Visualizations of Soviet Repression and the Gulag in Russian Museums: Common Exhibition Models

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article analyzes the conceptual approaches and exhibition designs used by Russian museums for exhibitions on the Soviet terror. Using empirical data from 145 museums researched over 16 years, the author develops a typology of common models of visualization. At the center of this typology is an innovative approach to the representation of the “hero–victim–villain” triad, which is pivotal to exhibitions focusing on humanitarian disasters. The author argues that the way Russian museums use this triad is the main reason for the inadequacy of the majority of Russian museum exhibitions dedicated to the terror.