In 2024, BE OPEN Art, an online gallery set up by Elena Baturina’s humanitarian think-tank BE OPEN, continues to run BE OPEN Regional Art, the regional competition for emerging artists aimed to support those whose art best represents their regional, cultural and ethnic identities.
Throughout 2024, BE OPEN expert community will continue selecting those artists who best represent the artistic tradition of a certain region to feature in the BE OPEN Art gallery and offer them greater visibility.
The first stage of the second year of the programme run will cover the countries of Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The stage will traditionally last three months, and the reginal winner for Central Asia will be named and awarded 500 euro at the end of March 2024. In the meantime, artworks by 20 emerging artists from the listed countries will be posted at the online gallery every month, and a public vote will select the Regional Artist of the Month. At the end of the stage, one of the monthly winners will become the Artist of the Region, based on the amount of votes by the public and the BE OPEN art community members.
Later in 2024, BE OPEN Regional Art will travel to Central America, Southern Africa, and South Asia.
In 2023, there were four regional winners selected in the programme. The first stage of BE OPEN Regional Art was dedicated to the art of the Eastern Mediterranean. A selection of works formed an exhibition that was held in June 2023 in Nicosia, Cyprus. The second stage celebrated the artists of the Caribbean; the third was focused on Southeast Asia, the fourth – on Central Africa. Each of the regional winners received a cash grant of 500 euro.
The regional competition runs alongside the regular ongoing work of BE OPEN Art, whose experts every month select 20 new artists for the gallery, using online voting to name the Artist of the Month and the Artist of the Year.
Aiming to support emerging talent, BE OPEN Art selects artists at an early stage of their career who emphasize social consciousness and aesthetical solutions to the wrongs of the contemporary world. The project sees its mission in looking for new influencers in the art scene, and invites everyone to contribute.