Understanding the symbolic language of the Mordva ethno-cultural heritage: Nikolai Riabov's ethno-futuristic art

In this article, the author focuses on the problem of preserving traditional ethnic culture and believes that the continued existence of national traditions can ensure the existence of cultural diversity. The author analyzes Ethnofuturism in the Republic of Mordovia as one of its trends in modern art. The views of scholars from different national republics of the Russian Federation (E. Kolcheva, V. Sviatogorov, V. Shibanov, M. Ukolova, etc.) are summarized as well as those of Mordovian researchers and art historians (O. Belomoeva, N. Voronina, I. Lapteva, A. Runkova, I. Sirotina, V. Yurchenkov, etc.). The article considers the relevance of Ethnofuturism for modern culture on the basis of works by the Mordovian artist Nikolai Riabov, a practicing artist who explores problems of Mordvian traditional culture and their iconic embodiment in his own works of art. The author concludes that ethno-symbolic trends - the combination of new forms and ethnic symbols in modern art - enable modern viewers: 1) to immerse themselves in the historical past and comprehend the symbolic language of ethnic culture; 2) to discover new perspectives on ethnocultural design, transforming their understanding of traditional images.