Calvert 22 and the British Council present In Focus: Contemporary Art in Russia a one-day event that will provide a unique and unprecedented opportunity to learn about Russia’s vibrant arts scene and to discover points of connection and collaboration between Russia and the UK.
This one-day event will explore and contextualise the vibrant Russian art scene in Moscow, St Petersburg and the regions; Russia’s burgeoning art market and the development of art prizes, biennales and areas of interdisciplinary research and production. In Focus will provide the UK visual arts constituency with information about new developments in Russia and ideas for engaging with its many visual arts institutions.
 CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
Andrea Rose, Director Visual Arts and Strategic Programmes , British Council, said:
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Working with Russia can seem daunting before you know something about its institutions and the people that run them. The rewards of working with this culturally rich and sophisticated country though are immense, and we are keen to share our experiences and encourage more UK institutions to undertake collaborations with Russian institutions, and vica versa. This In Focus day is the first of its kind, and we hope will throw light on the many opportunities that exist for British art and artists in Russia, both East and West of the Urals.’ |
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'In Focus will bring together leading art professionals and cultural commentators from Russia and the UK. Speakers include Vasili Tsereteli (Moscow Museum of Modern Art), Joseph Backstein (Moscow Biennale), Marat Guelman, (PERMM/Guelman Gallery), Mikhail Mindlin (National Centre for Contemporary Art), Milena Orlova (Art Newspaper Russia) and Olesya Turkina (Critic and curator) as well are representatives from the State Hermitage Museum and the Garage Centre for Contemporary Culture. They will be joined in conversation by leading UK critics and curators including Nicholas Cullinan (Tate) and Ekow Eshun (Writer and broadcaster) and a participating audience of arts professionals from institutions including the British Museum, the V&A, the National Portrait Gallery, and Liverpool Biennale.
The goal of the day is not only to share knowledge, but to highlight opportunities for collaboration and exchange, to learn from experiences of past projects and facilitate new partnerships between institutions and individuals. Such collaborations could include exhibition exchange, touring opportunities or new curatorial models. This event is particularly important in view of the recent announcement that 2014 will be the Russia-UK Year of Culture, with manifestations in both countries.
In Focus will comprise short presentations, focused panel discussions and structured opportunities to meet curators, directors and art practitioners from Russia and the UK. The day will include contributions from across the spectrum of state-funded institutions and independent spaces with the goal of creating a lively and dynamic discussion on contemporary art both across Russia and in the international context.
The conference will be streamed live offering on the Calvert 22 and British Council Russia websites, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to view the conversations and join the debates via social media. The In Focus conference will be streamed online during the day from 10 till 18 GMT (+4 Moscow time). Full timetable is available HERE
To join the conversation please submit your questions via twitter using the hashtag #artinfocus. We will pose questions from social media to the speakers during the Q&A session of each panel.
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