Olga Sviblova's love letter to Moscow: 'It can be beautiful, and it can be ugly'

Sviblova is one of Moscow's most prolific specialists in photography, as the founder and director of the Multimedia Art Museum Moscow, and she is also the maestro responsible for bringing Russian art to several world stages (she gathers under her belt at least more than 500 exhibitions, both at home and abroad).

Sviblova has been a witness to the changes in Moscow, the city where she was born and grew up to be regarded as a powerful player in the art scene. "Moscow is full of places where life is transformed in art," Sviblova said in an interview.

Right after college, Sviblova chose to work as a street cleaner in Moscow, and she spent seven years sweeping and being paid minimum wage, while entertaining artists in the evenings and holding impromptu art exhibitions.

This fledgling underground scene jump-started her curatorial career, which now includes the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale, and a role as an award-winning art documentary director.

Over the years, Sviblova's has developed an unwavering sharp eye and love for Moscow's cinematic quality. "Every time when I return back to Moscow, it doesn't matter if it's a sunny beautiful day, very cold weather, it's rain, and snow, I'm absolutely happy. I'm happy because I love Moscow," she said.