Exhibition "No Future Without a Past"

About exhibition

An exhibition of works by Boris Yafarkin. The exposition consists of paintings transferred to the museum's collection by his son Alexander in early 2025. These works, united by timeless themes—homeland, family, war—reflect the depth and poignancy of the master's art. The artist's fate, like that of many of his contemporaries, was harsh. War found him at 15. Boris took part in defensive works, served on the front from 1944, was wounded, participated in Operation Bagration and in the liberation of Belarus, Poland, Pomerania and East Prussia. He finished the war as an air gunner–radio operator and was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class, and the medals For Courage, For the Capture of Königsberg, and For the Liberation of Poland. After the war he completed painting courses in Moscow and worked as an artist-designer, leaving his descendants profound, moving works. The exhibition features self-portraits that capture his journey from a young anti-tank gunner to a white-haired veteran. Particular attention is drawn to the image of an elderly woman lighting candles in memory of the fallen, and to a touching painting of a grandson sitting in an armchair, on the back of which, like a talisman, lies the jacket bearing the veteran grandfather's awards.