Spring 2025: January 28 — May 20
Subject: ARTH
Course Level: 200
Number of Credits: 4 U.S. / 8 ECTS
Max Enrollment: 22
Schedule: Wed, Fri 16:10 – 17:30 CET (Berlin) | 10:10 – 11:30 AM EDT (New York)
Distribution Area: Analysis of Art
Language of Instruction: Russian
Course Prerequisites: Russian B2 / Equivalent or higher

The course aims to outline and discuss how the current political and socio-cultural context influences Russian contemporary art. For Russia, contemporary art is a young phenomenon. Until now, ideas about what art is have remained quite conservative. Traditionalist Russian institutions, such as the Academy of Fine Arts, various art universities, and art schools reproduce late modernist, if not earlier, artistic practices and discourses. The state, in its turn, has reduced support for contemporary art to a minimum. Unlike 10-15 years earlier, Russian museums and cultural institutions show little interest in it. Within the framework of the course, contemporary Russian art will be explored as fully as possible. While problematizing the actual existence of this phenomenon, we will take into account different positions of its opponents.

Guidelines for the Statement of Purpose:
Craft a reflective statement of purpose explaining your interest in the Smolny Beyond Borders online course. The file should be saved with your name and course title as the filename and uploaded accordingly. Your statement’s clarity and substance will significantly influence our selection. Convey your motivations and aspirations for this course succinctly but thoroughly. Kindly write your statement in the course’s Language of Instruction.

Application Portal Instructions:
1) Use the Latin alphabet for all entries on the portal, including your name. If the Language of Instruction is Russian, you may use Cyrillic only within the Statement of Purpose file, and the title of the file should still be in English.
2) Refrain from using email addresses associated with Russian or Belarusian educational institutions.
3) While completing the “Required Information” section, ensure you fill in the “Province” field for your address.
4) Provide an address outside Russia or Belarus in both the “Required Information” and “Geographic Location Confirmation” sections of the “Online Course Application”. This ensures we can send your transcript.
5) You must press the “Sign” button twice during the application.
6) If you hold a bachelor’s degree, select “4th+” in the “Academic Year (online)” section.
7) Applicants either unaffiliated or affiliated with educational institutions in Russia and Belarus should list ‘Smolny Beyond Borders’ as their educational institution.
8) In the student ID section, enter ‘SBB’.
9) Consider drafting your motivation letter ahead of time. Save it as a separate file with this format: LastName_FirstName_CourseTitle for a smoother application process.