Exotic beasts seen through the lens of imagination have been heroes of art for centuries. The project shows how fantasy, rumors, and science have shaped the visual images of unseen creatures. The exhibition is dedicated to how European masters from different eras depicted animals they had never encountered. It includes works from the 16th to the 20th centuries: graphics, paintings, decorative arts, and video art. A significant portion of the works has been stored away for a long time and is being shown to the public for the first time. The key section focuses on art from the 16th to the 18th centuries. During this period, rhinoceroses, elephants, and other exotic animals were perceived as almost mythical beings. Lacking the opportunity to observe them in person, artists relied on travelers' accounts, rare sketches, and their own imagination, endowing the animals with fantastic traits. Particular attention is given to the phenomenon of the Kunstkammer - "cabinets of curiosities," where art coexisted with natural oddities. These collections reflected both scientific interest and a yearning for the unusual. The finale of the exhibition turns to the present: contemporary artists reinterpret the legacy of the past and continue the dialogue about how images of exotic beings are born. Find other unusual exhibitions in Moscow on KUDAGO.