A gallery exhibition dedicated to the "High Art of Sport" has opened as part of the cultural programme of the 2019 European Games in Minsk ©Minsk 2019

A gallery exhibition dedicated to the "High Art of Sport" has opened as part of the cultural programme of the 2019 European Games in Minsk.

The exhibition, held over 15 showrooms, features more than 500 items, including archive photos and films of Soviet Union athletes, from competitions, training sessions and parades.

In addition to materials from the collection of the Belarusian State Archive of Films, Photographs and Sound Recordings, the exhibition also presents works by photographers and artists from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Britain, Germany, Georgia, Spain, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Slovakia.

These include underwater colour photos by Rita Stankevičiūtė-Kazakevičienė capturing Lithuanian swimming champions at the moment of diving in.

The exhibition held to coincide with this year's European Games in Minsk is being held over 15 showrooms and features more than 500 items including archive photos and films ©Minsk 2019
The exhibition held to coincide with this year's European Games in Minsk is being held over 15 showrooms and features more than 500 items including archive photos and films ©Minsk 2019

Belarusian photographer Vadim Kachan's Entire Country is Our Stadium work, with 65 photos from sport in the 1980s is on display.

The Heydar Aliyev Foundation from Azerbaijan has brought 21 sculptures to the exhibition, which were on display during Baku 2015 European Games.

The "High Art of Sport" is a part of the large-scale project named "European Games – European Art". 

Guests can view the exhibition in Minsk during the second edition of the European Games, and it is due to be opened until August 4.