Art Market in Russia: An Analysis of the Art Market in Moscow

Abstract

Art markets contain issues such as income inequality, dearth of transparency related to the work, challenges for budding artists to establish themselves, and others. Following the pivot in the geopolitical climate on 24th February 2022 with the Russian annexation of Ukraine, these problems have been accentuated. In addition to such issues, Russian artists have been facing problems related to selling their work, networking, and other activities that are increasingly making it difficult for artists to subsist.  Using a qualitative approach involving in-depth 15 semi-structured interviews, this study critically explores the experiences of art curators, educators, artists, art exhibition assistants to understand how artists within Moscow operate, produce art, and make a revenue in an isolated landscape (especially considering that it is an infant market and the essential structures are not cemented). In order to get a comprehensive understanding, the study begins with an inquiry into the initial conditions under which artists operated in Russia. The results indicate that contrary to popular perception, the ban on social media did not have a significant impact on the market as it never was a professional means of advertisement in the first place. The real issue lies in the structural support for artists, a problem that was exacerbated following the stigmatization of Russian art in art fests. The findings of the study suggest that it is imperative to explore the supporting structures enjoyed by individual artists from different national and international initiatives.