St. Petersburg is the main treasury of the art and culture of our country. Its architectural buildings, monuments, sculptures, fountains, palaces and museums are real masterpieces of art that amaze with their originality and incredible majesty.
Soon the territory of the city will replenish with another amazing art object. They plan to open a Museum of street art here.
Unusual art site
The museum is a unique art platform where the works of famous street artists will be presented not only in Russia, but throughout the world. Its concept is that it should be an object of spontaneous work.
The Museum of Street Art (St. Petersburg) is located in the southeastern part of the city, in the territory of the laminated plastic factory. The originality of the idea lies in the fact that the plant is an active facility. The territory of the enterprise is about 11 hectares. The total area of the walls, given under the drawings of street artists, occupies about 200 thousand square meters. m. In addition, they will be able to embody their ideas and fantasies on the roofs and ceilings of abandoned rooms, as well as sidewalks.
Finnish project
The Museum of Street Art (St. Petersburg) will be officially open to visitors in 2016. Today, the abandoned buildings of the laminate plant are being reconstructed according to the project of the Finnish architectural company JKMM Architects, which won this right in a closed competition between Russian, Polish and Baltic companies.
According to the Finnish project, the central courtyard, where the destroyed boiler house is located, will become the place for the main exhibition. This hall will be for visitors the first acquaintance with the world of street art. In addition, Finnish architects plan to hold temporary exhibitions in the museum. Also here, right in the open air, a courtyard-park will be organized where meetings and events of various levels are planned. A pleasant surprise for the young generation will be the skate park. It is also planned to build a large parking lot for visitors. The central factory pipe will become a place to accommodate spotlights. As a result of the reconstruction, they are going to open a restaurant, a shop, a concert hall and workshops.
First masterpieces
Artists began work on their street masterpieces back in 2012. Today, the walls of the plant are decorated with 11 graffiti created by the Spanish artist Ecsif, as well as such famous Russian artists as Timofey Radya from Yekaterinburg, Muscovite Pasha 183, Pasha Wais, Kirill Who from Nizhny Novgorod and others. By the time of its opening, the Museum of Street Art (St. Petersburg) will be able to present visitors 70 completed works of graffiti, video art and even 3D mapping. From 2012 to 2014, it was decided to take one masterpiece per month. Since 2015, it is planned to increase the speed and take two per month.
One of the museum’s famous works is the creation of the “Ural Banksy” - Timothy Radi, who is the nominee and winner of many street art awards, including the famous New York Cutlog NY Artist Prize.
His masterpiece “Everything I Know About Street Art,” adorning one of the walls, is a cry of the soul and a reflection of the inner world of all graffitters. According to Radi, what he could not say out loud, he expressed in these lines on the wall. He believes that he wanted to show the depth and individuality of this amazing art.
Acquaintance with street art
Street art is a unique street art that is only gaining popularity in our country. To acquaint people with its origins and history, the Museum of Street Art (St. Petersburg) held a series of lectures in conjunction with the History Department of St. Petersburg State University. Timothy Radya talked about the existential and political discourses of this direction. Alina Zorya gave a lecture on the history of street art, and Arseniy Sergeyev talked about how graffiti interacts with modern museums. In addition, everyone could listen to the story of famous street artists, interpreters and critics of Moscow from Cyril Who. Lectures on muralism in street art and the marginalization of street art were also presented.
Debut exhibition
Although the Museum of Street Art (St. Petersburg) will begin its work only in 2016, in July 2014, its unofficial opening took place. It was marked by the debut exhibition, called Casus Pacis ("An occasion to the world"). It was organized as part of the famous Manifesto 10 art biennale and was originally dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I. But in connection with the current situation in the world, part of the exposition reflected modern military cataclysms. The most legendary work of the exhibition was the creation of the deceased graffiti artist, Pasha 183, "Alenka". After the exhibition, this work became an integral part of the permanent exhibition.
Argentinean bicycle picnic
In mid-August 2014, a bicycle picnic was held in the museum with Mart, a famous street artist from Argentina. This event was organized as part of the Lets bike it! and "St. Petersburg Bicycles." His work adorned one of the walls of the main exhibition. The topic is about bicycles. According to Martha himself, for him, a bicycle is a reflection of man’s inner freedom. Each picnic participant could personally chat with an Argentine artist and find out his view of street art.
Season closure
On September 13, 2014, the Museum of Street Art held a super party. This grand celebration was the last before the closure of the museum for reconstruction. Visitors could take a look at the Casus Pacis exhibition, attend a street symposium on the interaction of art and hooliganism, see designer novelties of clothes, shoes and accessories from the best stores in the northern capital, fight ping pong, ride a skateboard, see a grand evening concert and enjoy a night rave.
Museum of Street Art (St. Petersburg): address and reviews
The museum will begin its work in 2016 after the completion of the reconstruction. In addition to opening additional sites and creating new unique street masterpieces, the museum plans to increase the number of excursions. In this case, the total time should be about an hour.
Despite the fact that in 2014 the museum held only a few events, it has already gained popularity and appreciation of its visitors. Both ordinary people and professional street artists consider it a unique creative object, which in the future will open up the inner world of people and help them take a fresh look at modernity.
You can visit the museum at the address: St. Petersburg, st. metro Ladozhskaya, Museum of Street Art, Highway of the Revolution, 84.