June 26, 2021
Art party with a performative auction at Vavilov Loft in Zorya Bar, where artists put up for sale their most disliked works.
Each lot was accompanied by a captivating, ironic, or sad story from its creator. These stories were read aloud either by an auction host or by the authors themselves — and thus the undervalued works gained new meaning.

 The first lot of the auction was the right to hammer nails into and smash my painting — a work I created during the spring protests that I couldn’t take part in.
This act of alteration and destruction by another person transformed the piece from a zone of alienation into a symbolic space of civic participation.
The performance marked the beginning of the event.  

Organizers: Alena Fedorchenko and Artemy Nikitin

Participating artists: Daniil Martynov, Olli Weiss, Alexey Gribel, Sergey Stepanov, Ludochka Nowoselova, Aiya Orlova, Zosya Halfman, Woaldyal, Vitaly Diventsov, Artemiizm, Maria Fedotova, Moyka, Natalia Tolokonnikova, iceang, Maks Mudry.

Auction host: Pavel Savin

My notes after the event:

We sold 10 out of 15 lots.
One girl just walked in and hung her painting among the others, even though she hadn’t been approved to participate.
One artist gave his works as a gift to another artist right in the middle of the auction — even though people wanted to buy them.
Another artist talked about his recent psychedelic trip, which greatly outraged the owner of the venue.
I sold the right to hammer nails into and smash with a hammer my own painting that I had made during the spring protests.
A marketing specialist who came as a guest offered us collaboration.
One painting was dropped (by the artist herself).
The smallest artwork was sold for the highest price.
Everyone met each other, had fun, and said they wanted more.
Well, that’s only the beginning!

Photo: Sergey Stepanov