Documentation of Creative Projects by the Siberian branch of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts

The archive of the Siberian branch of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts collects and preserves documents, photographs, newspaper cuttings, and videos connected with its activities. A significant part of the archive is made up of the archives of Tomsk photographers Vladimir Bobretsov and Pavel Ryskalenko, which can be used to trace the history of the branch.

In 2020, the branch became part of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and temporarily moved away from exhibition activities toward research and education. It began to work actively with universities, devising educational projects aimed at attracting students to contemporary art and improving art education in the region.

The archive includes materials from the TOM Festival of Art and Reading, a joint event of the Siberian branch and Tomsk State University. In 2023, the program included 60 discussion, educational, and exhibition events involving 90 experts, and a book fair attended by 20 publishers working with the humanities, art, design, and local history. The festival will take place annually. Documents from the exhibition Artists Remember Everything, which marked the tenth anniversary of the Siberian branch and was part of the TOM Festival of Art and Reading make up an important part of the archive. Ten artists offered their view of the ten‑year history of the branch and their projects were shown in a specially constructed pavilion. The artists considered the absent space of their own museum, referenced the artistic heritage of other artists, created an imaginary museum, and tried to understand where regional art fits in. The archive also includes documents from the interdisciplinary research “The New Generation. Artists from Siberia. Tomsk,” which promoted and supported Tomsk artists, photographers, and researchers born after 1980.