Perception of Russian visual art in Heilongjiang Province through the lens of the Feng Shui system in the early 21st century (based on the works of A.N. Cherkasov presented at the RuiYi Gallery)

This study examines the features of how contemporary Russian landscape and narrative painting are perceived within the artistic sphere of Heilongjiang Province, features determined by traditional cultural codes, in particular the system of Feng Shui. It explores how Feng Shui functions as a cognitive framework and system of value judgments in the consciousness of Chinese viewers, shaping their visual preferences and interpretation models. In contrast to the dominant approaches in art history focused on metropolitan institutions and global trends, this work shifts the focus to regional art perception practices, where the well-being-oriented logic of Feng Shui acts as a key factor. The relevance of the research is linked to the need to understand the adaptation of Western art forms within local cultural contexts, especially in border regions with active cultural exchange, such as Heilongjiang. Here, the painting of Russian Far Eastern artists, particularly the works of A.N. Cherkasov, holds a special place, transmitting both the European pictorial canon and a regional cultural code. The work employs a comprehensive interdisciplinary methodological approach, including the study of the philosophical origins of Feng Shui, art historical analysis (formal-stylistic, iconological, semiotic, and hermeneutic), a sociological survey (N=215) of Heilongjiang Province residents with subsequent statistical data processing, and a case study of the commercial "RuiYi Gallery" in the city of Heihe, which exhibits the paintings of A.N. Cherkasov. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the following: firstly, in transferring the category of "Feng Shui" from the sphere of architecture and design into the field of art reception studies; secondly, in developing methods for identifying regional specificities in art perception; thirdly, in obtaining empirical data on art perception in a Chinese border region. The main conclusions of the work indicate that Feng Shui functions as a powerful cultural code, asserting the dominance of a traditionally Chinese, utilitarian and functional-aesthetic approach to artistic perception, where the practical benefit of a work (attracting luck, wealth, harmony) prevails over its formal-aesthetic qualities. This interpretative system interacts with the process of localizing Russian painting, forming hybrid formats of acceptance. Art galleries, acting as active transmitters of Feng Shui discourse, intensify this process, which creates barriers for non-figurative and conceptual art and potentially limits the diversity of the local artistic ecosystem.