2025
Art direction for
a photo exhibition
a photo exhibition
about
I served as Curator and Art Director for a photo exhibition by Stepan Klochkov, a student of the Technique and Art of Photography program. His work documents war memorials across Russia – a project that took him to multiple cities. The exhibition was displayed in Moscow parks in May 2025 and is now available online.
Project specifics
Exhibitions in public parks always struggle with visual white noise – even the strongest images risk being overlooked.
I knew that listing locations and facts alone wouldn’t be enough. So I added lyrics from wartime songs. They became show-stoppers – moments of emotional resonance that elevated the entire experience.
The design also had to be adaptive. Each park used a different format for exhibition modules, so the visual system had to be flexible enough to work across all of them.
I knew that listing locations and facts alone wouldn’t be enough. So I added lyrics from wartime songs. They became show-stoppers – moments of emotional resonance that elevated the entire experience.
The design also had to be adaptive. Each park used a different format for exhibition modules, so the visual system had to be flexible enough to work across all of them.
Public art context
Placing an exhibition in a park means the environment is anything but neutral. Unlike a museum – where visitors come with focused attention – a park is visually busy, and the audience is largely transient. Capturing and holding attention in this setting is a real challenge. You need something that undeniably catches the eye
Design concept
I wanted to preserve the contemplative rhythm of the original photography – and avoid cropping that could compromise the integrity of each shot. That’s how the modular matting system came about. The song lyrics were also treated as typographic elements, equal in weight to the images themselves
Adaptive design
Most exhibition designers don’t have to deal with adaptability across different display formats. Here, it was a given from the start: multiple park layouts, each with its own proportions. On top of that, there was an online version – which meant rethinking grid adaptability and optimizing the typography for screen as well
Process
- 01Reviewed the photo material, discussed the concept
- 02Established the visual rhythm and defined the sequence of images
- 03Clarified technical requirements for layouts with Moscow parks
- 04Selected wartime song lyrics to enhance the emotional impact
- 05Developed a flexible design that preserves the integrity of each image
- 06Prepared final layouts and created the exhibition landing page
Outcome
You can explore the interactive online exhibition on the College of Design and Decorative Arts website
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