Alexey Fursin replaced Alexander Kibovsky at the head of the capital’s department of culture

Sergei Sobyanin, re-elected mayor of Moscow on Single Voting Day, determined the composition city ​​government, the former composition of which, in accordance with the law, resigned after the mayor took office. The Department of Culture, in particular, was headed by 48-year-old Alexey Fursin, who previously headed the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Development of the capital. Mr. Fursin came to work at the Moscow City Hall in 2016 as first deputy head of the department of science, industrial policy and entrepreneurship.

“I’m glad that for 13 whole years I was able to implement projects that allowed me not only to preserve the culture of old Moscow, but also to open the way for something new,” said 49-year-old Alexander Kibovsky, who headed the department of culture since March 2015, when he took over from positions of Sergei Kapkov.—During this time, we managed to make culture closer to Muscovites. Art has become more accessible not only to a wide audience, but also to young talents. And this closeness to Muscovites is the capital’s most important achievement. But time poses new challenges, and today it is fundamentally important to bring Moscow’s culture to a new level. The time has come to create world-class creative industries. To solve such serious problems, it is necessary to involve specialists in related fields, combining cultural traditions and modern creative solutions. I am confident that the new head of the culture department, Alexey Fursin, with his specialized experience, will cope with such systemic tasks successfully.”

Mr. Kibovsky noted that he worked with Mr. Fursin for several years “on many important projects, including the creation and development of a modern film industry in the city, which has become one of the strategic directions in culture today.” “For my part, I will provide him with all possible support,” promised Alexander Kibovsky. “I thank all my colleagues for their great and well-coordinated joint work. For many years, we have been developing our beloved city together in various fields of culture and art. A lot has been done. But life does not stand still, and there is still more to be done ahead.”

“Over the past three years, we have systematically developed the creative business in Moscow and have come a long way from defining the very concept of creative industries to recognizing Moscow products in this area at the international level,” said Alexey Fursin. “Today, even under sanctions, creative content from the Russian capital – cinema, animation, art, fashion, e-sports and much more – is in demand all over the world, from Latin America to China. And many entrepreneurs in the creative field have completely changed their attitude towards business during this time: with the help of the city, they have mastered the basics of doing business, learned to protect the rights to the products of intellectual work and monetize their creative ideas.”

“An industry that few people perceived as a full-fledged business has today become one of the most effective segments of the city’s economy,” noted Mr. Fursin. The share of creative industries in Moscow’s GRP from 2018 to 2022 increased, according to him, by one and a half times. “The basis of everything new in the cultural sector is the creative base created in Moscow over tens and hundreds of years – not only by world-famous theaters, directors, playwrights, but also by an integral cultural layer common to the entire capital, created by Muscovites themselves. This basic culture is passed on from generation to generation through theaters, lecture halls, libraries, cultural centers, international and local festivals. And it lives in hundreds and tens of hundreds of well-known and local organizations that give us the opportunity to carefully preserve and pass on the traditions of Moscow.”

According to Mr. Fursin, the capital is “on the verge of launching large-scale international projects in the field of modern culture.” In particular, a “world-class film cluster” is being created. “Moscow is a center of attraction for a huge number of creative, talented, ambitious people who love and know how to create memorable works of art, cinema, and animation,” noted Alexey Fursin. “I see my main task in my new position as developing the opportunities and potential for implementation created in the capital large-scale and significant cultural projects both at the all-Russian and international levels.”

How the appearance of a new mayor was celebrated in Moscow – in the material “Stand at Zaryadye!”.