From March 28th to April 1st, the Parisian public will have the opportunity to discover Soviet and Russian artists presented by galleries from around the world. The fair’s general commissioner, Guillaume Piens, has brought together about twenty European galleries (from Paris, Berlin, Zurich) and ten Russian galleries (from Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, Yekaterinburg, and Vladivostok). He introduces us to his fantastic project:
First of all, why Russia...?
There are many stereotypes about Russia in Europe: we hear about Russia, Putin, and Russian political activism every day. I’m annoyed by these clichés. It’s clear that the Berlin Wall hasn’t quite fallen. But, despite all this continuous information, we never hear about Russian culture. Yet, there are very strong links between France and Russia! Just mentioning the names Diaghilev, Malevich, Chagall, and Zadkine makes it clear that, at one time, Paris was a true pilgrimage site for Russian artists. Take, for example, the Grand Palais: this is where the first exhibition of Russian artists in Paris took place in 1906, led by Sergei Diaghilev, as part of the Salon d'Automne. The Russian art scene is very rich, but almost invisible; Russian artists are not valued as they should be. That’s why I wanted to create a contemporary art fair that looks towards the East. In fact, Russia is the first chapter, in 2014 it will be China... I’m thinking of expanding to the Middle East!
Do you expect Russian buyers at the fair?
Yes. While Russian buyers are usually few in number, or even absent, for this edition, we expect around 250 Russian buyers, some of whom are very important, such as the director of Gazprom's contemporary art collection, as well as patrons of the Louvre with their partners. Gallery owners are also eagerly anticipating this new edition of Art Paris.
For instance, Polina Zakharova, director of the ERARTA contemporary art gallery based in Saint Petersburg, shared her emotions with us on the eve of the fair:
ERARTA is an art gallery originally founded in Saint Petersburg, which today has branches in Zurich, London, New York, and soon Hong Kong. Despite this, we have never exhibited in Paris before. In our Saint Petersburg gallery, I notice a great interest from French buyers in Russian contemporary art, and I expect an even greater French demand following our participation in Art Paris. Moreover, I’m convinced of the rise of contemporary Russian art in the years to come.
