A new chapter of the cult project "Once upon a time: The Kingdom of a Russian fairy tale"

On October 15, 2025, a large-scale relaunch of the "Once upon a Time" exhibition, which became a real cultural phenomenon last season, will start in the historical dungeons of the CCA Winzavod. This is not just an update of the exposure, but a rebirth of the format. The first chapter of the project gathered more than 80,000 viewers and turned into a "place of power" for families, the art community and tourists. Now the authors of the project present a sequel, "Once upon a Time: The Kingdom of a Russian Fairy Tale," expanded with new spaces, plots and characters. The project is "growing up": it not only entertains, but also explains how a fairy tale works, what archetypes and meanings are behind the usual plots. There has been a rethinking of the format and content: fr om the visual environment to the narrative, fr om the architecture of the route to the ideological core. After the re-exhibition, new semantic and visual pairs appeared in the project. "While working on the new version of the project, we explored the permanent elements of the Russian fairy tale — its plot outline, archetypal characters and ways of embodying magic. The exhibition shows how these constants, a reflection of the collective imagination and worldview of the past, have changed over time: fr om folk tales to author's and Soviet ones, wh ere familiar motifs have acquired new readings and meanings. And we also look into the mythology of our time to see which phenomena today are "overgrown" with a halo of wonder and enter into a dialogue with tradition," says Polina Kotova, curator of the project. The exhibition opens with a hall wh ere the audience is greeted by the images of A.S. Pushkin, A.N. Afanasyev, V.I. Dahl and V.Ya. Propp — collectors and researchers of Russian fairy tales. This zone sets the tone for the updated "mature" exposition. In addition, new "wow" objects have grown in the dungeons: a giant bogatyr's head, a tall Baba Yaga in the Bilibin style and her sinister hut, the winter kingdom and the updated "Mushroom War" with Tsar Pea. There is a stable with a Humpbacked Horse, a forge with a Tula anvil and fabulous animals. A special place is occupied by the expanded hall of Soviet fairy tales, which recreates the atmosphere of the Soviet interior with iconic movie images, artifacts and illustrations, including, for example, the Soviet version of "The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish" and "The Frog Princess." For fans of the "golden era" of Russian cinema and animation, this space will be a celebration of nostalgia. The immersive spaces of the exhibition are designed so that the viewer goes through trials like a hero of a fairy tale: he wanders through a dark forest, meets wonderful creatures and returns to the bright expanse. It is not only a spectacle, but also an experience of personal transformation. The organizers of the project, focusing on the feedback from the audience, made the exhibition more understandable, full of explanations and symbols, while preserving the magic of the first season. The exhibition features works by contemporary Russian artists: Danya Pirogov, Elena Kovylina, Artur Krivoshein, Alexey Vasiliev, Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubosarsky, Alexander Krylov and others. "This is not just an exhibition, but a space of meanings and dialogue between generations. Through familiar images and plots, viewers will be able to see how fairy tales were created, how their characters were invented, and what ideas were at the heart of the stories that we have known since childhood. Here you can plunge back into the fairy tale, see its structure and understand how real magic is born from simple images," says Ilya Dybov, producer of the project. Children, adults and even four—legged guests are welcome here. If last season the exhibition was dog friendly, now it is cat friendly. The exhibition is open until January 31, 2026. Age lim it: 6+ Exhibition organizer: MTS Live Implementation of the exhibition: Triumph Gallery Curatorial group: Polina Kotova, Ivan Repkin