Inclusive Exhibition of Painting: Theoretical Foundations, Traditional and Multisensory Adaptation Technologies

This article analyzes modern approaches to making the heritage of painting accessible to museum visitors with visual impairments. It demonstrates that the shift from the medical to the social model of disability, combined with the concept of cultural inclusion, necessitates not only physical access to artworks but also access to their meaning. While traditional methods—such as audio description and tactile graphics—effectively convey factual information, they fail to communicate the aesthetic and emotional content of a painting. Drawing on L. S. Vygotsky’s cultural-historical theory (specifically the concept of compensatory mechanisms) and N. F. Fedorov’s museum philosophy (the "assembly of persons"), the author substantiates the "musical-poetic image" method as a form of synthesis between compensatory art forms. Particular attention is paid to modern multisensory technologies, including 3D-printed tactile replicas made from composite polymers, scent design, sound installations, and interactive displays. Effective practices for integrating tactile exhibits into permanent collections are illustrated through examples from Russian museums, such as the M. A. Vrubel Omsk Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Russian Impressionism, the Darwin Museum, and the M. A. Bulgakov Museum. The article outlines criteria for cultural inclusion—namely participation, dialogue, and aesthetic agency—and argues for the necessity of abandoning segregating forms of adaptation.