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ISSUE
ZIMA MAGAZINE 2026–2027:
«ZIMA. ELEMENTS»
The new issue, “ZIMA. ELEMENTS,” is dedicated to the phenomenon of Russian culture in exile — its key voices, narratives, and places. Together with editor-in-chief, writer, and journalist Sergey Nikolaevich, we explore how a cultural code acquires new creative energy when it finds itself beyond its familiar geographical and linguistic context.
The issue’s narrative structure is built around the metaphor of five natural elements: “FIRE,” “EARTH,” “LIGHT,” “WATER,” and “AIR.” A separate — and most precious — element is the human one. This is the focus of the “ZIMA PEOPLE ” section, one of the central features of the new issue.
At the heart of the issue are the lives and stories of directors, writers, performers, and musicians shaping contemporary Russian culture around the world. Their creative drive, courage, and ability to reimagine the world around them become the most powerful response to any historical challenge — and to the elements themselves.
On the cover is a work by conceptual artist Viktor Pivovarov. Contributors to the issue include Maria Stepanova, Alexey Tarkhanov, Nina Agisheva, Karina Dobrotvorskaya, Boris Akunin, Gueorgui Pinkhassov, Dmitry Chernyshev, Kira Dolinina, Roman Dolzhansky, Evgenia Vezhlyan, Sergey Khodnev, and others. The project’s featured figures include director Kirill Serebrennikov, writer and playwright Lyudmila Petrushevskaya, actor Alexander Kuznetsov, actress Evgenia Dodina, director Dmitry Krymov, musician Alexander Boldachev, opera director Dmitri Tcherniakov, and musician Roman Mints.
Sergey Nikolaevich, Editor-in-Chief
“FIRE” — WHAT’S ON
The hottest theater and film premieres, exhibitions, bestselling books, new albums, the best restaurants and hotels — all carefully selected by experts and true connoisseurs.
“EARTH” — CITIES
A collection of stories about cities and the lives of people who left their homeland and continued their journeys beyond its borders. Each of these “city” stories is, above all, a self-portrait set against the backdrop of the anxious spring and scorching summer of 2026 — and, of course, an example of how new countries can offer inspiration, support, and warmth.
PEOPLE OF “WINTER”
A special project with Alistair Morrison, a world-renowned photographer and one of Britain’s finest portraitists. Three days of shooting, the master’s lens, and a legendary Englishman’s perspective on the enigmatic Russian soul — this is how this series of portraits, destinies, and stories of the people of “Winter” came to life.
“AIR” — FACES
A space for pure creativity. The protagonists of this section are creators, artists, and visionaries who anticipate the future and interpret the present we live in. Each of them, in their own way, draws on the life-giving “AIR” of culture to create — and to navigate sorrow, upheaval, and fear.
“WATER” — ART
As we know, water can wash away almost anything, yet it is powerless against great art. We have selected several stories about the saving grace of immersing oneself in art and about how creativity becomes a source of meaning in life: artist Viktor Pivovarov, sculptor Nika Neelova, Valeria Rodnyanskaya’s collection of graphic art, and Andrey Ruzhnikov’s collection of decorative arts.
“LIGHT” — HISTORY
The light of reason and the light of history, dispersing the darkness, chaos, and fog of contemporary life. Maria Stepanova’s historical prose and Bashō’s minimalist haiku translated by Boris Akunin are also attempts to explore unfamiliar territory, understand another soul, and discover new sources of light in our world.