On May 13, the first overseas art session of the Innopraktika and Russian Seasons School, held in the Republic of Senegal with the support of the National School of Arts and Crafts in Dakar, ended.
Sixteen talented painters and sculptors from seven African countries were selected from more than 100 applications. They began their studies on May 2 at the Place du Souvenir Africain, a large cultural cluster on the Atlantic coast. Under the guidance of four professors from the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts named after Ilya Repin, students took a two-stage course.
The course began with sprint sketches from nature. Young artist, sculptors and their mentors acted as models, and the task of the rest of the students was to catch the basic movements, pose and character of the model in 8 minutes.
Preparing final qualification works was the second stage of training. Students have chosen to focus on several topics: African heritage, intercultural dialogue, and friendship among nations.
The first overseas session concluded with a closing ceremony.Olga Lyubimova , Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, sent a congratulatory address to the students, teachers, and organizers: “I heartily congratulate the students and teachers on successfully completing the first foreign session of the Innopraktika and Russian Seasons School in Senegal. This much-anticipated project continued the tradition of international cooperation and revealed the high potential of cultural exchange between Russia and Africa. I am confident that the event will give impetus to the further creative development of students.”
Abdoulaye Diop, Minister of Culture and Communication of the Republic of Senegal , also sent a welcoming speech: “As Minister of Culture and Communication, I welcome and find extremely important this large-scale project, which lays the milestones in the development of intercultural dialogue between representatives of different countries, different trends and different artistic traditions. Through this program, you will demonstrate that interculturalism is one of the pillars of modern states' diplomacy.”
The grand finale of the closing ceremony was the presentation of an exhibition of qualification works by students of the Art Session of the Innopraktika and Russian Seasons School.
Works displayed at the exhibition embody the artist's vision of the world and their perception of events. Students created their pieces for six hours each day, consulting with their professors and listening to every instruction. The trust in the professors was reflected in work and became a true symbol of the students' hospitality.
“Innopraktika and Russian Seasons School is a truly unique and unparalleled project. The interest that each of the students showed during the session is really valuable, important and motivates us to create and promote such initiatives. I express a special word of gratitude to the Embassy of Russia in the Republic of Senegal for its assistance inorganizingthe first foreign session! I sincerely congratulate all the students onsuccessfully completingtheir studies!”saidAlexei Lebedev, director of the Russian Seasons project.
“The initial mission of the Innopraktika and Russian Seasons School, which we established two years ago, has proven to be very much in demand today. The history of culture shows thata lively development of human civilisation happensonly through a dialogue of ethnic traditions, aesthetic perceptions,andvariousart forms and genres. Through this international project,we transmit such features of the Russian academic art school as transparency, democracy and respect for the national identity of other cultures, and support for the universal human values,”empathizedNatalia Popova, first deputy director-general of the Innopraktika non-state development institute.
After graduation, all students received certificates of completion of the Art Session of the Innopraktika and Russian Seasons School, and the best five students were given the opportunity to take part in a new art session to be held at the Academy of Arts named after Ilya Repin in St. Petersburg from June 2 to June 23, 2022.
For more information about the project and eligibility criteria, visit the School section of the Russian Seasons website https://www.russianseasons.org/ru/school/.