The Fourth Interregional Academic Exhibition Red Gate / Against the Current kicks off in Saratov

On September 7, 2016, the Fourth Interregional Academic Exhibition “Red Gate / Against the Current” will open in Saratov. The presentation of a large-scale project is held at 2 sites: in the Saratov State Art Museum named after A.N. Radishcheva, st. Pervomaiskaya 75 (16.00) and in the exhibition hall of the Saratov Art College named after A.P. Bogolyubov, st. Universitetskaya, 59 (17.30). On the eve of the opening, a press conference is planned (14.30) at the Radishchev Museum.

Main organizers: Russian Academy of Arts and Volga branch of the Russian Academy of Arts, Creative Union of Russian Artists, Saratov State Art Museum named after A.N. Radishchev, SKhU them. A.P. Bogolyubov, Saratov Regional House of Art Workers (Saratov), Volga Art Gallery and the Collection of Actual Realism Foundation (Tolyatti), Bashkir State Art Museum named after M.V. Nesterova (Ufa), State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan (Kazan) with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Russia, the Ministry of Culture of the Saratov Region, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan.

The project leader and author is Academician K.V. Khudyakov, vice-president of the Russian Academy of Arts, chairman of the Volga branch of the Russian Academy of Arts, president of the Creative Union of Artists of Russia.

The large-scale research project is based on the methodology of the European educator and humanist of the 17th century, Jan Amos Comenius, who created the encyclopedic work “The World of Sensual Things in Pictures”. The task of the organizers of this project is to reflect the diversity of the surrounding world of nature and human relations through the works of artists of the beginning of the 21st century, to explore the modern art process. In 2016, as part of the academic competition, artworks on 10 declared topics were considered: Paradise, Fire, Air, Water, Earth, Day and Night, Time, Seasons, Cataclysm, Space.

The competition was attended by over 700 artists from Moscow, St. Petersburg, 14 regions of the Volga region, as well as Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Yekaterinburg, Vladimir, Vladikavkaz, Kaluga, Suzdal, Rostov-on-Don, Crimea.

The Expert Council of the Russian Academy of Arts and the jury, which included well-known figures of culture and art, selected more than 500 works (about 450 authors) in this project. As a result, the finalists and laureates of the competition (31 people) were identified: 6 laureates of the K.S. Prizes Petrova-Vodkin, 6 Prize winners named after I.E. Repin, 8 laureates of the Prizes named after N.I. Feshin, 5 laureates of the Prize named after M.V. Nesterova, 6 laureates of the Prizes of the President of the Russian Academy of Arts Z.K. Tsereteli.

Prizes of the academic competition “Against the Current” were initiated by the Volga branch of the Russian Academy of Arts and the “Collection of Actual Realism” Foundation in order to support talented authors and perpetuate the memory of enlightening artists who became symbols of the Russian cultural tradition: K.S. Petrova-Vodkina, N.I. Feshin, I.E. Repina, M.V. Nesterova. In 2016, the regional executive bodies actively joined the financing of the project: K.S. Prizes Petrova-Vodkina was funded by the Government of the Saratov Region, N.I. Prizes Feshina - Government of the Republic of Tatarstan, M.V. Prizes Nesterova - Government of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Prizes I.E. Repin - The Collection of Actual Realism Foundation, Prizes of the President of the Russian Academy of Arts - Zurab Tsereteli Foundation.

The laureates of the competition were representatives from different cities and regions: Moscow, Saratov, Tolyatti, Kazan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Ufa, Ulyanovsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Vladikavkaz.

The exposition of the Saratov exhibition (at the Radishchev Museum and at the Bogolyubov School) includes works by artists from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Saratov, Samara, Izhevsk, Perm, Penza, Cheboksary, Ufa. A total of about 180 works by more than 150 artists. All of them are representatives of various creative unions: the TSH of Russia, the Moscow Union of Artists and the Union of Artists of Russia, interns at the Creative Workshops of the Russian Academy of Arts, free artists.

40 Saratov artists participate in the exhibition project, 4 of them became laureates of the Prize named after K.S. Petrova-Vodkina (Andrey Scherbakov, Victor Chudin, Mikhail Gavryushov, Yana Antonova), 1 laureate of the Prize named after I.E. Repina (Nurgaleev Ruslan).

As part of the grand opening of the exhibition in Saratov, a press conference, a round table and a presentation of the collection of materials of the Fourth International Scientific and Practical Conference “Art and Power” are planned. Laureates and finalists will be awarded with personal prizes, awards of the Russian Academy of Arts and the Creative Union of Artists of Russia.

The route and schedule of the traveling academic exhibition: Saratov (September 7-25) - Tolyatti (September 30-October 12) - Ufa (October 15-30) - Kazan (November 1-15) - Moscow, Z. Tsereteli Art Gallery of the Russian Academy of Arts (24 November - December 20).

Preparing for publication of the 2nd volume of the art-encyclopedia “AGAINST THE CURRENT” with research articles and works of project participants. Presentation will take place

in Moscow, as part of the opening of the exhibition at the Z. Tsereteli Art Gallery of the Russian Academy of Arts. Each artist participating in the project will receive an original copy of the album for free.

History reference

In 2001-2002, the Volga branch of the Russian Academy of Arts, with the support of the Government of the Saratov Region, organized the First Mobile Academic Exhibition “Red Gate” (project manager - Academician, People’s Artist of Russia A.V. Uchaev), which was attended by artists from 5 regions of the Volga Region Federal District, Moscow and Volgograd.

In 2012 and 2014, the Second and Third interregional traveling academic exhibitions “Red Gate / Against the Current” were held (project manager - academician, chairman of the Volga branch of the Russian Academy of Arts K.V. Khudyakov), artists from all regions of the Volga Federal District participated in them Russia, Moscow and St. Petersburg (in total more than 700 artists).

Since 2012, within the framework of the exhibition project, the Interregional Academic Contest “AGAINST THE CURRENTS” has been held with the presentation of nominal cash prizes to the laureates: K.S. Petrova-Vodkina (Saratov), I.E. Repina (Tolyatti), N.I. Feshin (Kazan), P.P. Chistyakova (Moscow). In 2014, the Prize of the President of the Russian Academy of Arts Zurab Tsereteli and the Prize named after M.V. Nesterova (Ufa). In 2016, this tradition was continued.

The implementation of these projects has made a significant contribution to the preservation and development of the best traditions of academic art, has given new development to the exhibition movement

in Russia. The project was highly appreciated by public authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the professional community.

PARADISE. Sergey Kalinin. MOSCOW