International Exhibition of Calligraphy

About

Calligraphy is the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner (Mediavilla 1996: 18).

In 2008 Alexey Shaburov, the President of EcoCentre and Museum- Education Complex Sokolniki initiated the project with well-renowned calligraphers and designers e.g. Petr Chobitko, Evgeny Dobrovinsky, professors Leonid Pronenko, Pavel Semchenko, Ilya Bogdesko, Nikolay Taranov to join it within a few months.

Calligraphers

The exhibition displays works of 114 artists from 41 states.

Exhibitions

Repin State Academic Institute of Painting Sculpture and Architecture hosted the I International Exhibition of Calligraphy on September 16–21. Despite little advertising the first day saw more than 500 people visited it before the Official opening. With 480 works from 25 states presented. In total the Exhibition had of about 700 works

More than 20 lectures and master-classes with Russian and foreign artists were held during five days of the Exhibition. with 40 famous calligraphers to attend the project in total.

Interesting facts

The welcome book was to be posted an entry in with ink and quill.

All female visitors on the last day of the Exhibition were given white roses.

A just-married couple and a cadets platoon were among the visitors.

Citizenship Day caused Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy to launch the exposition on December 9–14, 2008 dedicated to the Museum’s newcomer - the first Post-Soviet Russia’s Handwritten Constitution. This A2-sized work has been performed in five months by Petr Chobitko, Chairman of the National Union of Calligraphers, in person (but lining the paper).

Evgeny Dobrovinsky, Petr Chobitko, Yuri Koverdyaev, Nazip Ismagilov, Andrea and Volker Thomas Wunderlich, Avraham Borshevsky, Manohar Desai, Bruno Niver, Chen Wenfu visited the Exhibition.

Numerous master-classes and lectures were held.

— The Exhibition place: Museum-educational complex Sokolniki

— The Exhibition date: October 14, 2009 – November 14, 2009

— The total area of the Exhibition is about 4000 sq. m.

The event was held under the auspices of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO and supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. The Exhibition also was approved by UFI (Global Association of the Exhibition Industry) for high professional level of exhibitions organization, and then in 2010 the project entered the final three of exhibitions World Cup according to Exhibition News Awards (London).

The exhibition context included an open contest on Orthodox Calligraphy and 72 master classes with the illustrious calligraphers from a quantity of countries participating: — Barbara Calzolari (Italy) who worked for the Pope Benedict XVI and the leaders of the G8 countries, — Evgeny Drobyazin, author of the calligraphic text of the National Anthem of Russia which Silvio Berlusconi presented to President Dmitry Medvedev during the G8 summit in L’Aquila, — Nja Mahdaoui, the prize-winner of a quantity of contests, the member of the UNESCO international jury on distribution of art awards, — Chairman of the National Union of Calligraphers Presidium Petr Chobitko, • President of the Guild of Calligraphers of Turin Massimo Polello, — And other renowned calligraphers of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Israel, Italy, France, Tunisia, China and Serbia.

The meticulous attention of the public was attracted to the artworks of the sacral Calligraphy collection. The project was welcomed and blessed by the leaders of the three main religious confessions of Russia: Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar, Chairman of the Council of Muftis Mufti Shaikh Rawil Gaynetdin, Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia, Apostolic Nuncio Antonio Mennini, President of the Russian Association of Buddhists, the Karma Kagyu school Alexander Koibagarov.

Within the Exhibition the World-famous mezuzah by an Israeli Avraham Borshevsky will be displayed. It is the only sacred calligraphy work put in Guinness World Records. Top-ranked Israeli spirituals and academicians acknowledged this 76x94 cm

The III International Exhibition of Calligraphy successfully completed its work in Velikiy Novgorod. It was held on September 10–12 in a mobile pavilion erected in the city historic centre near the Kremlin in Yaroslav’s Court. The project’s unique feature is that the event was organized by Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy, so first time in the world a global travelling exhibition of a current ICOM member took place.The Exhibition also was approved by RUEF (Russian Union of exhibitions and fairs) for high professional level of exhibitions organization.

— 37000 visitors

— 19 trucks with equipment and exhibits

— 136 tons of cargo

— A 91-manned team of Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy and MVK International Exhibition Company.

46 master classes were held during 3+1 (the day of the presentation) days of the Exhibition with 35 renowned calligraphers in the project in total. Novgorod saw more than 300 exhibits.

For the first time a wakeboarding tournament for WakeWorld Russia Cup took place within the Exhibition with best professional riders from Russia, Europe and Asia. The Long Night of Museums project was also held in liaison with the Novgorod State United Museum-Reserve.

Date — November 1 – December 15, 2012. Venue — the Contemporary museum of calligraphy.

10 new authors with their distinct styles and personalities took part in the 4th International Exhibition of Calligraphy: Babak Rashvand Hamamlo (Iran), Sabah Bapir (Qatar), Sarah Hartwig (Germany), Davlat Toshev (Uzbekistan), Li Zuo (China), Andrei Drachenkov (Russia), Maria Skopina (Russia), Sabina Aliyarova (Russia), Eduard Dimasov (Russia), Valerian Bakharev (Russia). Valerian Bakharev’s “I Ching Signs”, consisting of 64 hexagrammic paintings became the symbol of the exposition.

The unique feature of this exhibition was the fact that the exposition changed 6 times. The program included master-classes and workshops not only for adults but also for children.

National Union of Calligraphers

On May 14, 2008 the National Union of Calligraphers was established at the International Exhibition of Calligraphy. The handwritten charter with many famous Russian calligraphers’ signatures testifies to the Union’s birth. Under the Charter the Union aims at revival of the art of calligraphy in Russia, creating conditions for its development and admitting everybody who is willing to learn the beauty of writing. Petr Chobitko was elected Chairman of the Union with Alexey Shaburov as its President.

A most famous Union’s masterpiece is the Handwritten Constitution of the Russian Federation performed by Petr Chobitko in person. It is stored at Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy. Its toy-replicas were offered for sale as gifts.

Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy

On August 1, 2008 Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy was opened in Sokolniki Park with about 100 exhibits with Psalms, original works in various techniques, inkpots, brushes and pens made of bamboo, double reed, aquiline turkey and goose quills as a basis.

The Museum was closed from mid-August to December due to the work of the I International Exhibition of Calligraphy and then preparations to a new exposition called Mystery of the World Calligraphy. The Museum was opened for the second time on December 9, 2008.

Up to mid-August 2009 the Museum was working to the reserved guided tours only but for Sokolniki-operating festivals, master-classes and large exhibitions. Now the tours are temporally suspended due to the preparations to the II International Exhibition of Calligraphy.

Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy is an ICOM member.

The most famous exhibits in the Museum are: