PRESENTATION OF THE BOOK BY RAH ACADEMICIAN A. V. OCHIROVA, “RUSSIAN COSMISM… MEMORY,” IN THE WHITE HALL OF THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF ARTS

Photo report: Natalia Raskidnaya for the Russian Academy of Arts

The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Russian Academy of Arts (RAH), and the RAH Department of Art History and Art Criticism presented the poetry book Russian Cosmism… Memory by the distinguished Russian poet, philosopher, public figure, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, RAH Academician, and Doctor of Philosophy Alexandra Vasilievna Ochirova.

The publication is dedicated to the memory of Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli, People’s Artist of the USSR and the Russian Federation and President of the Russian Academy of Arts from 1997 to 2025. The event took place on 23 September 2026 in the White Hall of the Russian Academy of Arts, at 21 Prechistenka Street, Moscow. Admission was free and did not require prior registration.

 

The book Russian Cosmism… Memory continues A. V. Ochirova’s major intellectual and poetic project, begun in her previous collections Russian Cosmism and Russian Cosmism. The Oath. It opens a new dimension in which the category of memory becomes the essence of human existence and the foundation of the continuity of civilization.

The publication is presented in an elegant artistic format, featuring illustrations by Zurab Tsereteli, whose works are organically woven into the poetic fabric of the book.

“In Memory of Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli”

The artist is a silent poet,
The poet, an artist who speaks,
The light that comprehends itself,
The essence of being and possibility,
A law understood by few,
The harmony of forms and stories,
Where the word is like the poets’ power,
A whisper, and the ringing of a temple bell.
And the brush that recreates the day,
Of God’s gifted nature,
Where glory, love and freedom abide,
And the shadow born at noon
From eternal blossoming gardens,
Where time is the meaning of change,
And ancient frescoes on the walls
Live in the permanence of worlds.

Alexandra Ochirova views memory not simply as a return to the past or a nostalgic feeling. For the author, memory is an “ontological force” through which human beings become conscious of themselves and their place in the Universe. It is memory that preserves the identity of peoples, connects generations, and ensures the continuity of civilization despite historical upheavals.

In this sense, “Russian cosmism” extends far beyond a national philosophical tradition and becomes a universal humanistic worldview seeking to comprehend the common destiny of humanity through poetry and philosophical thought.

The book derives particular artistic value from its dedication to the memory of the great artist Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli. The collection includes selected works by the master, which serve not merely as illustrations but as full participants in a philosophical dialogue with the poetic texts.

Here, word and image exist within a unified artistic space, mutually revealing and complementing one another and creating a multilayered aesthetic work in which poetry and visual art merge into a single whole.

The appearance of this book signifies much more than the publication of another poetry collection. It reflects the central mission of the series: building cultural bridges between civilizations, languages, and intellectual traditions.

Alexandra Ochirova’s poetry reminds us that civilizations are preserved not through force, but through memory, dialogue, creative imagination, and literature’s ability to safeguard the spiritual heritage of humanity.

At a time when the world is searching for common values capable of transcending political and cultural divisions, Russian Cosmism… Memory emerges as a profound poetic meditation on the unity of humanity and the diversity of civilizations.

The book, which has been translated into English, Arabic, and languages of Latin American countries, once again confirms that literature remains one of the greatest repositories of human memory and one of the strongest bridges connecting past and future, East and West, and one human being with another.

Earlier this year, presentations of A. V. Ochirova’s Russian Cosmism. Memory were held at the Russian House in Cairo as part of the Year of the Russian Language, and at the Russian House stand at the International Book Fair, held within the framework of the Days of the Assembly of the Peoples of the World in Tunisia.

For further information: art-rah@mail.ru, Elena Olegovna Romanova, Adviser to the RAH Department of Art History and Art Criticism, RAH Academician.

Media accreditation for the event: rah1757@yandex.ru, Information Department (Press Service) of the Russian Academy of Arts.