The project aims to explore how a new generation of artists formulates artistic statements, moving from idea to form and from experiment to a finished public gesture. Many young artists create work for assessment, presenting it to their tutors and peers. When can a work of art be considered complete? At what point does an artist recognise that an idea has taken material form? Is this transition from draft to final version always conscious, or does it happen intuitively?
This moment of completion is understood as the point at which a work enters the sphere of influence. The project examines how contemporary artists continue the trajectory established by the avant-garde of the early twentieth century, when art was seen as a means of reshaping not only the world, but the individual as well. How do young artists today, through their practice, articulate a vision of their own future? Which ideas are fundamental to them, how do they imagine the world in five to ten years, and in what ways can art shape the present?
The project is realised in collaboration with leading educational institutions in Moscow:
- Moscow School of Contemporary Art (MSCA)
- HSE Art and Design School
- Free Workshops School of Contemporary Art
- Joseph Backstein Institute of Contemporary Art
- Rodchenko School
- Master’s programme “Technological Art”, MISIS University
- Stroganov Russian State University of Art and Industry
In April, finalists will receive mentoring support, with tutors and university specialists helpingthem refine their projects. Consultations will take place in person at the centre, with the option of remote curatorial support.
The project will culminate in an exhibition on Level 1 of the centre, bringing together the finalists’ works alongside early student pieces by artists shaping the contemporary art scene.
The exhbition will be accompanied by:
- Educational programme: lectures, workshops, mentoring sessions, and meetings with curators, offering opportunities to exchange ideas and expand both practical and theoretical knowledge.
- Public programme: discussions, round tables, and visits to art universities and contemporary art schools, introducing audiences to the process of shaping a new artistic scene.
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
1 Olga Belyakova
2 Katerina Algasa Brovkina
3 Alina Vashchenko
4 Anastasia Grigorash
5 Natasha Dorogina
6 Gleb Zherekhov
7 Arina Ivanova
8 Lyubava Kalyonova
9 Elina Knysh
10 Ekaterina Kozlova
11 Natalia Koroleva
12 Nina Kosareva
13 Anna Kryukova
14 Daria Maltseva
15 Anna Maramygina
16 Vasilisa Mironova
17 Daria Morozova
18 Yulia Nemova
19 Yulia Potylitsina
20 Ksenia Ruppel
21 Artemy Ryazanov
22 Alyona Troitskaya
23 Elena Tormysheva
24 Inna Savchenko
25 Sasha Smith
26 Alina Smolina
27 Hecuba Shanro
The next stage of selection will consist of interviews, offering an opportunity for a more in depth discussion of the projects. Participants who pass the first stage will be contacted by email
Project timeline
April | Consultations and curatorial support
May | Project development, production
19 or 20 June | Exhibition opening
June–July | Exhibition
PROJECT CURATOR
Evgenia Solomatina, photographer, curator, founder of the Lumen School.
EXPERT COUNCIL
Sergey Fofanov, art historian. Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Contemporary Trends at the State Tretyakov Gallery, curator of exhibitions and projects.
Alexey Korsi, artist, curator, lecturer. Author of installations and films.
Anna Naumova, co-founder of the Sample project supporting young artists.
Daria Kuznetsova, art historian, art manager, curator, former director of the HSE Art and Design School Gallery, author of the Telegram channel “your most legal dealer”, and co-founder of the Shift gallery and creative space.
Evgenia Solomatina, photographer, curator, founder of the Lumen School.
Stasya Krol, art historian, Director of Public Relations at the Zotov Centre.
Valeria Agafonova, historian, Programme Director at the Zotov Centre.
TERMS OF PARTICIPATION
- To take part, please complete the form below. Applications are open until 29 March 2026
- Participation is free of charge and subject to successful selection. Please note that applications are not individually reviewed.
- Final projects by graduates of leading art universities and private schools in Moscow from 2024, 2025, and 2026 are eligible.
- Works on any subject are accepted in the following media: painting, graphics, sculpture, photography, media art, video, installation, performance, sound, digital, and text. Participants are responsible for the production costs of their work for the exhibition.
- Submissions should include a concept and sketch, a prototype, or a demo version, along with a detailed description of the final work.
- Selection will take place in two stages: application review and interview.
