| Social, political, economic and cultural changes over the past seventy years have left Russia with a growing, yet fractured support structure and market place for contemporary art. A mixture of Soviet-era clubs and unions, state-run museums, not-for-profit organizations, and a handful of galleries, scattered across a vast frontier, creates a fractured if growing, contemporary landscape. A lack of funding, integration, venues, visibility, access, communication, education and educators in the field of contemporary art, and an innate distrust and competition between certain cultural institutions, have also made it difficult to educate, inform, and promote young contemporary artists from around the country.;A slowing economy, a falling ruble, and strict funding have created additional difficulties for an already fragile system. At this point the great majority of Russia's artists are still resigned to the notion of creating art without any hope of that work being exhibited beyond their apartment or regional art club. Torn between a loyalty to its conservative cultural roots and an ongoing need for a more demanding cultural conversation, the country's contemporary art world is finding itself at a turning point.;Over the past three years I have spent an average of one hundred days a year meeting with, and interviewing, the leaders of many of Russia's cultural institutions as well as a number of contemporary and historical artists from across western Russia. Consistent and overriding questions brought up by Russia's artists, curators, and gallerists have centered around how Russia's contemporary art world will survive and grow, and how Russia's contemporary artists will succeed. In this thesis I will seek to address these questions and propose an overarching structure for the contemporary marketplace to help resolve these issues and begin to benefit the individuals and institutions therein. |
