Russian Pavilion Miami 2013

By Olga Doty

Does the world need another art fair? How about the one with the word Russian in it? It is not the most fashionable word lately, especially in U.S. It seems that with later politics even the production of Evgeny Onegin at the Metropolitan Opera got its protesters. Need it or not, the Russian Pavilion is coming to Miami in December, the same week as Art Basel Miami, Pulse Fair, Art Asia, Art Miami and many other small and large art happenings take place. Russian Pavilion is a curated exhibition showcasing emerging, mid-career and established artists from Russia, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Baltic regions during leading international fairs of contemporary and modern art, as stated on the official website. Needless to say all of the artists are Russian speakers, but that is all that they have in common; the art is as diverse as the places of residence and the age of participants of the art pavilion.

Organizers Artem Mirolevich, Igor Molochevsky and a few other artists live in U.S. full time and are in their 30s, so is the Kandinsky prize winner Alexey Belyaev-Gintovt. Ernst Neizvestny, who was screamed at by Nikita Khrushchev for his “degenerative art” back in the Soviet Union, was born in 1925 and is a veteran of the World War II. The Miami show will include artists from Siberia, Saint Petersburg, Moscow and New York. Curated by Tatiana and Natalia Kolodzei (Kolodzei Art Foundation), Boris Belenky (Museum of Russian Art, New Jersey), Gala Kavachnina (director, Kavachnina Contemporary Gallery) the show is promising to be as diverse as the people behind it.

Since the Russian Pavilion started in NYC in the spring 2013 the constant driving force behind the organization and one of the exhibiting artists is Artem Mirolevich. I asked him few questions about the idea behind the show and the future plans.

Olga Doty - Artem, you are a professional artist, a School of Visual Arts NYC graduate, what motivated you to become an organizer for the Russian Pavilion?

Artem Mirolevich - I graduated SVA in 1999 and curated my first solo show in New York about eight months later. In 2005 I was honored to meet Alexander Glezer, who at that time was a director of Museum of Russian Art in Jersey City, New Jersey. By helping him out, curating art exhibits in the museum and in Europe, I learned by example and got inspired. By 2007 I rented a large gallery/studio space in Tribeca, NY. I was fortunate to host a lot of interesting art exhibits and happenings that included Russian, American and European artists. About a year later, I moved to SoHo, to the loft that for the previous 30 years was a studio and showroom for Edith Kramer, one of the founders of Art Therapy in America. The space was given to me based on artistic merit and my interest to promote the art of like-minded artists. It gave me great opportunity to meet new talented artists, many of whom were Russian or Eastern European. In 2011 my fellow artist Igor Molochevsky and I curated a first interactive show at the Museum of Russian Art. Throughout my artistic career I curated and participated in about a 100 solo and group art shows of all sorts. Those and many other experiences lead me to believe that I’m ready for a big project that can unify various organizations, museums, galleries and bring great artistic talents together.

Artem Mirolevich, Spaceman Temple, 2013, watercolor and ink on paper. Images are courtesy of the Russian Pavilion Miami 2013.

O.D. - What kind of future do you think Russian Pavilion has? Would it stay as an art fair or evolve in to something different?

A.M. - After initial success during the Armory Art Week in March 2013 in New York City, the Russian Pavilion will keep growing, traveling and promoting its artists worldwide. We strive to encompass most of established and upcoming talents. Eventually we also hope to establish a museum of contemporary, post Soviet art from Russia, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Baltic regions in New York City.

O.D. - I know that you went to Siberia this summer, LOM festival of visual art in the Ural Mountains. How is the young art scene there, who are the artists that will take part in Russian Pavilion Miami?

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A.M. - Yes, I traveled to Ekaterinburg to participate in LOM. It’s a juried art competition organized by Ilya Poletaev, thanks to whom I had an opportunity to meet a lot of local artists. The art scene is very vibrant, there are many talented individuals and groups working in various styles and directions, including urban installations, street art and new media. There are a few interesting galleries there, Ural Vision Gallery blew my mind-great selection of artists many of whom we hope to showcase during up coming Russian Pavilion exhibits in 2014. After Ekaterinburg I flew to Moscow where I also met with numerous curators and artists. I had, among others, a very interesting and productive meeting with Vitaly Pastyukov, the head of Experimental Programs Department at National Center for Contemporary Arts under the Ministry of Culture of Russian Federation. I also met with a vice-consul of the American Consulate who congratulated me and promised support on both sides of the Atlantic. There will be about 30 artists presented at Russian Pavilion in Miami.  Some of them are participating for the first time, like Sergey Dozhd, a very interesting and unique artist from Moscow working in Psy-Abstraction; or Vasily Kaftanov, a well-known artist residing in New York. Some of the artists participated in our New York and San Francisco exhibits earlier this year, among them Ernst Neizvestny, Valery Yershov, Victoria Kovalenchikova, Sasha Meret, Kandinsky Prize nominee Blue Nose Group. You can find a full list of artists on our website at www.russianartpavilion.com

Ernst Neizvestny,Totem with a Snake, 2012, old gold platina.

O.D. - You are attracting some young and beautiful talent from Russian and the US, like model-turned-painter Sasha Pivovarova and the mysterious singer Ariana. Elaborate on their roles at the Russian Pavilion Miami 2013.

A.M. - Sasha Pivovarova is an artist who turned model but remained an artist. She went to University of Moscow to study art history and later took courses at St. Petersburg New Academy of Fine Art. Sasha’s artwork is personal, unique and has a very Russian feel to it.  She’s also literally married to art, her husband Igor Vishnyakov is an excellent artist who’s been with the pavilion since its very creation. Singer Ariana is a highly established performer in Russia (she’s a six- time Russian Grammy Award winner), who recently moved to New York to open her new restaurant, Ariana Soho. Being an artist herself, Ariana is passionate about supporting other artists and what they do, so she is excited to be a part of this event. She will be performing at our special VIP party in Miami on December 6.

Russian Pavilion Miami 2013 is located at Kavachnina Contemporary. 46 NW 36^th Street. Miami, FL 33127. December 3 - 8, 2013.

Hours: December 3: VIP and Press Preview: 2:00 - 9 pm

December 4 - 8: 12:00 - 9:00 pm

December 6: Friday Night After Hours Event: 10:00 pm - 2:00 am. Special performance by Russian singer Ariana.

For more information visit, www.russianartpavilion.com / russianpavilion2013@gmail.com

Olga Doty is the art director of the Museum of Russian Art (MoRA), in New Jersey.