The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research increases the number of its initiatives in the cultural field. On 12 February 2026, the JINR Gallery opened at the International Conference Centre. The first project of the new professional exhibition space is a display of pieces by a pioneer of Russian kinetic art, artist Francisco Infante. The project was prepared in collaboration with Veretyevo Gallery.

The exhibition is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the “artefact” concept, a unique genre invented by Francisco Infante at the junction of installation art and photography. The exhibition comprises more than 120 works covering the period from the 1960s to the present day, from early kinetic objects to famous series, where mirror structures come into optical play with the natural landscape. The JINR Gallery’s retrospective demonstrates the evolution of the author’s style, in which geometry and light become the main tools for exploring space.

Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation, OGANESSON Prize laureate Mikhail Shvydkoy emphasised the significance of the event for the cultural life of Russia. He noted the unique ability of the new site to unite the intellectual elite: according to him, bringing together outstanding scientists and directors of leading museums in one place is a difficult task even in Moscow.

“Education and culture are, as a rule, about what is already generally accepted and known. Science and art are always a breakthrough into something yet to be investigated”, Mikhail Shvydkoy said. “The implementation of such a project in Dubna is extremely important, since contemporary art, like fundamental science strives for unexplored dimensions of life”.

Director of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Grigory Trubnikov stated that the opening of the Gallery within the walls of the JINR International Conference Centre is a logical and deeply symbolic step.

“The International Conference Centre of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research has always been a space of dialogue. Now, the language of science is supplemented with another universal language requiring no translation – the language of artistic images”, Grigory Trubnikov said. “It is a great honour for us to open the gallery with an exhibition of the outstanding Francisco Infante. We are grateful to the artist for his trust”.

Upon welcoming the guests of the gallery, Francisco Infante expressed his sincere gratitude to the exhibition organizers and the audience. In his speech, he touched upon the difference between the scientific and artistic perceptions of reality. According to the classic of kinetics, despite the common goal of understanding the world, the tools of a physicist and an artist can be fundamentally different.

“I always listen to scientists with great interest:they have a completely different way of thinking,” Francisco Infante said. “A scientist thinks in terms of consciousness and rational knowledge, while an artist mostly follows the path of intuition”.

Exhibition curator Irina Gorlova noted the deep conceptual connection of Francisco Infante’s work with Dubna’s spirit. According to her, the reason behind this particular artist becoming the first to present his work in this exhibition space was that his philosophical search, which started with a realisation of the world’s infinity in his youth, echoes the fundamental tasks of science.

“Today, in the halls of the JINR Gallery, one can observe a real clash of epochs, with the 1960s works juxtaposed with the 21st century works”, the exhibition curator said. “This dialogue between the old and the new proves that the idea of artefact, which turns 50 this year, is still viable, and the master’s early works look bright, young, and fresh”.

Andrey Gnatyuk, the ideologist and creator of the Veretevo art estate, emphasised the “human dimension” of this collaboration in science and art. He expressed his admiration for Dubna academic community’s courage and readiness to explore not only their fields of study.

“I would like to note an admirable quality of those working at JINR. For physicists, diving into the world of contemporary art is always a risk and a challenge”, Andrey Gnatyuk emphasised. “It seems to me that sometimes it is easier for scientists to discover a new element of Mendeleev’s Periodic Table than to figure out modern artistic meanings. But it was this intellectual courage and sincere willingness to experiment that allowed the Institute to create such a unique cultural product”.

The new exhibition space in the International Conference Centre is intended to serve as an intersection of scientific and artistic worldviews and a platform for a constant dialogue between physicists and lyricists of the 21st century. The JINR Gallery design was developed by the Orchestra architectural studio. The ArteFacts of Francisco InFante exhibition will run until 27 July 2026.