The event provided a platform for dialogue on how aesthetics and intercultural communication enhance investment attractiveness and strengthen international partnerships.

The forum was held under the patronage of Sheikh Salim bin Sultan Al Qasimi (Member of the Executive Council of the Government of Ras Al Khaimah, UAE). Key speakers included Mikhail Piotrovsky, General Director of the State Hermitage Museum, and Sheikh Abdulrahman Al Otaishan, Chairman of the Saudi-Bahrain Business Group.
The discussions included representatives from Russia, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China, and Serbia—city and regional leaders interested in developing cross-cultural ties.

The panel discussions outlined practical principles for successful cooperation:
Knowledge of traditions and cultural codes is often more important than financial indicators. Trust as the foundation of partnership—in Eastern contexts, it is built through a sense of "friend or foe."
Intangible benefits—respect for cultural norms—can be just as significant as economic profit.

ONA PROJECT, as a project supporting the development of interethnic cultural ties, presented several works from its collection for the forum:

A work by Egyptian artist Ahmed Saber, an African artist by Mulenga Mubang, and a sketch for the ballet "The Rite of Spring" by Nicholas Roerich.

The exhibition was accompanied by a performance by a ballerina—an excerpt from Igor Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring."

Works from the ONA PROJECT collection were presented at the International Conference "Humanitarian Modernization for Sustainable Development," held in St. Petersburg.
For ONA PROJECT, participation in such international scientific and cultural forums is an important part of the project’s mission—to reveal the significance of art as a humanitarian resource that shapes values, cultural memory, and a space for dialogue between societies, eras, and cultural traditions.
ONA PROJECT places particular emphasis on the theme of the female image and the role of women in culture. Throughout history, women’s contributions to the artistic and intellectual process have often remained in the shadows, despite their significant influence. Supporting women in art, exploring female images, and promoting this theme in the cultural agenda are key areas of the project’s work.
As part of the conference, ONA PROJECT also presented the concept for a future exhibition dedicated to photographer Deborah Turbeville, one of the key figures in world photography of the second half of the 20th century. The project focuses on her St. Petersburg period and is based on an archive of works created in Russia. The exhibition envisions a dialogue between Turbeville’s photography and the space of historic St. Petersburg—a city that has become more than just a shooting location for the artist, but an essential part of her artistic language. Particularly significant is the idea of ​​hosting the project in the Brusnitsyn mansion—a space whose historical and visual environment resonates with Turbeville’s aesthetics and the atmosphere of St. Petersburg in the 1990s.
Presenting this initiative at an international humanitarian forum underscored the importance of cultural projects that can bridge different countries, eras, and artistic traditions, as well as refocus attention on the artist’s role in understanding time and space.

Participation in the international humanitarian conference was an important step for the project and another opportunity to present art as a language of values ​​through which to discuss beauty, memory, human experience, and sustainable cultural development.