Trends in the development of institutions and forms of artistic communication in modern St. Petersburg

Pan' Lyan Postgraduate student, Department of History and Theory of Design and Media Communications, Saint Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design 191028, Russia, Saint Petersburg, Mokhovaya str., 26 panliang@rambler.ru Other publications by this author

Introduction

In this study, the concept of "artistic communication" is at the forefront, which is considered through the prism of intellectual and creative ties and relations between artists of St. Petersburg, them and various cultural, educational organizations, as well as the general public. It also introduces the concept of an "institutional environment", which is understood as a space for the realization of the social function of art and interaction between participants in the art process, the process of transmitting artistic information containing a certain attitude to the world, creative concepts and values. The latter is animated, first of all, through the dissemination of artistic "messages", since the key term in the chain of communicative connections is "message" ^[1], assumes two conditions: a work of art must produce an effect not only on the audience, but also on the artist himself; the process of accepting the installation of another must take place. Moreover, it solves the problem of integrating society (society) and culture. However, for this purpose, the artist, the viewer, the audience, the work of art turn into senders, channels for transmitting artistic information and perception, recipients. Moreover, the productivity of the institutional environment is assessed based on the specific results of artistic communication: if an institution does not provide artistic communication, then it parasitizes the work of artists, without contributing to the development of the artistic culture of the city, country or the world as a whole. If such "institutions" dominate artistic life, then it is difficult to talk about trends in productive development: as a rule, in this case, it is necessary to state the predominance of negative trends that do not develop, but destroy cultural life.

The importance of this research for theory and practice lies in the fact that for the first time it addresses the understanding of the problem of identifying the specifics of artistic communication in the institutional environment of modern St. Petersburg. This goal is achieved by identifying the features of modern interaction in the field of fine arts; analyzing the factors that determine the process of emergence of forms of communication between the artistic worlds of St. Petersburg, which exist at the present stage. These attitudes are achieved through a systematic art criticism and cultural and historical analysis of the forms of institutional organization of the creative activities of artists living in the city, and the peculiarities of the institutions involved in the art process.

Museums and galleries as traditional forms of artistic communication

The traditional institutions where the results of the creative activity of artists, including modern ones, are presented are museums and galleries. The influence of these institutions on the development of the art of modern St. Petersburg is currently being studied by a number of theorists and practitioners. Thus, A.V. Lyashko in a number of her publications noted that since the beginning of the new century, modern forms of actualization of artistic heritage have been developing in the museum, especially exhibitions of various types and educational work with visitors to them ^[2]. V.B. Vysotsky later noted the ongoing institutional changes in the culture of the city as part of his dissertation research, in particular paying attention to Attention is paid to the transformations of art galleries, art communities of different levels, as well as the so-called "new institutional forms of support and financing". The author noted that "institutional processes in the field of artistic culture of St. Petersburg, acquiring innovative forms, are based on traditions: the cultural genesis of the city as a cultural integrity takes place in a wide spatial and temporal context" and become "a complex structured system, organizing cultural objects and subjects through functional connections" ^{[3, p. 19]}. At the same time, the author sees the development of this dynamic system either in interaction with Western, in particular European, art worlds, which is currently impossible, and in relying on the capabilities of the provincial part of Russia, and only on private initiative and will. The researcher does not take into account the prospects of state support or mixed types of financing, as well as interaction not with the Western, but with the Eastern artistic community.

Among them, the art of St. Petersburg authors is often referred to by the Erarta Museum of Modern Art, which in 2024 exhibits psychedelic photographer D. Kontorovich, representatives of "actual realism" V. Dubosarsky, A. Savko, G. Ostretsov, etc., photographer K. Ivanov, etc. Significant public interest was aroused by the project of the Russian Museum "Dwelling of the Future", which exhibited in 2023 photographic material of the GrOM art group (Olga Michi, Alexey and Artem Loginov) on a futuristic theme in the Marble Palace. The authors' works are not only a presentation of their vision of the future, but also how people will see the world in the future and determine their place in it. This is an occasion for discussion and interaction, as the exhibition was accompanied by various educational and educational events that involved viewers of all ages, especially young people, in the process of comprehending contemporary art. Thus, both in Erarta and in the great classical museum, the St. Petersburg art of modernity actively declares itself in the form of individual and collective exhibitions of artists who position their creative concepts and values with their works.

A.S. Panchenko, studying the trends in the exhibition activities of modern museums, notes that historicism is now thought of as the main one among them, and these institutions themselves are "a space for the actualization of cultural and historical memory" ^{[4, p. 18]}. Based on what is happening on the exhibition grounds of St. Petersburg, the author points out that the projects of recent years, through various exhibition forms, stimulate public interest in the axiological aspect of art and its role in the formation of values. Indeed, at the turn of 2023 and 2024, a number of interesting exhibitions were launched in the city's museums. So, the anniversary exhibition "Vasily Surikov. By the 175th anniversary of his birth," the Russian Museum has collected more than a hundred works by the artist from the collections of various museums and private collections in Russia. Moreover, it was supplemented with works by masters of folk art. In addition, various expositional and media tools allow to delve into the subject and spiritual world of the master's canvases, emotionally and figuratively build the viewer's path from the first "studies" to the mature period. The attention of the public in this project testifies to the interest of the Russian audience in the historical past of Russia, its symbolic and spiritual content and, of course, the traditions of realistic art.

The developers of the exhibition of V.I. Surikov's creativity sought to use it as a means of artistic communication, thanks to which the historical and social, emotional and artistic experience of visitors is actualized, a bridge is thrown between what was and what is. Such a technique is often used by museum expositionists and can be conditionally referred to as "intervention" – this is when different time layers collide, and after them, value layers. However, with regard to contemporary art, not everything is so clear, and not all museum visitors in St. Petersburg are ready to perceive it in the space of this institution. Thus, K.I. Morozova focused on the problem of the audience's perception of contemporary art in the classical museum and, based on the survey, determined that "the most familiar art museums among the respondents in St. Petersburg were the State Hermitage Museum, the Russian Museum, and the Central Exhibition Hall "Manege" entered the top three" ^{[5, p. 583]}. As the study showed, other art institutions and their proposed practices of art representation are practically unknown to the general public. Contemporary art is also not among the priority projects. Russian Russian Museum project "The Generation of thirty-year-olds in modern Russian Art" in the Marble Palace, where works by St. Petersburg artists born at the end of the XX century, in particular the representative of street art V.A. Abikh, founder of the group "Milk", were exhibited, according to K.I. Morozova, for 2022 the only exhibition visited by respondents was the project of the Russian Museum "Generation of thirty-year-olds in modern Russian art" in the Marble Palace, where works by St. Petersburg artists born at the end of the XX century, in particular the representative of street art V.A. Abikh, founder of the group "Milk and Vodka" and curator of the project "New Urban Artists" S. Bugs, realist artist I.M. Drozd, author of total installations L. Nibiru, etc. The researcher also notes that museum visitors of a younger age, that is, up to 35 years old, tend to dialogue between modern and classical masters, but prefer to get to know them outside museum spaces.

It is noteworthy that this position concerns both poles of contemporary art in St. Petersburg and the more traditional, close to the academic traditions of the past, and the more radical, associated with experiments with current art trends. S.M. Gracheva notes that "the modern viewer increasingly feels the lack of truly high-quality, high-level works of art" ^{[6, c. 139]}. Following O. De Kerros and V.A. Lenyashin, she argues that modern art often does not rely on craftsmanship, does not have artistic and historical value, often appearing at the level of a challenge to public taste and values. S.M. Gracheva writes that "at the same time, a paradoxical situation develops when academic art, which is commonly blamed for a kind of universalism and the erasure of the individual principle, currently to protect the interests of the academic school, without which, in our opinion, the development of the latest trends is unthinkable, as without some kind of foundation and professional foundation of art" ^{[6, pp. 139-140]}.

The space of art universities as a form of artistic communication

St. Petersburg has "its own academic school with a rich tradition, which has educated a whole galaxy of wonderful masters of the "three most notable arts", without which the history of all Russian art is unthinkable" ^{[7, p. 76]}, professional art continues to develop, but in line with current concepts and trends. As examples, S.M. Grachev cites the modern academic fine art of S.N. Repin, N.P. Fomin, A.K. Bystrova, H.V. Savkueva, Yu.V. Kalyuta, A.V. Chuvin, etc.  The participants of art associations and single artists who now form the art space of modern St. Petersburg are mainly graduates of St. Petersburg art schools, colleges and (or) universities. They get their profession from the hands of representatives of the Leningrad/ St. Petersburg art school, which has a certain tradition associated with realism. The latter, although in different forms, is broadcast by their students in their creative activities. Graduates of educational institutions create collaborations among themselves. Moreover, international students are also involved in this process. The latter often, having already received their education, return to the Russian city and take part, and often organize exhibitions themselves, including jointly with their St. Petersburg colleagues. The academic and artistic circles of the city are exchanging with Chinese ones, including with the sister city of Shanghai. Phenomena that are influenced by the culture and artistic and aesthetic culture of the Celestial Empire are emerging in St. Petersburg art life. An example of such an impact is the work of A.N. Bliok, V.L. Borovik, A.V. Chuvin, K.V. Grachev, E.V. Gracheva, Yu.V. Kalyuta, K.Li, D.A. Kolegova, M.V. Morgunova, S.N. Repin, N.P. Fomin, A.K. Bystrov, V.S. Pesikov, V.A. Ledneva, A.A. Vasilyeva, A.V. Tyshchenko, S.A. Dancheva, etc. These authors tend to the Chinese theme or to the style of Gohua 8]. The Chinese students themselves are interested in the art of Russian masters, and their work is "a fusion of the Russian academic classical school with the native Chinese traditions in fine art" ^{[9, p. 14]}. These are, for example, Sheng Kezhen, Luo Xi, Wang Tenyu, Zeng Ming, and others, whose exhibitions have become quite regular and arouse constant public interest.

The Museum of the Academy of Arts, one of the oldest museums in Russia, annually hosts exhibitions of both graduates of the educational institution and pupils, including a presentation of the results of plein-air practice and graduation papers. The fruits of the works of painters, graphic artists, sculptors and architects are combined in one space. Of course, this form of presentation is interesting to the professional community, which actively attends these projects. This opens up new names, techniques, themes, and images. It is noteworthy that the works of young authors are adjacent to the halls, which feature the creations of venerable modern artists and real classics. So, in 2023, among the "retrospective" exhibitions, it should be noted "Images of Happiness" in Soviet painting, "Repin's Neighbors", which featured images of the master's acquaintances, "Unpublished" with prints by students of the academy, a project dedicated to the historical painter I. K. Dorner, "Return" with works by N. I. Feshin and S. D. Erzi et al. At the expositions dedicated to contemporary art, one could see the poetic interpretation of full–scale graphic works by A. Bodrov, realistic images of the Tatar painter I. Samakaev, "Art of the Commonwealth - 2023" as a demonstration of national traditions in painting of the CIS countries, "The World of the Sculptor" by N. E. Vasilyev, etc.

The A. L. Stieglitz Academy is distinguished by no less exhibition and competitive activity. So, only in the first quarter of 2024, it hosted the Citadel of History art object competition, the international competition of creative works "Russia - Uzbekistan: Dialogues in Artistic Culture", the international festival "Around the World: Art without Borders". Moreover, seminars are constantly held at the university, where students can communicate with representatives of the professional creative world. Exhibitions of works by students from different departments are also regularly opened. For example, in the summer of 2024, the Pushkin in the Mirror of the Epochs project will be launched, dedicated to the anniversary of the Russian poet and containing easel and book graphics.

The Institute of Art Education of the Russian State Pedagogical University regularly hosts exhibitions of educational and creative works by students and teachers, including under the name "Primavera". So, in 2023, it presented female images, flowers and birds, which demonstrated achievements in the field of decorative and applied arts. There are also thematic exhibitions based on the results of art competitions, including among students of art schools and pupils of specialized studios.

Alternative platforms for artistic communication

Currently, the forms of presentation of the work of St. Petersburg authors are accumulating on alternative platforms. Exhibitions of contemporary art are held mainly in galleries and art centers, exhibition halls of art associations, sometimes even in commercial and government organizations of various profiles ^[10]. Within their limits, very original exposition solutions are implemented, from traditional to immersion ones. According to G.Y. Ershov, "two poles of the St. Petersburg mythological field coexist in this space: neoclassicism, as if rooted in the very architectural and cultural code of the city with access to imperial and geopolitical claims, aesthetics and awareness of oneself as part of a great tradition, and the spirit of resistance, rejection, giving rise to figures falling out of the 'norm'" ^{[11, p. 421]}. Among the latter, the named researcher includes T. Novikov, as well as a number of modern artists, such as, for example, the master of the grotesque P.M. Shvetsov, the painter and author of art objects A. Molev, graphics and continuer of the traditions of the "Arefiev circle" I.G. Vasilyeva, the creator of installations and video art A.S. Garth, graphics M.S. Karasik Yershov also points out that in the St. Petersburg art world, in addition to the academic tradition, represented mainly by the art of painting, the "cult of the graphic principle" continues to develop, which defined "a certain existential side of St. Petersburg art with the cultivation of dramatic, expressive, passive principles, with a departure from open representativeness to secrecy and secrecy" ^{[11, p. 421]}. Thus, symbolism and confessionality within the framework of an expressive reading of the image manifests itself in the work of V.S. Kulkov. M.A. Dmitriev, using collage, watercolor drawing, applique and sculpture, creates a surreal reading of his own inner world. L. Tshe, a member of the Sever-7 group and a student of A.A. Pakhomov, creates emotional canvases full of bright colors and spectacular lines. In them, he captures scenes from the lives of the inhabitants of "Neopeterburg".

Professional creative unions and informal artistic associations in the process of artistic communication

St. Petersburg artists, in accordance with the traditions of the artistic life of the city, tend to create various associations. Many of them are members of professional creative unions, in particular the St. Petersburg Union of Artists. However, in addition to him, they often belong to small art groups. The latter can be created both as a space of communication between authors who have common interests and views, and as a reaction to any phenomena of public life and even protest. The latter was the reason for the creation of the group "Unconquered". A group of artists sought, contrary to current trends, to create paintings based on the academic tradition. To do this, with the permission of the official owner, they occupied an empty building and organized various exhibitions, art events, etc. within its walls. It is noteworthy that artists, for example, the painter and author of installations I.S. Plyushch or the master of the "miner's theme" I.V. Gaponov, following the patterns of classical Russian art, remain devoted to their own individual manner. The Sever 7 group is another association that includes very diverse artists. Among them are the graphic artist, sculptor and performer A.G. Tsikarishvili, who oversees many projects of the association, the creator of the "tree painting" N. Engelke, the absurdist sculptor P. Dyakov, etc. The authors combine their efforts by creating performances that are realized in the Kunsthalle nummmer sieben space. The curator of the project of this "art bunker" T. Chernomordova says the following: "Kunsthalle exists on a non-commercial basis, does not seek to sell the works of a certain circle of artists, therefore, does not carry all the functions of the gallery" ^[10]. The rejection of broad coverage in the form of "apartment owners" is also characteristic of the informal art association and the Parasite gallery, which is ideologically close to the New Dumb Partnership. Its representatives, artists of different orientation and technique, create collective projects in the form of art environments, often constructed from discarded material, at different sites in the city, thereby considering themselves as "parasitic" on them.

The emergence of a significant number of independent art associations in modern St. Petersburg is largely due to the fact that alternative exhibition venues began to develop in the city. We are talking about creative spaces and art clusters. Workshops, cafes and studios, shops, libraries, etc. are located in such places. They attract residents of the city, especially young people. One of the largest projects of this kind is the "House of Culture" in the I.I. Gaz Palace of Culture, legendary for the history of nonconformism. This also includes "Third Place", the loft project "Floors", combining classics and modern urban art, "Open Workshops", which represent the work of novice authors, "Palm", focusing on decorative and applied arts, "Artmuza", which works with artists working in the "free" genres and mixed techniques. Libraries, cafes and shops often become the place for the presentation of the work of modern St. Petersburg artists.

Currently, "frequent interaction between professional associations, museums, theaters and artistic circles of the two countries has significantly expanded the form and content of cultural exchanges between the two countries" ^{[12, p. 224]}. Exhibitions of Chinese artists have become traditional in St. Petersburg, which are held as part of the citywide festival "Chinese New Year – A Cheerful Spring Festival". So, in 2023, a thematic exhibition was opened in St. Petersburg Concert, which presented the works of twelve masters belonging to different generations, including former pupils of the I.E. Repin Academy of Arts from graphics and painting to sculpture and calligraphy. The focus on the work of an individual artist was concentrated at the Erarta Museum of Modern Art, which presented an exhibition by the Chinese painter Lu Lin. The author is not involved in the Soviet-Russian artistic academic tradition, as he tends more towards the Western avant–garde, but his landscapes are an opportunity for St. Petersburg viewers and creative circles to come into contact with another, not realistic trend in Chinese art. At the same time, the Russian Museum hosted the exhibition "Han Yuchen. Great Beauty and Purity", which introduced the work of the realist artist Han Yuchen, Honorary professor of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts named after I.E. Repin. The master specializes in large-format narrative painting on subjects from the life of modern Tibet.

Conclusion

The study of certain trends in the development of the institutional environment of artistic life in its various manifestations makes it possible to assess the effectiveness of designing the current and prospective situation. The absence of stagnation or regression of artistic life is a marker of the well-being of society, the ability of its artistic culture to reproduce and develop. In St. Petersburg, a number of forms of artistic communication are being identified. The first is related to the activities of museums and galleries, which show active attention to the material of contemporary art, becoming platforms for the presentation of ideas and views of authors, as well as their interaction with the general public through museum educational work. Creative spaces and art clusters, which have become widespread and popular in St. Petersburg, play an equally important role in this process. They give the authors the opportunity to exhibit their work in various projects and in a small area, entering into the design of co-creation with people coming into this environment. At the same time, a significant proportion of the artists involved in these projects are those who strive to continue the artistic academic tradition that existed in the city, but within the framework of their individual manners and often forms of modern art. St. Petersburg authors are characterized by escapism and some abstraction from reality, withdrawal into the world of inner subjectivity and self-knowledge. At the same time, against this background, they demonstrate a tendency to unite into small informal art groups, which are a means of broadcasting a certain artistic concept, communication between them and society, a tool for positioning themselves as an author, a platform for creative experiments. Often, artists can be members of art communities, or they can act as solo authors and, for example, promote themselves and curate. A special place in the artistic life of the city is occupied by the interaction of St. Petersburg authors and Chinese artists, which affects the themes and stylistics of both, giving rise to an interesting fusion of the traditions of the two countries. Various forms of creative interactions, professional communication and communication with the general public allow you to share experiences, connect in new projects, which supports the traditions of the St. Petersburg school, which is characterized by a desire for a kind of intervention of current trends, sometimes foreign themes and styles within a realistic form. The presence of such interactions allows us to talk about the development of an institutional environment in the art world of modern St. Petersburg, in which the social function of art is realized.