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Articles by D. Garrison Golubock

Novosibirsk Might Ban Marilyn Manson Concert

Orthodox Christian groups have asked the local government in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk to ban an upcoming concert by prominent U.S. shock...

Culture Ministry to Create House of Russian Culture

The various writers unions of Russia will be united in the near future under the roof of a single House of Russian Culture, Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky...

Manifesta Biennale May Be Canceled, Knig Says

The Manifesta art biennale, slated to open in St. Petersburg at the end of June, may have to be canceled due to the difficulties of organizing such an...

Zvyangintsev's Cannes Winner 'Leviathan' Might be Banned for Profanity

Andrei Zvyagintsev's new film "Leviathan," which was awarded the prize for best screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival, might be rejected by Russian...

KaZantip Rave Moves From Crimea to Georgia

Regular visitors of the "Republic of KaZantip" were surprised when the republic's leadership announced that they would move to Anaklia in Georgia...

Continuing Russian Ban on U.S. Pork Imports Costs Producers Millions of Dollars

Russian stalling on granting permission to U.S. factories to export pork to Russia is creating delays costing U.S. producers millions of dollars,...

New Law on Culture to Be Announced by June

A working group formulating a new law regulating culture should be ready to announce its first conclusions by June, Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky...

World Press Photo and Crimea Side-by-Side at Artplay

This year's World Press Photo prizewinners for photojournalism are on display at the Artplay Design Center in an exhibit sponsored by Itar-Tass, conveniently...

Book Review: Why Central Asia Is Not the Next Ukraine

As Russian troops remain near the Ukrainian border despite numerous promises to leave and separatists threaten to partition the country, many commentators...

Both Sides in Ukraine Standoff Call For New Tactics

A day after fighting broke out between pro-Russian separatists and forces loyal to the new Kiev government in Slovyansk, both sides upped the stakes...

Russian Football Violence Reinforces Concerns About 2018 World Cup

The Zenit Ultra fan accused of striking Moscow Dynamo defender Vladimir Granat has been identified as Alexander Nesterov, a 45-year-old St. Petersburg...

Conchita Wurst Prompts Calls for Russia to Leave Eurovision Song Contest

Voters from across Europe on Saturday selected Austrian singer Thomas Neuwirth, better known as Conchita Wurst, as the winner of Eurovision 2014. Russian...

Game of Thrones Director Alik Sakharov Discusses Soviet Origins

Prior to the start of the much-awaited fourth season of hit HBO series "Game of Thrones," many Russians were proud to hear that this season for the...

Possible Light at the End of the Tunnel for Dozhd

A favorable comment made by President Vladimir Putin during his annual call-in show on Thursday seems to have triggered a change of fortune for embattled...

Book Review: What Can We Learn From the Crimean War?

As President Vladimir Putin mobilizes soldiers on Russia's Ukrainian border and NATO threatens consequences for any interference in eastern Ukraine...

Arts Critic Celebrates 20 Years at The Moscow Times

Raymond Stults, longtime opera and ballet critic for The Moscow Times, recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of his first article in the paper...

Ukraine Turmoil Creates Quandaries for Film Distributors

Ukrainian film distributor Inter-Film announced Tuesday that it would not release three Russian films into the Ukrainian market.

Russia's Commissioner for Venice Biennale Fired for Political Column

Grigory Revzin, an architectural critic who had been selected to curate Russia's pavilion at the 2014 Venice Biennale of Architecture, announced Monday...

Culture Ministry Affirms 'Russia is not Europe'

A state commission working on a much-discussed report titled "Foundations of State Cultural Politics" will release their findings in two weeks, presidential...

Novosibirsk Court Fines Theaters for 'Wolf of Wall Street'

Five movie theater chains have been fined a total of 4 million rubles ($113,328) for showing the Hollywood blockbuster "The Wolf of Wall Street,"...

In Sochi and Crimea, Cossacks Seek to Define Role in Society

Dimiter Kenarov, a freelance reporter working in Crimea, was surprised to see a group of uniformed Cossacks hastily carrying cables and video equipment...

Cartoonist Sergei Elkin Finds Humor in Putin's Russia (Video)

Whether you get your news from Vedomosti, Gazeta.ru or The Moscow Times, you'll likely find one thing in common: the unmistakable political cartoons...

Crimean Transition Puts Future of UNESCO Sites in Doubt

The Culture Ministry will consult with the Foreign Ministry's branch of the UNESCO secretariat to discuss the best way to protect the UNESCO heritage...

Dom Nashchokina Gallery Headed for Closure After Corruption Allegations

The Dom Nashchokina Gallery, a private art gallery located in the historic 18th-century landmark Nashchokin House, may be shut down after the Culture Ministry...

Vladey Auction Earns 1.2M Euros in Spring Sales

Vladimir Ovcharenko's "Vladey" auction house, widely heralded as a rare bright spot in the bleak commercial landscape for contemporary art in Russia...

Book Review: Caucasus Natives Neglected As Olympics Close in Sochi

As the Paralympic Games closed on Sunday in another elaborate spectacle of costumed dancers and fireworks, the attention of the world's media had...

Russians Develop a Taste for Whiskey

Britain is becoming increasingly well-known for its enclaves of wealthy Russians — from Roman Abramovich's ownership of London's Chelsea F.C. soccer...

Burning Man Russia and Nikola-Lenivets Collaborate on Maslenitsa

The Russian holiday of Maslenitsa traditionally involves the burning of a large effigy, and perhaps one of the most dramatic burnings this year took...

Parajanov's Influence Still Spreading on 90th Anniversary

"Whoever tries to imitate me is lost," Soviet filmmaker Sergei Parajanov once said. Now, as Parajanov's 90th birthday is celebrated posthumously 24 years...

Kurt Cobain Lives, In Hearts of Russian Hipsters (Video)

The lyrics "here we are now, entertain us," from Nirvana's hit song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" are frequently misheard as "here we are now, imitators...

Kiev History Museum Looted During Night of Chaos

The holdings of the Kiev History Museum were looted by unknown intruders during the night of Feb. 18-19, museum management said.

Russian Writers Call for Free Speech as Pasternak's Birthday Celebrated

Feb. 11 marked the 124th anniversary of the birth of Boris Pasternak, the famed Soviet author best known for his book "Doctor Zhivago," which was published...

Divided by Borders, Afghan War Veterans Face Differing Challenges

On Feb. 15, 1989, the last Soviet military formations departed from Afghanistan, leaving behind a country they had occupied for more than nine years...

Moscow Duma Says Dzerzhinsky Will Not Return to Lubyanka

A statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky or Iron Felix, a Bolshevik revolutionary and founder of the Cheka, the predecessor of the KGB, will not be restored...

Olympic Art for the Non-Olympian Muscovites

While a lucky few have taken vacations, bought tickets, booked hotels - spent a bunch, in short - and taken off for the excitement of Sochi, the rest...

As Olympics Begin in Cloud of Security, Derbent's Jews Are Uncertain About Tomorrow

Rabbi Ovadya Isakov, the leader of Derbent's small community of Mountain Jews, was shot in the chest as he left his home on July 25.

St. Pete Gains on Moscow in Golden Mask Awards

As Oscar season prognosticating dominates culture pages in the U.S., Russia has the Golden Mask Festival and Awards, which highlight the best theatrical...

Moscow's Homeless, Under the Pipes in Kapotnya

Before sunrise on a recent snowy morning, British filmmaker Hugo Chittenden welcomed me to the office of a local charity for a ride-along as he dispensed...

Shifts in the Moscow Gallery Landscape

A new exhibition platform at Garage and a surprising announcement from Marat Guelman forecast interesting developments this year.

Jewish Museum Commemorates Holocaust Memorial Day

Moscow's new Jewish Museum will commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Monday for the second year running with a candle-lighting ceremony...

Uzbek Art-Jihad Criticizes State, Breaks Taboos

Jihad is a word that in recent years has come to denote violence and hatred in most Western minds. However, in Central Asia a group of video artists...

Garfield Translated Into Russian for First Time

A new translation from Elf Comics is part of an effort to create an audience for comics in Russia, which has previously lacked the genre.

NCCA Announces New Building Design

The National Center for Contemporary Art, or NCCA, on Monday announced the long-awaited selection of the final plan for their new building at Khodynskoye...

Soviet Nationality Issues Live On in Modern Russia

In his famous 1994 essay "The USSR as a Communal Apartment," Yury Slezkine chronicles the rise of nationalism in the Soviet Union, likening the state...

Buryat Sculptor Awarded Prize by Italian Town

Buryat sculptor Dashi Namdakov was awarded the 23rd "Pietrasanta e la Versilia nel mondo" award last weekend at a ceremony in the Italian town of Pietrasanta...

Ivan Ozhogin Says Musicals on the Rise in Russia

Russia has a reputation for excellence in performing arts — ballet and opera in particular have seen significant contributions by Russian composers...

Court Orders Perm Museum to Leave Hazardous Building

The Leninsky Regional Court in Perm has ordered the PERMM Museum of Contemporary Art to leave its current structure, the landmark Perm riverboat...

Architect Says FIFA Construction Headed for Trouble

The construction in Sochi for the upcoming Winter Olympics has been hampered by incompetence, inefficiency and corruption, and the preparations for the...

Kandinsky Prize Goes to Irina Nakhova

This year's Kandinsky Prizes, one of Russia's top awards for visual arts, were given out  Friday in an award ceremony at the Udarnik Theater.

Popkov Retrospective Shows More the Socialist Realism

"The Builders of Bratsk" is by far Viktor Popkov's best-known painting — a classic of socialist realism, the work shows tired workmen striking monumental...

Moscow Oratorio Celebrates 20 Years

An amateur singing group founded by expats will mark its 20th anniversary with a concert of Handel's Messiah, its first piece.

Depardieu to Appear in Russian Sitcom

French expat actor Gerard Depardieu is slated to appear in the third season of TNT's hit sitcom "Zaitsev+1," which is scheduled to start running Jan...

Leonid Tishkov's Private Moon on Display

It has been a busy year for artist Leonid Tishkov, who released a book, "How to Become a Genius Artist Without a Drop of Talent," as well as a new...

Snoop Lion Appears in Furs at Mytishchi Mall

American rapper, actor and singer-songwriter Calvin Broadus, better known as Snoop Lion or his former pseudonyms Snoop Dogg and Snoop Doggy Dogg, made...

Further Departures From Tumultuous Bolshoi Theater

The unexpected resignation of the Bolshoi Theater's leading conductor signalled the continuation of a season of high-profile departures.

New Exhibit at Taganka Theater Sparks Scandal

The opening of an anniversary exhibit dedicated to the future of the Taganka Theater ended in chaos when actors decided to protest the event, angered...

Donald Trump in New Emin Video

U.S. billionaire real estate developer Donald Trump figures prominently in a new music video released by Emin Agalarov, an Azeri pop star and vice...

Arkhnadzor Disapproves of Plan for New City Park

The announcement of the winning plan for the planned Zaryadye park was thought to put an end to years of speculation about the empty land left...

Old Zaryadye Displayed at Museum of Moscow

One of the oldest neighborhoods in the capital and the original home of the Romanov family, Zaryadye has undergone many changes over its history, which...

Writers Snub Putin Prior to Literary Conference

The First Russian Literary Meeting, a meeting of Russian writers and literati organized by the descendants of literary greats like Tolstoy and Dostoevsky...

Exhibition Shows Russian Leaders, From Romanovs to Putin

Moscow has a reputation for lines, yet even seasoned city dwellers were surprised to see the massive lines that formed in the first week of November...

Ivan the Terrible Has a New Son, Four Centuries Later

More than four centuries after his death, Tsar Ivan the Terrible — or an actor impersonating him — was given a new son in a performance by the...

Detroit Band Known for Gay Bar Lyrics to Play in Moscow

The Detroit rock band Electric Six, best known for a song exhorting listeners to go to a gay bar, will play songs from their new album in Moscow...

Salakhova Deplores Low Russian Culture

While headline-grabbing groups like Pussy Riot and Femen may be the most visible symbols of feminism in the former Soviet Union, Moscow-based artist...

Amid Stormy Relations, Russian Film Festival Takes Place in Georgia

As Russian-Georgian relations remain resolutely frigid despite an impending change of president in Georgia, a small group of film lovers showed Russian...

Anton Batagov Brings His Compositions Back to Moscow

When composer Anton Batagov and singer Yangchen Lhamo announced that they had made a collaborative album, most critics were understandably skeptical:...

Manaba Magomedova Retrospective Attracts Important Guests

Dagestan is known for silver, and the metalworking skills of its artisans are on display in a special exhibit of work by Manaba Magomedova that...

Moscow Expats Flock to InterNations Social Events

As long as there have been expats in Moscow they have sought out places to meet and associate with other foreigners, forming established meeting places...

International Auction Houses Bring Famous Works to Moscow

International auction houses Christie's and Macdougall's will bring famous works of the 20th century and earlier in two upcoming shows.

Backstein Reflects on 5th Moscow Biennale

While some special exhibits of the Fifth Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art remain open this week, curators throughout the city are already dismantling...

Nikolai Tsiskaridze to Head Vaganova Ballet Academy

In a great loss for the Moscow ballet scene, Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky announced Wednesday that Nikolai Tsiskaridze would be appointed rector...

Fall Fashion Week Starts in Moscow Manezh

While Moscow may be a world center of wealth and business, this has not translated into clout in the fashion world. Most famous designers still operate...

Vulokh Retrospective Covers 60 Years of Abstractionism

While Igor Vulokh may not be one of the best-known Russian artists among Western audiences, Muscovites are certainly acquainted with his work — in recent...

Scorpions Still Rocking in Moscow After Two Decades

Walking along the Moskva River down in Gorky Park, the crowds of nonconformist hipsters and prosperous families are probably a far cry from the...

Roiter's Open House Shows Daydreams of Travel

Over the past month, the Fifth Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art has brought scores of well-known foreign artists to town, as well as numerous famous...

Festival to Bring High Cuisine to The Masses

It is no secret that Moscow is rapidly becoming an international culinary center. Though the city may not entirely have escaped its Soviet reputation...

Stanley Jordan Gains Fans From Moscow to Minsk

Western music has taken over Russian tastes since the fall of the Soviet Union, and most foreign bands can be assured of a warm welcome when they come...

Vladey Prepares for Auction of Russian Conceptualists

Russian artists are fond of deploring the sad state of the market for modern art in Russia. As the Fifth Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art has...

Museum of Moscow Shows Russia of the Past, and Present

Sergei Prokudin-Gorsky, a pioneer of color photography, is revered as one of the only sources of images from early 20th-century Russia, yet his images...

Street Artists Bring Color to Moscow Buildings

As part of the ongoing Best City on Earth Festival, organized by the Moscow Department of Culture, two foreign street artists have been brought to Moscow...

Design Week Brings International Styles to Moscow

The fourth annual Moscow Design Week opened last weekend, bringing a flurry of activity and foreign designers to the Russian capital. From Oct. 11...

Viktor Yampolsky Mixes Music and Business

Moscow is awash with classical music groups and ensembles, and last weekend's Night of Music highlighted many of the capital's rising stars. However...

Alexei Nemov Works to Revive Russian Sports

At the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, gymnast Alexei Nemov captured the world's attention when he won the all-around gold medal as well as gold for the...

Moscow Prepares for a Night of Music

As gray clouds dominate Moscow skies and cold fall winds whip down the streets of the capital, the season for citywide festivals seems to be at an...

Yevzerikhin Shows a Hidden World in Soviet Union

The Soviet Union is generally thought of as a black hole for religion, a time when activity in all faiths was suppressed and kept to a minimum...

National Geographic Celebrates 125 Years

Over the past 125 years, the simple yellow rectangle framing each new issue of National Geographic has become a symbol of discovery and unknown cultures...

Thracian Gold From Bulgaria in Moscow Museum

Bulgaria is a culture that has long had strong ties to Russia, both linguistic from their shared Slavic roots as well as cultural from their Orthodox...

Territoria Theater Festival Begins 8th Year

As theaters throughout Moscow begin new Fall seasons, the Territoria theater festival begins its eighth year of bringing young thespians from the provinces...

Pomeranz Brings Eastern Avant-Garde to Moscow

About 100 works focusing on the theme of "otherness" are on display at the Jewish Museum in the exhibit "Foreigners Everywhere."

John Baldessari's Art Is Not for Everyone

John Baldessari's art has attracted its fair share of controversy in the past: From his sweeping declaration that he would "make no more boring art"...

5th Biennale Opens Main Exhibit 'More Light'

The Fifth Moscow Biennale will open its long-awaited main exhibit, "More Light," in Moscow's Manezh on Friday. With works from nearly 100 artists from six...

17th Art Moscow Fair Opens With New Format

The traditional art market changes its format this year in the face of steep budget cuts and a moribund art market in Russia.

Alexander James Moves to Moscow (Video)

Alexander James is not a photographer. Though best known for photographic works, James creates finely crafted sculptural scenes immersed in tanks of purified...

Moscow Photo Salon Packs Variety Into a Small Selection

A large-scale photo expo, or salon, is one of the hallmarks of an artistic city, and photo salons like ParisPhoto in France or AIPAD in the U.S....

Mayakovsky Museum Calls for Aid as Closing Set for Saturday

While Mayakovsky may no longer be as popular an author since the collapse of communism, his museum, located close to Lubyanka Square, has long been...

Dutch Days Festival Brings Netherlands Culture to Moscow

Since the days of Peter the Great, the Netherlands have had a close relationship with Russia, with exchange of ideas both in cultural and economic...

13 New Exhibits Open in Winzavod's New Season

After a customary late-summer lull, the Moscow arts scene is slowly heating up as the weather cools down, with each week bringing new gallery openings...

Tolstoy Museums Unite, Tolstoy Goes Online

Leo Tolstoy, the world-famous author and doyen of Russia's golden age of literature, is not a gentleman about whom one expects to hear breaking news...

Kadyrov Alleges Cheating in Rossia 10 Contest

Chechen citizens report difficulties voting while Kadyrov demands that the Heart of Chechnya be removed from the contest.

Rumors and Departures Continue to Shake the Bolshoi Theater

Former creative director Mikhail Fikhtengolts speaks about future staff changes, monetary issues, and his departure from the Bolshoi.