The own Institute of Contemporary Art in Moscow appeared in 1991, when the artist and curator Joseph Bakshtein returned from a working trip to the United States, where he oversaw the first American exhibition of Soviet informal artists. The difference between how the process is structured in America and how it was implemented in Russia turned out to be so significant that upon returning to his homeland, the artist decided to organize an institution in Russia that would train professionals in the field of art.
Formation of the Institute of Contemporary Art
In the early years of its existence, the Institute was a kind of platform on the basis of which an intellectual context was created conducive to the discussion, production and consumption of contemporary art.
At first, the most important task for the Institute of Contemporary Art (ISI) was the integration of Russian artists in the international process, from which they were torn off for several decades. In order to narrow the gap between Russian and foreign art producers, exhibitions of foreign artists were held in Moscow, and Russian artists and curators participated in exhibitions in Europe and the USA.
The goals and objectives of the Institute of Contemporary Art
By the beginning of the nineties, Moscow was far from the title of the capital of modern art. This deplorable situation was due to the fact that the system of art education in Russia was formed in the distant XVlll century and has not undergone radical changes since then. In a sense, such a tradition would be an advantage if it had a decent alternative in the form of modern educational programs.
The creators of the Institute of Contemporary Art proceeded from the fact that fashion, trends and technologies that are constantly changing and updated need constant monitoring, and every modern artist should be able to navigate them. To this end, the program "New Art Strategies" was developed, which is designed to complement the existing educational programs of the country's leading art universities. It is worth noting that the team that created the Institute of Contemporary Art proceeded from the fact that in classical programs there is an obvious advantage expressed in the continuous transfer of skill from the older generation to the younger.
Impact on culture
The institute began its educational activities in 1992, and by 2018 more than 650 artists became its graduates, each of whom had acquired sufficient skills to engage in further self-education and building an independent career.
In addition to educational activities in Moscow, the Institute of Contemporary Art also publishes books on the history of art, art history and critical theory.
Of great importance both for the educational process and for the entire artistic life of the capital and the whole country is the annual Summer School, to which the most outstanding students and graduates of past years are invited to participate. Joint practice of summer events with art schools of other countries is also practiced. For several years, students from the Swedish Academy of Wahland and the Goldsmiths College took part in the Summer School, and the result of such cooperation was international exhibition projects that contributed to the promotion of Russian artists abroad.
Prominent graduates
In the mid-nineties, the educational institution was renamed the Institute of Contemporary Art Problems, which was intended to focus on a critical approach to the production and consumption of contemporary art. This approach has formed a whole galaxy of outstanding graduates who have achieved both commercial success and international recognition.
One of these alumni was Arseny Zhilyaev - a native of Voronezh, who became the informal leader of the movement, called the "new boring". Zhilyaev's path began in the Voronezh gallery "Junk", and later he, with the participation of like-minded people, created the Voronezh Center for Contemporary Art, on the basis of which exhibition and educational activities are carried out. The works of the Voronezh artist are in the collections of museums in Germany and Italy, as well as in private collections. Thus, the Institute of Contemporary Art fulfills the task set by its founders to promote Russian art in the West and to include it in the international context on an equal footing with foreign.