The Fifth Interregional Academic Exhibition-Competition "Red Gate / Against the Current" kicked off in Saratov 
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On September 5, 2018, the Fifth Interregional Academic Exhibition-Competition "Red Gate / Against the Current" was opened in Saratov. The presentation of a large-scale project is held at 2 sites: in the Saratov State Art Museum. A.N. Radishcheva, st. Pervomaiskaya 75 (16.00) and the exhibition hall of the Saratov Art College. A.P. Bogolyubov, st. Universitetskaya, 59 (17.30). On the eve of the opening at the Radishchevsky Museum at 14.30 a press conference and a round table are planned on the theme: "The role of the museum in the actual art process."
Terms of exhibiting in Saratov: September 5-20, 2018.
Main organizers: Volga branch of the Russian Academy of Arts, Creative Union of Russian Artists, Saratov State Art Museum named after A.N. Radishchev, Saratov Regional House of Artists, Artists named after A.P. Bogolyubov, “Museum of Actual Realism” (Togliatti) and Togliatti State University, Mordovian Republican Museum of Fine Arts named after S.D. Erzi (Saransk), State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan (Kazan) with financial support from the Ministry of Culture of Russia, the Ministry of Culture of the Saratov Region, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Mordovia, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Zurab Tsereteli Foundation.
The project leader and author is Academician Konstantin Khudyakov, Vice President of the Russian Academy of Arts, Chairman of the Volga branch of the Russian Academy of Arts, President of the Creative Union of Russian Artists.
The large-scale research project is based on the methodology of the European educator and humanist of the 17th century, Jan Amos Comenius, who created the encyclopedic work “The World of Sensual Things in Pictures”. The task of the organizers of the project is to display the diversity of the surrounding world of nature and human relations through the works of artists of the beginning of the 21st century, to explore the modern art process.
In 2018, in the framework of the academic competition, artworks on 10 themes were considered: Architecture, Country and Law, Forbidden Fruit, Faith, Fashion, Housewares, Artistic Plexus, Food, Waste, Self Portrait.
In 2018, the competition was attended by representatives from 16 regions of Russia, including from 13 regions of the Volga Federal District, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and invited artists from the UK. A strategically important task is the study of the art process and the updating of innovative artistic practices that are based on an academic foundation.
The project includes: competitive selection of works, publication of the third volume of the art encyclopedia (more than 500 pages with research articles by leading art historians of the Russian Academy of Arts, works of contemporary artists and reproductions of the works of S.D. Erzi and F.V. Sychkov from the collection of the Mordovian Republican Museum of Fine Arts, traveling exhibition (Saratov - Tolyatti - Saransk - Kazan - Moscow), master classes, round tables on topical issues of contemporary art.
Project Manager K.V. Khudyakov and the curatorial group considered more than 700 applications from artists (this is more than 6000 works: painting, graphics, sculpture, digital art, photography). The expert council and the jury selected more than 500 works in the catalog for this project, some of them in the traveling exhibition.
The finalists were determined (30 artists): 6 laureates of the Prizes named after K.S. Petrova-Vodkin, 6 Prize winners named after I.E. Repin, 8 laureates of the Prizes named after N.I. Feshin, 4 laureates of the F.V. Prize Sychkova, 6 laureates of the Prizes of the President of the Russian Academy of Arts Z.K. Tsereteli. The presentation of the exhibition will include the presentation of diplomas of laureates and cash prizes.
Prizes of the contest “Against the Current” were initiated by the Volga branch of the Russian Academy of Arts, the Zurab Tsereteli Foundation and the “Museum of Actual Realism” (Tolyatti) in order to support talented authors. Since 2014, regional executive bodies have actively joined in financing the project: K.S. Prizes Petrova-Vodkin is financed by the Government of the Saratov Region (2014, 2016, 2018), N.I. Prizes Feshin - Government of the Republic of Tatarstan (2014, 2016, 2018). Prizes to them. F.V. Sychkova in 2018 established (together with the Russian Academy of Arts) and funded the Government of the Republic of Mordovia.
In 2018, laureates of personalized prizes were representatives from different regions and cities: Saratov, Volsk, Togliatti, Samara, Kazan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow. Finalists are representatives of various creative unions: the TSH of Russia, the Moscow Union of Artists and the Union of Artists of Russia. The fact is positive, testifying to the desire to strengthen interregional ties, support artists, regardless of their "union" affiliation.
The exposition of the Saratov exhibition (at the Radischevsky Museum and at the Bogolyubovsky School) includes the works of artists from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Saratov, Izhevsk, Penza, Cheboksary. About 80 artists presented more than 150 works.
29 Saratov artists participate in the exhibition project, 5 of them became laureates of the Prize named after K.S. Petrova-Vodkina (Altukhov Sergey, Belousova Alina, Drozdin Aleksandr, Karnaukhov Aleksey, Moskvitin Aleksandr), 6th laureate - Ereshchuk Vyacheslav - former graduate of the Saratov Art College named after A.P. Bogolyubova, now a teacher of special disciplines at the Department of Painting at the Stroganov Academy.
The opening program of the exhibition includes events dedicated to the memory of the People’s Artist of the USSR, Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Arts Andrei Mylnikov (1919-2012). On September 6, it is planned to travel to the city of Engels and visit the permanent exhibition “Masterpieces of Russian Art of the 20th Century”, the hall of Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts A. Mylnikov in the Engels Art Gallery, a branch of the Radishchev Museum (36 Lenin Square). On August 21, the monument to A.A. was unveiled in Engels. Mylnikov. The author of the sculptural composition is a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Arts, Honored Artist of Russia, sculptor Andrei Shcherbakov. Awarding of the creative group to create a monument to the people’s artist of the USSR, academician of the Russian Academy of Arts A.A. Mylnikov. Creative group: architect A.N. Zubarev, sculptors S.A. Shcherbakov, O.I. Polosukhin.
History reference
In 2001-2002, the Volga branch of the Russian Academy of Arts, with the support of the Government of the Saratov Region, organized the First Mobile Academic Exhibition "Red Gate" (led by Academician, People’s Artist of Russia A.V. Uchaev), which was attended by artists from 5 regions of the Volga Federal District, Moscow and Volgograd.
In 2012, 2014, 2016, respectively, the Second, Third and Fourth interregional exhibitions “Red Gate / Against the Current” were held (project manager - academician, chairman of the Volga branch of the Russian Academy of Arts K.V. Khudyakov), they were attended by artists from all regions Volga Federal District of Russia, Moscow and St. Petersburg (more than 1300 artists in total). Since 2012, within the framework of the exhibition project, an interregional academic competition “AGAINST THE CURRENT” has been held with the presentation of nominal cash prizes to the laureates: K.S. Petrova-Vodkina (Saratov), I.E. Repin (Tolyatti), N.I. Feshin (Kazan), P.P. Chistyakova (Moscow), M.V. Nesterova (Ufa). Since 2014, within the framework of the project, Prizes of the President of the Russian Academy of Arts Zurab Tsereteli have been awarded. In 2018, glorious traditions were continued.
The implementation of these events has given new development to the exhibition movement in Russia. The project was highly appreciated by public authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the professional community.