Top nominees for the Skillbox Media Scan Awards

Contents:

• Ulyana Karmacheva
• Stepan Pateleyev
• Anastasia Krokhaleva
• Ksenia Markelova
• Natasha Tarr
• Who is Alina Sverdlova-Alexandrova?

The third annual Scan Awards, dedicated to contemporary art, has presented its shortlist. We spoke with the artists who made it into the main categories to learn about their past year, what challenges they faced, how they overcame difficulties, and which projects they are especially proud of.

Ulyana Karmacheva

I am proud of the successful implementation of the project "Packaging 100 Pieces", which explores the boundaries between reality and fiction. This was a completely new experience for me, during which I encountered themes and tools that I knew nothing about before. Step by step, I immersed myself in the material, clarified the details, and brought the final version to perfection. This year, I also completed my journalism degree with honors and qualified as a photographer, which was a significant milestone in both my personal and professional life. The main challenges revolved around my internal perception. I pondered for a long time whether I could truly consider myself an author if I was using narratives and archival materials created by others. After completing my university studies and implementing a major project with a virtual exhibition, I found myself faced with questions about my next steps and direction. I managed to cope only partially with this situation by adopting a "fear gnaws at me, but my hands don't stop" approach. I continue to work and find answers through my work. I have delved into several new directions. Through these projects, I have explored how human memory functions, the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to impact us, and how to engage with people's memories. While writing my thesis, I studied visual anthropology and consider it a significant achievement to have the opportunity to discuss my research with the scientist Ilya Vladimirovich Utekhin. In addition, as an artist, I first tried myself in video art, collages, as well as working with virtual spaces and a portable scanner.

Stepan Pateleyev

For several years, I've been carrying around the idea for a project called "Attack on Oblivion," and only this year did everything come together to make it happen. This project certainly takes pride of place in the "proud" category. On the asphalt of an empty park named after the outstanding basketball player Alexander Kandel, where there are no more hoops and no one plays, I depicted a tactical attack scheme taken from a basketball textbook. This is a bold attempt to "attack oblivion"—an effort to resist the loss of memory and personal history associated with this place.

As before, the main challenge is finding new languages ​​and approaches to thinking. Sometimes it feels like everything has already been said and done, that something is missing, and confusion arises about the future direction. It's reminiscent of the phrase "go where you don't know where; bring back what you can't define."

Fiction and philosophy can alleviate this problem to some extent, but they also contribute to it. When we discover new horizons, we feel we still don't know enough, and this feeling only intensifies: now I realize that I know even more than before.

Over the past year, I have significantly improved my skills in creating large projects with my own efforts and resources, and now I can earn money by marking sports fields. In other respects, I have also become more mature internally, but I don’t quite understand how this can be connected with specific directions or categories.

Anastasia Krokhaleva

If something in your kinetic sculpture doesn't work, it immediately becomes noticeable. What's immediately noticeable is the absence of the necessary sound or the desired light effect, which require all the elements of the mechanism to work in harmony. Therefore, for me, each new creation is a unique challenge, as I have to master new skills and knowledge that were previously unknown to me.

I can't say whether other kinetic artists experience joy from the creative process, but for me, the creation of each new moving sculpture is, above all, a continuous overcoming of difficulties in order to achieve a specific result, when all the elements come together into a single harmonious whole. Let me tell you a little more about my latest creations and explain why I perceive each of them as my own achievement.

The kinetic light sculpture entitled "Silent No. 4" is a work created on a completely new level for me. This project is the result of my participation in an art residency in Nizhny Novgorod organized by the Tikhaya Studio. I am sincerely grateful to the organizers for the opportunity not only to see numerous lighting fixtures designed by the Soviet artist Sergei Zorin in action but also for access to the resources of the Prometheus Research Institute. Their support for my concept for the final work and the assistance of specialists from Rumyantsev Bureau played a vital role in its implementation. With the creation of "Quiet No. 4," my artistic practice acquired a new dimension, opening up new production methods for me.

This year, probably the most significant experience for me was working on my new kinetic sound sculpture, which I created as part of the art residence "Debarkader-30" in Naberezhnye Chelny. Ceramics turned out to be the key material for this sculpture, even though I'd only worked with clay a few times before and had never used glaze.

During the process, I had to delve deeply into Zen philosophy and accept the idea that at every stage, with every firing, there's a chance that everything could crack or crumble, and then I'll have to start all over again. The final piece, titled "Kubek," inspired by the bright sparkle of foam on the Kama River, not only introduced me to a material that was relatively new to me but also allowed me to create a musical instrument in which sound is generated by the interaction of water with a ceramic element and the movement of an engine. I express my gratitude to the residency organizers for their support and the opportunity to gain this unique experience!

Thus, each new kinetic sculpture becomes a personal achievement for me, if, of course, I manage to achieve the desired effect.

Ksenia Markelova

— This year I am proud of my two projects: "Zybko," which was presented at the 16th Krasnoyarsk Biennale at the Mira Square Museum Center, and "Baby-Cryptid" for the exhibition "EcoArt. Art and (Non)Human Agents" at the Museum of Nonconformist Art in St. Petersburg.

In both cases, I took a new approach, using fresh material and doing it differently than usual.

For example, the "Zybko" project arose in collaboration with the Krasnoyarsk Museum of Local History, and my approach in this case was 85% curatorial, not artistic. This decision was most appropriate for this project, as its narrative is closely linked to the history of the peoples of the Yenisei region and objects that once played an important role in their lives. In addition, for the first time, I developed the entire concept for the exhibition layout, paying attention to every detail, including the size of the objects and the space as a whole.

In the EcoArt project, I worked on creating the cryptid's voice, visualizing it, and decoding it in collaboration with scientist and ethologist Cedric Sueur. He provided me with valuable advice on animal sound communication and helped me collect the necessary materials and articles for an in-depth study of this topic.

Natasha Tarr

— I don't usually feel proud. Honestly, I can't even figure out why. Once the installation of a work or an entire art project in an art space is complete, it becomes clear whether the idea has been realized. Then the works begin to exist independently, and I continue my search for new ideas.

Questions related to production and manufacturing no longer represent insurmountable difficulties but have become tasks that can be successfully solved. Of course, it would be convenient to be in workshops where renting equipment, be it weaving, printing machines, or other devices, would be relatively inexpensive. However, many residencies provide only empty spaces and tables, without the necessary tools. As a result, I have to turn to outdated Soviet factories in search of suitable equipment.

I feel deeply grateful this year for the opportunity to make new connections. In particular, during the two-month residency in Perm, I was able to form a friendly collective of artists from the Urals and Tatarstan. Although I'm originally from the Chelyabinsk region, I hadn't had any connection with the Chelyabinsk art scene until then.

This year, I felt a certain calm. Even under the pressure of emergency work, the panic has disappeared, and I continue to work at my usual pace, regardless of the weather, time of year, deadlines, and the mood of others.

Who is Alina Sverdlova-Alexandrova?

The past year has been eventful. It began with a significant project at the Bronstein Gallery, organized in collaboration with EN+. All works were created by artists from Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Nizhny Novgorod, and Bratsk exclusively for this exhibition. Together with photographer Anton Klimov and performer Siya Lonshakova, we went on a business trip to the Irkutsk hydroelectric power plants and thermal power plants, after which our colleagues continued their journey throughout the Angara cascade of hydroelectric power plants.

The "Touch" project at the Fire Center for Contemporary Art left a lasting impression. The curatorial team was truly captivating. They managed to harmoniously combine the works of experienced Irkutsk artists with contemporary, and sometimes even youth, art from Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk.

I am especially delighted with the "Visibly-Invisibly" exhibition, which has undoubtedly become my favorite project of 2025. Creating thematic group exhibitions brings me great pleasure, and in this case, the theme was especially close to my heart: it touched on the interweaving of traditions, myths, and beliefs on the border of reality and fantasy. This gave me the opportunity to unite with long-time friends—artists whose work I have admired for many years—and also to discover new, exciting names in art.

Many challenges and exciting moments awaited me. One of the tasks was to transport works by Anzhelika Alsatkina from Olkhon Island. Unfortunately, I missed the end of the ferry service, and the ice crossing doesn't open until late February or March, and even then, not always. Transporting such bulky and fragile cargo using relays and hovercraft was another interesting adventure. However, Olkhon, without tourists, is truly magnificent. Finding a balance between career and family life proved challenging. My youngest child is now 1 year and 7 months old, and all the challenges associated with motherhood are gradually transforming into creative ideas and projects. Yuri has already become a regular participant in meetings and exhibitions, possessing significant experience in organizing events of various scales. I receive great support in overcoming difficulties from my family—my grandmothers and older children. Without their help, many of my plans simply could not have been realized. By the end of the year, fatigue certainly sets in. Working on numerous projects, each requiring significant effort, has taken its toll. I'm now planning to take an extended leave of absence to devote more time to my personal projects and research. There are many exciting creative initiatives happening in the art scene of Siberia, including Irkutsk.

In Krasnoyarsk, An exhibition of nominated works is currently on display at the Kult Cultural Center, located at 86 Mira Avenue. It will be open until November 30th. The awards ceremony will take place tomorrow, November 13th, at the Scan Awards event.

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