MOSCOW.- Moscow Museum of Modern Art presents an international exhibition within the framework of ‘The Russian-Swedish Dialogue’ series – Metro In Art & Art In Metro - Valera & Natasha Cherkashin (Russia) - Marianne Ström (Sweden). Metro in Art & Art in Metro combines two different viewpoints on the same phenomenon, the world of underground transport and its artistic meaning. Deep below the ground, an incredible world of art can be found, with all the cultural diversity and complexity of a modern city. The architecture and decoration of the stations, as well as people moving along the platforms and escalators, create the unique image and atmosphere of metro in different countries.

Two separate projects will be exhibited together: The Global Underground by Russian artists Valera and Natasha Cherkashin, and Metro Art by Swedish art historian and photographer Marianne Ström. All the participants of the show have long taken a great interest in the imagery of underground space, and the idea of a joint exhibition was born after they came across each other.

The concept of The Global Underground by Valera and Natasha Cherkashin is to reveal cultural features of underground transport systems in many countries, as well as to visualize the virtual transition from one metro station to another. The subway reflects both the history and culture of the nation and the technological advances at the time of the construction. Through large-scale video installations and digital photos, the artists embody the connection between different cultural systems. The Cherkashins focus their attention on the metros of Moscow, New York, Paris and Stockholm.

The Metro Art photographic series by Marianne Ström demonstrates an amazing mixture of various artistic values and trends in the underground space. Images of metro stations from forty cities around the world will be on view, alongside two interactive slideshows. Again, the main sources of inspiration for the author are the subways of Moscow, New York, Paris and Stockholm.

Valera and Natasha Cherkashin is a duet of artists and photographers who have been exploring the cultures of the USSR, Russia, the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, Japan and Mongolia for more than 15 years. During this time, they have held more than 90 personal exhibitions in many places all over the world. Their Global Underground project was initiated in 2005 and is constantly updated.

All information is available on the site: http://www.metro33.org. Marianne Ström is an art historian, writer and photographer. Born in Sweden, she lives and works in Paris. She has a PhD in Art History from the Sorbonne. She is the author of several publications about public art and architecture, and frequently contributes to research on international art, architecture and town planning. She has also held photographic exhibitions. Official site: http://www.artspublics.net. Partners of the exhibition: Swedbank, Beeline, Adobe Systems Inc. The exhibition is supported by: Swiss International Airlines, Switzerland Tourism, iPro.