Valera and Natasha Cherkashin are artists who have been working with the imperial cultures of the USSR (the title of this program is «The End of the Epoch, the 90's»), the United States, Germany,  Great Britain, Japan,  Spain and Mongolia for more than 15 years. China, Italy, Turkey, Egypt are in future plans.  During that time, they have held more than 80 individual exhibits and more than 35 performances. There have also been some 30 television programs--on Central Russian TV, Russian TV, CNN, Deutsche Welle, Italian Super Channel--and over 200 publications--in Stern magazine, Art and Design magazine, Washington Post, Art Press, Royal Academy Magazine -- regarding their work.         
     In 1992, the Cherkashins developed a conceptual art museum, «The Cherkashin Metropolitan Museum» named in honor of the Moscow Metro.  An album on the «The Cherkashin Metropolitan Museum » has been published, copies of which have been acquired by many museums and libraries in Europe and America, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Tate Gallery, the British Library, the Scottish National Library, the Bodleian Library, Oxford, the U.S. Library of Congress, the San Francisco Public Library and New York Public Library.
     Since 1994, the Cherkashins have been working on the theme of «Travel as Art».  They created an exposition, which was installed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and conducted a number of performances in America, Great Britain and Japan.
     Beginning in 1995, the Cherkashins also have been working on the theme of «Mirages of Empires».  Exhibitions based on this theme have been held in the German Embassy in Moscow, the Goethe Institute, Moscow; the Ford Foundation, Moscow; Chevy Chase Art Center, USA and The State Russian Museum.
     In 1996, the Cherkashins began work on the theme of «Atlantis of the World».  An exhibition on «The German Atlantis» was held in the swimming pool of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. «The USSR Atlantis» was held in the swimming pool of the University of Maryland.
     In 1997, during their trip in Germany, they became interested in portraits on the currency of different countries. Exhibitions on the theme «Favorite Portraits of People in the World» were held in Citibank and the World Bank in Washington DC in 1998; Fleet Bank, Empire State Building, 2002. In 1999 «The Culture of European Portraits on Bank notes» in The Financial Ministry of Russian Federation; «The Portraits of Cultural Workers on Bank notes» in Delegation of the Commission of the European Communities, Moscow. «Good-bye Favorite European Portraits: hello Euro» An underwater installation was held in atrium pool, World Bank Headquarters, Washington, DC. 
    In Spring 1999, the Cherkashins have worked with digital production with the assistance of MFA Photography and Related Media Department of the School of Visual Arts.
In July they held a three weeks master class for the program «New Names» sponsored by Sores Foundation.

    In 1999, they also received a four month grant from Japan Foundation to live and work in Japan. «Art as a tool for diplomacy» -performances: An artistic solution in Japan on the issue of Northern Territories, Signing a personal Peace Agreement with Japanese people; "Rapprochement of Japan and Russia", Hokkaido. Niagara Falls, solving the problem of "Wonders of the World".

     In 2000 - Participation in the International Photo Festival PhotoEspana 2000, Caja Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
     In 2001 - opened permanent exposition «Good-bye Favorite European Portraits» in the World Bank Headquarters.
     In 2002 - personal exhibition in State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg (Catalog).
Participation in "Intersection". Grant from Sores Foundation. (Mongolia).
     In 2003 Cherkashins were awarded as «Creative Photo Artists 2003» by Creative Magazine and Union of Journalists.

     Collections: The State Russian Museum; The Art Institute of Chicago (1994;1996) The Museum of Fine Art Santa Fe, NM; The Museum of Fine Art Boston; The Los Angeles County Museum of Art; The Museum of Fine Art Houston; The Museum of Art Philadelphia; San Francisco MoMa; Newseum, Washington DC; Weismann Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN; The Zimmerly Art Museum, NJ; The Ransom Humanities Research Center, Austin, TX; The US Library of Congress; Museum am Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin;  World Bank Headquarters, Washington DC; The International Center of Photography, Tokyo; The Pacific Ocean and The Niagara Falls…

    They have presented lectures about their art at the following institutions: Harvard University; Berkeley University, CA; Princeton University; Columbia University; Harvard Club of New York City; The Kennan Institute, Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington DC; NYU; International House of Japan, Tokyo; Tokyo Institute of Polytechnics; Tokyo University; Vassar College; The Swarthmore College, PA; Dickinson College, PA; Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM; The School of Visual Arts, NY; The Goldsmith University, London; St. Claire's College, Oxford ; USC; SFSU; The Art Academy of Cincinnati; Rochester University; Cosmos Club, Washington DC; The University of Maryland and Convention of AAASS in Pittsburgh.

   
    The previous projects of Cherkashins were supported by following organizations: World Bank, City Bank, European Union, Japan Foundation, Air France, Stern Magazine, AGFA Film, Deutsche Welle TV International, Caja Madrid, Kunstverein Rosenheim, Dianne Beal Contemporary Art, Soros Foundation, Capital Summit Laminations, Irving Art Center, Dallas, TX.