With all the critical coverage of Russia that Putin and his supporters are provoking, we would almost forget that we are in the middle of the Netherlands-Russia year sitting. A screening of Paul Verhoeven's war film will take place tonight at the Pioner Gorky Park in Moscow Black Book, as a kick-off to a retrospective dedicated to Verhoeven. Verhoeven will also conduct a workshop for young Russian filmmakers.
It is one of the components of a major Dutch cultural festival taking place in Moscow from 11 to 15 September under the banner 'Dutch Days'. Besides various exhibitions, there will be performances by The Kyteman Orchestra and the Dutch Youth Theatre, among others.
As part of this, Education Minister Jet Bussemaker will open a special Mondrian exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow on 13 September. Mondrian, along with Russians Kandinsky and Malevich, was among the pioneers of abstract art. Mondrian is still fairly unknown to the Russian public, partly because abstract art was censored during the Soviet era.
Bussemaker also plans to hold talks with Russian representatives of human rights organisations working to improve the position of lesbians and gays, among others, as well as organisations striving for greater gender equality.
Culture is one of the three pillars of the bilateral Netherlands-Russia Year. Economic and political-social activities are also organised.