The idea of the project is to choose between inner personal values and those affected by the external aspects, such as the media, the Internet and social stereotypes.
How to deal with values conflict in modern world? What kind of controversial values do people face? What are the moral dilemmas they solve?
The Program is divided into two parts:
The first part involves getting acquainted with Russian culture. This part includes lectures, excursions and special activities in a format of talk aimed to reflect on cultural immersion.
The second part includes the curriculum consisting of intensive courses and master classes.
The final part is creation of an artwork on the suggested topic.
Art critic, architectural historian, rector of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, member of the Presidential Council for Culture and Art, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, Honorary member of the Roman Academy of Arts, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Central Exhibition Hall “Manege” in St. Petersburg.
Semyon Mikhailovsky is an organizer and curator of exhibitions in Russia, China, the USA, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Finland. He was awarded Prizes of the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of St. Petersburg on cultural area, Commander of the Order of the Star of Italy, and other awards.
Russian painter, muralist, graphic artist, and professor, member of the St. Petersburg Union of Artists, Gold Medal winner of the Russian Academy of Art
Head of the personal workshop of easel graphics. Head of the silkscreen printing studio.
Graphic artist. Member of the Saint Petersburg Union of Artists. Winner of Russian and international competitions.
Eleonora’s art is extremely diverse: among her creations, there are artworks in glass-blowing techniques, etchings, sculptures, and even entire installations made of glass and plaster. Eleanora can surprise not only with the variety of techniques used in her art but also with her educational background. She has completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Academy of Carrara, participated in the Erasmus student exchange program twice, and also spent a semester at the Siena Art Institute. Now she also works in the cinema. Eleonora writes the following about her participation in the art session: “I expect a comparison with different cultures that can enrich my ability to communicate with users from different backgrounds, making my work more and more readable and transversal. I would like to try, with this experience, to break down the limits linked to a strictly personal vision, seeking an increasingly universal communication, essential in a global society”.
Antonio has obtained a Master’s degree in Painting with full marks in the Academy of Carrara, Italy, and began his art career in 2005. The artist’s work has been exhibited at numerous national and international art fairs and exhibitions, in art galleries, and at the 54th Venice Biennale. In addition, Antonio is engaged in educational activities in the Tuscan region.
Kyung Bin came to us from South Korea, where she studied at the Korean National University of the Arts as well as the Seoul School of Art. Kyung Bin participated in organizing and designing exhibitions and compositions where she demonstrated her techniques and skills in working with different materials, whether glass or silver, wool or ceramics, paint or ink. At the same time, she is interested in digital art. “Since I started my artistic activities, the most important aim in my world is how my works can give sort of aesthetic, sublime sentiments in current life to others, transcending time and space,” says Kyung Bin.
Alicia Montserrat is a Fine Arts graduate from the Universidad Complutense in Madrid, Spain. But now, she is finishing her Masters in Arts Teaching, where she is acquiring tools for teaching arts in educational contexts learning how to develop creativity and critical thinking. Alicia is teaching arts to secondary education students as a practice teacher while finishing her master’s degree. Alicia worked on the main artistic techniques: painting, drawing, photography, and video. Moreover, she did interventions in the public space with collective and individual performances about social topics. текст на фото: Alicia: ‘I am a very curious person, and getting to understand different cultures and countries is one of my aims in life. It shapes my personality and gives me knowledge, and it opens wide horizons before me.
Pieter is currently a student at the Royal Academy of the Fine Arts Antwerp, Belgium. Pieter is also interested in fashion. He has a bachelor in Fashion Design. Moreover, he’s been working in fashion as a stylist and scenographer for several years. Pieter prefers to be intuitive and adventurous in his works. He is interested in creating sculptural works and images that awaken different emotions, talking about what all people have in common.
Today we will tell you about Veit Rochus Marr, a German artist whose interest in Russia was so strong that he came to our Art Session. The artistic path of Rochus began in childhood at school when he started learning art. Later he worked for the art association “Overbeckgesellschaft Lübeck”.Then he traveled through Asia for six months and began studying painting at the Royal Academy of Arts in Antwerp. Currently, he is working at a magazine, which tells a story using only images. Each page becomes like a painting, which he prints himself.
As a first education, Leon studied mathematics at the University of Münster. Later, he entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Leipzig, where he has practiced painting and printmaking since 2018. The artworks by Leon are shown all around Germany, and in 2021 he will have some collective exhibitions. Most of Leon’s paintings touch on the theme of travel, but they reflect not any particular journey but the phenomenon as a whole: exploration, movement, improvisation.
Lena was born and raised in Germany. She has attended Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig since 2015, where she keeps on improving her painting skills until now. She participated in several exhibitions, including one solo last March. In her project created during the session, she’s willing to depict children as the most open-minded individuals who create their imaginary world through playing. Lena: «Ever since Mr. Ketelhut informed me about Russian painters and their skills, I have very much wanted to get an insight into their training and also get the opportunity to learn from them.»
Kristina was born in the Slovak Republic, but currently, she is in her third year of fine-art studies at the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig. Her current project theme is focused on relationship dynamics in families and experiences of childhood. Her main source of inspiration is the events of day-to-day life as well as the special atmosphere surrounding these certain moments.
Pratik is interested in exploring Russian culture. His interest is drawn from the rich cultural and artistic traditions of Russia in diverse genres of art. He obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree graduating from the Government Institute of Fine Arts (Indore, India). He also participated in four artist residencies and had numerous group exhibitions all around India. Now along with painting, he works as a teacher of art. His works revolve around the nature of people and the surroundings they live in, or they create or want to create around them.
Angelique has an impressive educational background: she studied at major educational institutions in the UK, France, and Belgium. Moreover, she studied not only art but also business administration. As for art, Angelique gained her knowledge in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, Belgium. She has presented her work several times at collective art shows in Brussels.
Niklas Dietzel came to us from the German city of Leipzig, where he has finished his bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and History of Art at the University of Greifswald. Now he continues his education in painting and graphics. In his art pieces, Niklas captures urban landscapes and interiors, thus narrating their stories, and favors Plein air. His works have been demonstrated in multiple groups and even individual exhibitions. The artist has always been attracted to the history and culture of Russia, especially folk and modern pop music. The artworks of the Peredvizhniki are a great source of his inspiration.
Anna Franziska Bandur currently studying at the University of Fine Arts Leipzig, majoring in Painting and Printmaking. Franziska has long been interested in Russian art, its interaction with German culture, and among her favorite artists, there are Dmitry Zhilinsky and Zinaida Serebriakova. In her art project, Franziska would like not only to demonstrate her new experience of interaction with other artists, but also to compare St. Petersburg and Leipzig to capture the “souls” of these two cities. Franziska: “As a figurative artist, I’m very interested in the Russian tradition of painting, particularly since classical academic painting is no longer taught in Germany today.”
Barbara started to study graphics in 2002 when she entered the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. After graduation, she continued to pursue this line of work and has been perfecting her skills for a long time. She has been participating in a lot of collective exhibitions and some individuals in Brazil. In 2017, Barbara participated in an art residency in Val-David, Quebec, where she worked on large-scale graphic projects. Moreover, Barbara showed her printmaking in an individual exhibition in the L’Aiguisoir gallery in France.
Zoë received her BA degrees at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and now she is doing her Master’s there. But it wasn’t the only university where she studied art. In addition to Antwerp, Zoë has explored the world of fine arts in Oslo and Madrid. “Studying art is my passion. Studying in Russia is an invaluable experience for me, an opportunity to get to know more about Russian culture and life,” notes Zoë. Teaching is an important aspect of her work as well. After returning home, Zoë is planning to pass on the experience gained at the Repin Academy of Arts to her colleagues in Belgium.
Rose was born in France, but for a long time, she has been exploring Russian culture. Her love for Russia was formed as a result of learning Russian art and culture. In 2016 she obtained her Bachelor’s degree, and in 2020 she was awarded the prestigious European National Animation Diploma Prize. Rose believes that studying in our country is a unique opportunity to develop her creative potential and to realize herself as an artist. Even though Roza speaks three foreign languages, namely French, English and German, she keeps studying Russian “because it is only through exploring works in their original language that one can truly understand the author’s thought,” Roza notes.