The Chekhov Experimental project was born in Taganrog in 2010 during the preparation of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of A. P. Chekhov. "Live illustrations" is the first name of the project. Its authors were Victoria Barvenko, Associate Professor of the Department of Engineering Graphics and Computer Design at the Institute of Radio Engineering Systems and Management of the Southern Federal University, and Svetlana Pesetskaya, a Taganrog artist. Students of the department were involved in the implementation of a bold creative idea. In total, about 15 costumes were created jointly, which, after the anniversary celebrations, became part of the exposition of the TGLIAMZ. Chekhov. Since then, the project has been living and developing, generating new art objects and inspiring artists and designers to create. This time, the exhibition within the framework of the project was called "CHEKHOV/ ACTION", and students from various universities took an active part in it.

"First-year students of the SFedU Institute of Radio Engineering Systems and Management presented large-format illustrations based on the works of A.P. Chekhov in the technique of screen color printing. The work turned out to be very good.

DSTU provided immersive theater projects for the exhibition: "Uncle Vanya", "Cherry Orchard", etc. In the space of such a theater, the boundaries between the audience and the actors are blurred. It turns out to be a new interactive format that goes beyond traditional art.

MASI sent the students' works, which are in tune with the name of the exhibition and are dedicated to the writer's world tour. The themes of the collages, which are made on cardboard, repeat Chekhov's path after visiting Sakhalin. Then Anton Pavlovich visited Japan, the island of Ceylon, Rome, Constantinople. A collective student work is also presented – a multi-part collage/assemblage. Colored symbolic graphics and additional accent elements are applied to the textile canvases, painting on fabric, in which the portrait of the writer and a quote from his work are made," Victoria Barvenko, associate professor of the SFedU Institute of Radio Engineering Systems and Management, told about the works presented at the exhibition.

Marina Prikhodko, Director of the Museum of Modern Fine Arts on Dmitrovskaya Street, Lyudmila Gubareva-Mukha, Chairman of the regional department for the Southern Federal District of the Eurasian Art Union, Alexander Travin, Associate Professor of the Design Department, and Head of the Design Department of the School of Architecture, Design and Arts of the Don State Technical University, spoke at the opening of the Chekhov Experimental exhibition Tatyana Berdnik, Associate Professor of the Department of Engineering Graphics and Computer Design, The Institute of Radio Engineering Systems and Management SFedU Victoria Barvenko,  Lyudmila Kazakova, art critic of the Taganrog Art Museum, Svetlana Brikunova, head of the art workshop for social employment of children and adolescents with mental disabilities of the regional branch of the Charitable Foundation "I am!"

Teachers and art critics emphasized the worldwide role of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov's literary works, the relevance of works that are born during the comprehension of his personality, acquaintance with the cultural heritage of the writer.

The project was attended by 56 Russian and foreign authors of different generations and creative directions, united by love and attention to the work of the writer. Artists, designers, and photographers expressed their admiration for Chekhov in various visual formats: artbooks, visual poetry, installations, collages, assemblages, paintings, graphics, photos, immersive theater projects, and artwork illustrations.

The theme of the project this time was a quote from the story "Flying Islands" by A.P. Chekhov: "I have the honor to announce that for some reason we are not flying down, but up!" This phrase formed the basis of a painting work done in gouache technique by Alexandra Druzhinina, a 1st year student of the the SFedU Institute of Radio Engineering Systems and Management:

"This is the story of how three gentlemen set off on a journey in search of flying islands. The humorous story "Flying Islands" became Chekhov's parody of the novels of the French writer Jules Verne. I did my work in an abstract style, and my classmates created more realistic works, inspired by famous characters from the writer's works.

Getting acquainted with the stories told by Chekhov, everyone brings out something valuable for themselves. There are philosophical meanings in his works that even have a therapeutic effect."

Next year, the Chekhov Experimental project will turn 15 years old. Victoria Barvenko invited everyone present at the event to prepare well during this time and take an active part in the anniversary exhibition in 2025 at the Chekhov Book Festival site.