Exhibition "Visiting the Tatars"

About exhibition

The core of the exhibition comprises 354 items from the museum's collection dating from the 19th–21st centuries: women's costumes and garment elements with rich embroidery, household items, tools, tableware, furniture, and musical instruments. Jewelry is well represented by nakosniki, collar pendants, sashes, earrings, and bracelets. Some of these were produced at the Kazan College of Folk Arts and Crafts. The display also includes a large number of works by masters of decorative and applied arts. Particularly notable are examples of traditional Tatar patterned leather mosaic: shoes sewn from colored leather — the famous ichigi boots and slippers with soft and hard soles — as well as cushions and wall panels with plant ornamentation. Such ornamentation decorates a great many objects, its main motif being the tulip — one of the first spring flowers. A colorful backdrop for the collection is provided by more than a hundred works by contemporary artists from Russia and other countries, created as part of international art symposia in Yelabuga. They depict Tatar rites and customs, scenes from the folk epic, memories of childhood and one’s native place, and sights of Tatarstan. An entire section is devoted to one of the main characters of the poem "Shurale" by the celebrated writer Gabdulla Tukay.