Public art in the historical city: Visualizing the local cultural code

Abstract

The article analyses public art within the framework of the cultural approach – as a form of visualization of the city’s cultural code. The author examines the variants of public art comprehension existing in the Russian academic discourse and identifies the two most common approaches to the interpretation of art in the public space. According to the first approach, public art is interpreted as “commissioned” art, which is an instrument of the state’s ideological policy, and is therefore evaluated negatively. According to the second approach, public art is understood in a less evaluative and more meaningful way, emphasizing the variability of artistic practices existing within it, their focus on communication with society, participation of residents, and reflection of locally significant meanings. The article emphasizes the commemorative functions of public art and comprehends its role in the actualization of the city’s cultural memory and representation of urban identity. The author explores what historical, cultural, and mythological narratives are depicted on the murals in Veliky Novgorod, created within the framework of the All-Russian Street Art Festival “Pages of History” (2019–2023). The article proposes to categorize Novgorod murals into the following thematic groups: 1) genius loci; 2) historical subjects; 3) myths and legends; 4) cultural heritage; 5) natural objects; 6) modern heroes. Art in Veliky Novgorod’s public spaces, especially located in typical Soviet districts, serves to individualize the urban environment and create new points of attraction for the city dwellers. Murals have become part of new excursion routes that run both through the symbolic city center and the city outskirts. The author argues that the subjects represented on the murals are authentic for Veliky Novgorod, contribute to the formation of local identity, enhance the imagery of the urban environment, and emphasize the uniqueness of the Novgorod cultural landscape.

Keywords

• urban studies
• public art
• cultural code
• historical city
• urban identity
• veliky novgorod
• street art
• cultural memory