MOSCOW.- Cosmoscow Preview on the 5th of September, and followed three-day public programme saw the record number of over 22,000 visitors and rewarding sales results across Russian and international exhibitors. Remaining the only international contemporary art fair in Russia, Cosmoscow continues fostering local art market by welcoming established international participants, collaborating with important institutions and partners, preparing diverse public programme, and supporting young and emerging artists and galleries. Prices varied from €100 to €500 000. Among the highlights purchased at the Fair were Stephan Balkenhol, Stano Filko, Alberto Garutti, Donna Huanca, Jaan Toomik, Olga Chernysheva, Vladislav Mamyshev-Monroe and many others. The Design section performed well, including sales of the pieces by Valentin Loellmann, Dasha Belyakova, Ignazio Gardella, Ronaldo Sasson, Ettore Sottsass, and Gabriella Crespi among others.

Margarita Pushkina, Founding Director of Cosmoscow International Contemporary Art Fair and Founder of Cosmoscow Foundation for Contemporary Art, summarised Fair’s results: “I am thrilled that this year Cosmoscow welcomed high-caliber international galleries, and artists. Our Fair was visited by important collectors, curators and art experts from Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy, Belgium and more. Our partnership with MMOMA continued and this year will realise in governmental acquisitions programme for state museum collections via the Cosmoscow exhibiting galleries. I want to thank all our followers, admirers and long-standing partners, including Qatar Airways, Credit Suisse, Audi, Ruinart, Mercury, La Prairie, and St. Regis Moscow Nikolskaya. As part of the annual programme of supplementing museum collections, the Cosmoscow Foundation for Contemporary Art to donate Ilya Dolgov’s work Reef to MMOMA's collection.”

Vasili Tsereteli, MMOMA Executive Director said: “For MMOMA it’s a great honor to be chosen as the Museum of the Year this anniversary year. The seventh Cosmoscow fair was distinguished by new galleries, international participants and world-famous artists such as Stephan Balkenhol (his exhibition was held at MMOMA in 2016), Michelangelo Pistoletto, and Chinese designers. Of course, I cannot but note MMOMA's participation in the public programme of the Fair. We presented a unique program MMOMA KIDS TEEN FAMILY with contemporary artists acting as teachers. It will be launched this fall at the Museum’s Educational Center, and Rostan Tavasiev will be the first artist. Cosmoscow guests visited a public talk with Michelangelo Pistoletto whose retrospective will be held at MMOMA on Petrovka Street in the spring of 2020. As part of a programme supporting young art, MMOMA presented the results of a partnership with the Residency Unlimited project in New York. Our booth at the Fair was created by one of the guest curators of the anniversary exhibition MMOMA 99/19 Olga Treyvas. She presented her vision of the history of MMOMA's development over the past 20 years choosing the first and latest works from the museum's collection by Georgi Stenberg and Uta Bekaia that was purchased by Irina Prokhorova at this year's Off white auction and donated to us. I can say with particular pride that this year our partnership with the Fair focused on supplementing the MMOMA collection. Part of this year’s governmental acquisitions programme to the Museum’s collection will be made via the Cosmoscow exhibiting galleries. I am glad that the collection of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art will be supplemented with the works of famous contemporary artists. Within the framework of the Cosmoscow Foundation's programme supporting contemporary art, the MMOMA collection was supplemented with a large-scale installation by Ilya Dolgov titled Reef.”

This year, Cosmoscow was visited by a number of international special guests, such as artists: Henry Dallal, Stephan Krasnyansky, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Alexandre Nicolas, Jorge Pomar, Mohammad Salemy; curators, art experts and museum directors: Melanie Gerlis (author and writer), Victoria Gramm (Christie’s), Simon Mraz (Austrian Cultural Forum in Moscow), Javier Perez (Perez Projects Gallery), Nicolaus Schafhausen (Fogo Island Arts), Barbara Seiler (Galerie Barbara Seiler), Georg Schöllhammer (Austrian curator and writer), Hedwig Saxenhuber (Austrian curator and writer), André Rogger (Credit Suisse), Count Hubert d'Ursel; collectors Vladimir Cardon de Lichtbuer, Rita Janssen, patrons of Kunsthalle Zurich, and many others.

“Cosmoscow has to be the most dynamic organization for which I have worked and Moscow the most vibrant city in which I have worked. We have here a cultural space prepared to re-invent itself with contemporary art at its center. The person at the center is Margarita Pushkina. She has developed a vision for our organization, and the city, which I am glad to represent to the world. Happily, several leading galleries – from the world – joined us this year and have in-the-main enjoyed their experience and shared in our commercial success. Our hope and my wish is to carry the news of this shared and positive experience to an even broader audience and to invite them to this fabulous city and Cosmoscow in 2020,” said Simon Rees, Art Director of Cosmoscow International Contemporary Art Fair.

As part of the Cosmoscow on-site programme, the Embassy of the State of Qatar to the Russian Federation and Qatar Airways will present the “White Sun” exhibition project uniting photographs by Henry Dallal, Abdulla Artuyev, Vlad Loktev, Mikhail Rozanov, Danila Tkachenko and an installation by Soundwalk Collective that are related to Qatar’s historical context.

At the Cosmoscow Opening, Russian artist Igor Samolet was named the winner of the Credit Suisse Cosmoscow Prize for Young Artists, which was awarded for the fourth consecutive year. The Prize winner receives a financial grant, mentorship support from Credit Suisse and Cosmoscow experts, and an art trip to Switzerland. He also has an opportunity to participate in a Swiss art residency provided by PROGR, an artistic center and cultural hub in Bern. Thanks to the new partnership with Pro Helvetia Moscow, which supports Swiss arts in Russia and promotes cultural exchange, starting from 2020, the laureate’s stay in Switzerland will be extended from one to three months. The artist’s works combine a range of media and working methods – from photography to multi-part installations. He offers an authentic analysis of the modern people and the transformation of their identities. Igor often depicts his heroes in simulated situations to reveal the underlying patterns of their interpersonal relationships and their heightened sensuality within the digital space. At the fair, the winner of the Credit Suisse Cosmoscow Prize for Young Artists presented photographs from the “Herbarium” series.

“This year we’re celebrating the fifth anniversary of our strategic partnership with the fair and we are happy to provide Russia’s emerging artists with new international opportunities by organizing the Credit Suisse Cosmoscow Prize for Young Artists for the fourth time”, said Andre Rogger, Head of Credit Suisse Collection. “Our successful collaboration with Cosmoscow inspired us to enhance our young talent support platform in Russia, and I’m delighted to announce that this year we’re launching a new prize around our long-term partnership with the Bolshoi. The award is aimed to support young opera singers at the theatre, and the winner will also receive a grant, mentorship support, and a trip to Switzerland”.