. Participants are invited to bring along their time, generosity, and curiosity for the unknown.

Participation is by prior registration at the information desk, subject to availability.

Host

Thiago Gil de Oliveira Virava (São Paulo) is a postdoctoral researcher at the Instituto de Arte da Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil (since 2025), previously researcher and manager of the Education Department at the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo (2013–2024). He has contributed to several educational publications, training courses for mediators and teachers, as well as outreach activities aimed at different audiences.

To agenda 

16:00–16:30

Break

Host

Dmitry Moskvin (Yekaterinburg) has a PhD in political science, and is head of the EkbLetsWalk centre of curated tours and cultural practices.

16:30–18:00
Galleries

Mediation with Dmitry Moskvin

Staircases are the most ubiquitous objects in architecture and engineering—they surround us everywhere, yet we rarely pay them any attention. Staircase meditation will help us notice their pure forms and lines, discuss the architecture without historical context, and understand something about our own movement and its motivations along the way.

Let us try to appreciate what usually serves as a backdrop, and sometimes an obstacle in our lives—a beautiful staircase.

To take part, you will need any device with internet access.

Participation is by prior registration at the information desk, subject to availability.

To agenda 

16:30–18:00
Classroom E7

Professional Training: How to Teach (and Learn) Mediation. Part II: Workshop

The continuation of the showcase section will focus on collaborative design of a modular mediator training programme, adaptable to different resources and needs and taking into account the interests of clients, developers, experts, and mediator trainees.

Participation is by prior registration at the information desk, subject to availability.

Workshop participants

Tasya Sedova (Moscow) is a lab coordinator, alumna of the Cascade project school, and student of Culturology at HSE University.

Marina Romanova (Moscow) is a curator at Yandex Museum, mediator, and museum educator. Formerly head of mediation at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art. She focuses on participatory practices and community work.

Elizaveta Shavandina (Moscow) is a multidisciplinary artist, independent practice-based researcher, and student at the Cascade project school.

Katya Zinina (Moscow) is an alumna of Mediation Lab and the Cascade project school, and student at the Philology Department of Moscow State University.

Anna Tyrenko (Saint Petersburg) is a curator of educational programmes for young people, lecturer on contemporary art, art mediator, and methodologist at the Youth Centre of the State Hermitage Museum.

Natalia Vasilieva (Saint Petersburg) is Head of the School of Art Mediation at the Manege Central Exhibition Hall in Saint Petersburg, teacher, psychologist, art historian, and specialist in museum communications.

Yulia Chertikhina (Yekaterinburg) is a VX specialist at the Yeltsin Centre Art Gallery, mediator, tutor at the Art Mediation School, and museologist.

Ella Efremova (Krasnoyarsk) is an educator, research associate, and curator of mediation programmes at the Ploshchad Mira Museum Centre as well as mediator at SCAN.

Inna Prilezhaeva (Moscow) is a sociocultural project designer, producer, methodology expert in social project management, and executive director of the Association of Cultural Managers.

Ira Frenkel (Saint Petersburg) is a researcher, mediator, and curator of educational and exhibition projects. She curates the Archive programme and mediation projects at Dom Radio.

Kirill Gaidash (Moscow) is a mediator at SCAN and Digital Rain, alumnus of mediation schools at the Manege Central Exhibition Hall and the Museum of Moscow, participant of the Cultural Mediation Workshop of the Summer School, and student at the School of Contemporary Social Sciences at the Moscow State University.

Anastasia Streblyanskaya (Moscow) is a mediator at GES-2, tutor and educator, coordinator of the Cultural Mediation Workshop at the Summer School, researcher, and co-founder of the Quiet in the Garden project.

To agenda 

Section curators and workshop mediators

Katya Tsyrlina is an independent researcher, mediator, and curator, graduate of Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis University (2024). She co-founded the Cultural Mediation Workshop; worked as a mediator at GES-2 (2021–2022) and at the Cultures du Cœur en Seine-Saint-Denis association (France, 2024–2025).

Katerina Leinen is a senior mediator at GES-2, director of the Cultural Meditation Workshop (CMW), author of educational programmes on mediation for institutions and independent experts.

16:30–18:00
Classroom E5–E6

Curatorial Practices of Mediation and Mediation of Cultural Heritage

This section explores the impact of technology on the public sphere and on mediation as a format of live interaction, as well as curatorial practices and cultural heritage revitalisation strategies based on mediation approaches.

To agenda 

Between Algorithm and Archive: mediation of cultural heritage in the age of algorithmic knowledge

Alexandra Chargeshvili (Amsterdam) is a researcher and educator. She holds an MFA in industrial design from KABK (The Hague). Her focus is on the role of digitalisation and AI algorithms in transforming cultural assets and archives. Co-founder of GLINA³ studio that combines 3D printing, ornament, and posthuman materiality.

Digitalising Mediation in Cultural Institutions: the experience of ITMO University’s DH centre

Maria Mogilevich (Saint Petersburg) is deputy director of the Digital Humanities research centre at ITMO university, PhD in philosophy, narrative designer, and developer of applied games.

Artem Tarasov (Saint Petersburg) is a cultural project manager, exhibition curator, lecturer in the Digital Methods in Humanities MA programme, and lab head at the Digital Humanities Centre of ITMO University.

Mediator in a Cross-Cultural Context: researching Russian electronic music in China

Ksenia Simakova (Nanjing) is a journalist, curator, researcher, and MA student at the Nanjing University of the Arts. 

The Urban Environment as a Multimedia Object: technological revitalisation of heritage in the town of Arzamas

Anastasia Abuzyarova (Moscow) is an art historian, employee of the Research and Teaching Laboratory of Theoretical and Field Folklore Studies, HSE University.

Mediation as an AI Algorithm

Vladimir Gusev (Moscow) is a lecturer at the Moscow Art Theatre School, specialising in scenography, theatre of engineering as well as the applications of artificial intelligence in theatre education and practice.

Digital Horizons: technology as a bridge to heritage

Serena Bertolucci (Venice) is the Director of M9 Museum

Section Curators

Sonya Mezhericher is a mediation programme coordinator at GES-2 House of Culture, cultural projects producer, and programmer at the Summer School of Mediation for Teenagers. She curates partnership projects with the Museum of Moscow, the Young Architects Society, and Muzeon Park.

Sergei Kochkurov is a curator of mediation programmes at GES-2. 

16:30–18:00
Classroom E9

Open Session. Where to Find Funding for Mediation Programmes? 

Today, funding for mediation programme development can come from public grant competitions, private foundations, corporate donations, and public support.

At the session, we shall try to find out which of these tools are more readily available to institutions, how they can effectively manage donors of different kinds, and which fundraising practices are best suited for launching and sustainably developing mediation programmes.

Moderator

Svetlana Sarkisova (Moscow) is the Development Director and project leader at Donors Forum.

To agenda 

18:00–19:00

Break

19:00–19:30
Playhouse

Forum closing

To agenda 

19:30–21:00
Playhouse

MOTION PICTURE**

The premiere* of the motion picture** based on the Third Global Art Research  Mediation Conference*** NONSNS: Painting Without Borders—Interaction Space for Artists, Public, Mediators, Art Collectors, and Curators. The screening takes place at the closing session of the Radical Stability. Mediation in the Context of Contemporary Cultural Practices conference. 

* Attention! This is not a premiere—this is a performance!
**Attention! This is not a film—this is an interactive video artwork!
*** Attention! This is not a conference—this is a happening!

To agenda 