Competition-festival “Ballet. Form & Bronze" 2023

The gallery organized the international competition-festival "Ballet. Form & Bronze," summarizing its results. Several dozen participants from different cities and regions of Russia, ranging from Novorossiysk to Novosibirsk, as well as from Armenia and Uzbekistan, competed in the field of sculpture, presenting their works centered on the theme of "ballet." The jury evaluated these works using a comprehensive set of criteria: idea, concept, creative exploration, professionalism, and execution skill.

 

The grand prize of the competition was awarded to Viktor Mosielev from Taman (Krasnodar Krai). His sculpture "Muse" is about inspiration, for which ballet became a metaphor. The muse visited the sculptor and, leaning on his shoulders, hovered in a ballet jump. Her eyes are blindfolded; she herself does not know whom she has come to and where creativity will take them. The mastery of composition in this work is combined with a vividly expressed artistic concept, precise line, and form. The grand prize winner was awarded a gallery certificate to have his sculpture produced in bronze.

 

The other prize places were distributed as follows. First place in the "professional" category was awarded to Evgeny Sokolov (Saint Petersburg, Novorossiysk) for his sculpture "Mouse King" and to Alexandra Davydova (Saint Petersburg) for her work "Black Swan." "Mouse King" is the first in a planned series dedicated to "The Nutcracker." In the figure of the hero of this Russian ballet, one can sense both the playful and mischievous nature of the character, as well as the fearsome act of attack. And the "Black Swan" in Vrubel-like tones is not just a ballerina dancing a part, but rather an image of the Shadow, a part of the personality we tend to overlook, but which exists in each of us. Second place in this category was shared by Ekaterina Shilova (Saint Petersburg), who presented the work "Aspiration," and the foreign participant Khojiakbar Nazirov (Tashkent, Uzbekistan). In "Aspiration," the image of the ballerina is doubled; she sees herself, the same yet different, through the portal of the rehearsal mirror in front of which ballerinas spend a substantial part of their lives. Khojiakbar Nazirov's intricately crafted ballerina is striking in its emotionality, evident in the precisely captured movement of the hands, the delicate expression of the face, and the gaze. The Uzbek sculptor is only 22 years old, a graduate of the P. Benkov Republican Art College of the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan and the Kamoliddin Begzod National Institute of Fine Arts and Design. He is currently engaged in creative work and teaches sculpture to children at an art school in Tashkent.

 

The winner in the "amateur" category was Nadezhda Zolotukhina (Bugulma, Tatarstan, Russian Federation). Her sculpture defies the force of gravity. A male figure is lifted into the air, tethered to the ground only by thin ropes held by a female figure. In the "student" category, the decision was made not to award any prizes this year. Students from art universities will still have the opportunity to demonstrate their talents and present worthy works in the future.

 

As a result of the festival, the organizing committee and the Form & Bronze gallery, in order to support and develop an interest in creative exploration in the field of sculpture, have decided to make such competitions a tradition and to expand the theme of ballet to include several additional thematic directions that will be of interest to professionals, students, amateurs, and, of course, the audience. We look forward to receiving your future applications. Stay tuned for updates.