MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th September, 2022) Two of Russia's largest and prestigious contemporary art fairs � Cosmoscow and Blazar � will open their doors to the public in the Russian capital on Wednesday, with the latest artwork by prominent and rising artists on display.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Cosmoscow International Contemporary Art Fair that will be held in Gostiny Dvor from September 15-17. Visitors will have a chance to see booths of 65 Russian galleries, 13 of which will display works of international artists. The majority of participants are from Moscow, however several other Russian regions will be represented at the fair, including ARKA Gallery from Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok.
Cosmoscow will be divided into several sections. The Main section will present the works of 45 young and well-known galleries with their own exhibition spaces. The Frame section will feature eight galleries without their own showrooms. The Editions section will include four galleries that present printing art forms. The Network section will incorporate three projects that aim at developing infrastructure, education and communications in the field of contemporary art. The Digital section, which is a new permanent section of Cosmoscow and curated by the Instigators art group, will include the works of four art groups that operate in the sphere of new media forms, digital art; the section will also become an online-trading space for NFT art.
An eventful non-profit program will also be present at the Cosmoscow fair. The winner of the artist of the year title, Valery Chtak, will present his works at a separate exhibition; the winner of the museum of the year, the State Hermitage museum, alongside with European University at Saint Petersburg will present the school of Arts and Cultural Heritage, which is an innovative educational art history and museum work program. Cosmoscow will also hold a contemporary dance art project with Diana Vishneva Foundation, and the SOUND UP new music festival, which will feature among others the works of Steve Reich and Julius Eastman.
With the help of the best teachers and artists, Cosmoscow creates educational and creative activities for children that help the younger generation get to know contemporary art better by looking into the art of Valery Chtak according to his own instructions. Architectural and ceramic workshops will also be available for children at the fair.
The second contemporary art event in Moscow will be the Blazar fair that will feature the works of aspiring young artists, as well promote various non-profit initiatives. Founded just in 2020, Blazar is a successful art event that will be held from September 14-18 at the Museum of Moscow.
About 60 independent artists and 22 art gallery booths will be presented at Blazar, alongside with an extensive lecture program, workshops for children and discussions with artists, curators and art managers. This year's fair will also feature a digital art section.
Blazar's slogan is "buy now or cry later," which accurately reflects the fair's strategy: maintaining a strict reasonable price policy, meaning that the works go under the hammer at lightning speed. The organizers pay special attention to the selection procedure of artists, involving in the process several expert panels and making sure that the assessment is transparent.
The third issue of Blazar fair will be devoted to the development of horizontal ties and an important component of the event will be the demonstration of various types of interactions between contemporary art and entrepreneurship, which will become a useful experience for young artists in their cooperation with business.
