Olga Kroytor's performance "Point of Support" could not fail to win / E. Razumny / Vedomosti

The Kandinsky Prize, which recognizes achievements in the field of Russian contemporary art, was awarded this year for the ninth time. Several years ago, the ceremony was a bright intellectual celebration, then gradually the ambitions, passion and, it is easy to assume, the finances of Shalva Breus, the head of the prize fund, diminished. This year there was not even a traditional exhibition of nominees, and the awarding of the laureates took place during the day and almost instantly. If those present praised the modesty of the ceremony - what kind of celebration is there in our difficult, cloudy days? - then one can regret the exhibition of nominees, presenting the works of very different artists and giving a chance to appear as beginners.

Answering questions from Vedomosti, Breus said that it is not only about money, but also about the priorities of the Breus Foundation. He has plans for a large publishing program, a series of solo exhibitions of established artists and large group overview exhibitions-reviews, which are planned to be held once every three years. Now it is important, Breus believes, to show domestic contemporary art objectively, since society notices only those who are known thanks to the mass media, and draws the wrong conclusions.

In rubles

The monetary value of the main prize "Project of the Year" is 1.8 million rubles. The winner in the nomination "Young Artist. Project of the Year" received 450,000 rubles. The award in the nomination "Scientific Work. History and Theory of Contemporary Art" is a publication in Russian and English.

The shortlist for the Kandinsky Prize did not cause any confusion this time. In the main nomination, Project of the Year, Andrei Filippov won with With a Wheel in His Head – essentially a landmark, retrospective and large exhibition, where works from different years are built as a multi-component ironic statement about imperial consciousness and ambitions. The subtle and clever Analysis of Art by Igor Makrevich and Elena Elagina, who introduced conceptualism into the halls of socialist realism in the permanent exhibition of the Tretyakov Gallery, gave up the lead, perhaps because it was not a report on 20 years of work. Although some satisfaction for the feelings that artists had for official Soviet art during its triumph is also a certain result. And of course, the witty Conversion project by the Recycle group could not get ahead of the older and more serious ones. During the presentation, the gray-haired Filippov said that the last time he was awarded was in a pioneer camp. Indeed, among the artists of his circle and generation, he is one of the few who were passed over for awards. But only because he did not give them a reason, did not show great works.

The shortlist for the youth category included two performances and a high-quality, but not daring photo series by Anastasia Tsayder, “Mtsensk.” Olga Kroytor’s performance, “Point of Support,” could not help but win over Alexey Martins and Igor Lazarev’s performance, “How to Tell a Siberian City About Art,” not because it was better conceived, but because it required courage. It’s one thing to drive people around Krasnoyarsk for free and talk about art, but another to stand for two hours on a four-meter pole in the middle of a museum courtyard.

Kandinsky Prize for "Wheel in the Head" 1 / 9

On December 10, the award ceremony for the winners of the 2015 Kandinsky Prize was held at Udarnik. It is awarded for achievements in contemporary art / E. Razumny / Vedomosti

In the critical-theoretical category, Valery Podoroga was awarded for his non-core research, “The Second Screen. S. Eisenstein and the Cinema of Violence,” which indicates that it should be read.

Winners of the 2015 Kandinsky Prize Announced and Awarded