On April 26, the Odessa Municipal Museum of Personal Collections named after O.V. Bleshchunov will host the opening of an exhibition titled «Creativity and Revival» featuring the renowned artist and restorer Inna Rusina. She will showcase her multifaceted talent, merging restoration expertise with a unique artistic vision.

This information was announced by the Odessa Municipal Museum of Personal Collections named after O.V. Bleshchunov.

Inna Arkadievna Rusina was a founding member of the Odessa branch of the National Research Restoration Center of Ukraine and has been actively working there since 1987. For her significant contribution to the development of restoration in the country, she was awarded the Order of Princess Olga of the III degree in 2008.

Since 1979, Inna Rusina has participated in numerous exhibitions and has been a member of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine since 1990. Her works are housed in the Odessa National Art Museum, the Odessa Museum of History and Local Lore, the Kirovohrad Regional Museum of Arts, the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Local History Museum, and in private collections around the world.

The exhibition will be presented in two halls:

Hall «Restoration»

This hall will feature six restored artworks from the museum's collection, which have been restored between 1992 and 2023 under the guidance of Inna Rusina. Each exhibit will be accompanied by stands with photographs and descriptions detailing the state of the artwork before restoration, the stages of the process, and the final result.

In the current wartime conditions in Ukraine, the role of restoration centers has become particularly significant. Inna Rusina emphasizes that, in addition to planned work, specialists are engaged in examining museum collections, evacuating, and preserving artworks.

Exhibits must be carefully and properly packed to be stored in the appropriate microclimate, — she stresses.

According to her, unlike previous decades, today this field employs highly qualified professionals.

Restorers from Kharkiv have been collaborating with her center for over ten years. Previously, she also conducted internships for many artists aspiring to become restorers. However, as Rusina smiles, not all artists can be restorers, but restorers can certainly become artists.

Hall «Inspiration»

In this section of the exhibition, visitors can explore the picturesque works of Inna Rusina.

Fifteen works in the genres of still life, portrait, and landscape reflect her unique style that has developed over the years.

The artist confesses that she was particularly influenced by the works of Sandro Botticelli, which she has seen twice at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Paintings must be seen in person. The impressions they leave cannot be conveyed in words, — shares Inna Rusina.