Navicula Artis appeared on the map of St. Petersburg in 1992. Recent graduates of the Department of art history LSU had the opportunity to organize exhibition in the spacious white hall of the Palace of Labour, and the curator of the gallery of Ivan Chechot – received a great space for the realization of their plans. Then, 92 – 94, and determined the style of the gallery, which essentially distinguishes it from all other galleries and exhibition spaces of the city. Any exhibition was conceived and carried out as a full conceptual project in which differently each time was conceptualized and space and meaningful plot, so that each opening day seemed genuine event, played as either a theatrical act.
In 1998, Navicula Artis settled on Pushkinskaya 10, which actually became its new birth. During its existence the gallery has organized more than one hundred exhibitions, two dozens of collective actions – walks and trips, as well as literary readings and events. When the gallery moved to Pushkin, all activity on the organization of exhibitions and actions made by Gleb Ershov and Andrei Klyukanova. Among held is as follows. “A strange man. Strange body” is one of the first large-scale exhibitions of contemporary photography, in which took part more than thirty Petersburg photographers (curators Gleb Ershov, Hope Voinov). The first exhibition in St. Petersburg guru Moscow conceptualism Andrei Monastyrsky “Installation of the 70-ies” (curator Ekaterina Bobrinskaya) and the exhibition of graphic arts Viktor Pivovarov and Pavel Pepperstein “Things in the landscape” (curator Ekaterina Bobrinskaya, Nikolai Sheptulin). Festival of contemporary art in the museums of the Leningrad region “New Itinerants”, which held the exhibitions, promotions, happeningi Moscow and St. Petersburg artists – Anatoly Osmolovsky, Yuri Leiderman, Elena Elagina and Igor Makarevich, Vadim Drapkina, Oleg Khvostov and Ivan Chechot (curators – Ershov and Klukanov). The exhibition of Alexei Kostroma “Inventory yellow rain” (Hope Bukreeva, Ershov), “Children’s project” Ivan Alaska (curators Philip Fedchin, Ivan Chechot) and several exhibitions Arthur Moleva, among which we note in particular the “Radiobsd” (curators Ershov, Klukanov).
Gallery of works with young artists, opening them to the St Petersburg public. So in 1999 he opened an exhibition of Oleg Khvostov, who became one of the favorite artists of the gallery (“200 + 1”, Ershov), was the first notable exhibition of Igor Brasilia “From the garden in the garden” (curator Alexander Stepanov), and in 2002 – exhibition of Oleg Sharapova “No smoking!” (curators Ershov, Klukanov). Significant exposure to the scale and novelty of the concept is made up of the exhibition by Peter Shvetsov “Airplanes”, specially for which the ceiling of the gallery was written giant fresco and Peter White Dreams watchwoman”that transforms the space of the exhibition hall in one total installation (first large – scale experience of his work in this genre). One of directions of activity of the gallery is the identification of names of artists of non-professionals whose work has become a real discovery for the art scene of our city. So were held two exhibitions Eugene Zalmanov: “the 100:1”, which were shown clay city fictitious civilization, created in the 1970-ies and “Observation” – a series of diary sketches of the artist-dilettante in the genre of art Brut. Also held two exhibitions Andrey Yuriev (“Calendar. Lockers”, “Visual AIDS”), almost the full opening to the public amazing collector, creating of kitsch things of the Soviet era witty assemblages.
In addition gallery constantly attracted artists, performing on curatorial career. Several projects that have become high-profile events in the modern artistic life of St Petersburg, was made by Yury Alexandrov: “Reading room. Without Gutenberg” is a one – day exhibition – action, which were collected handwritten rare examples of folk book art, falling under the definition of “artist’s book”; “Kunstler. Handmade things” – exhibition – provocation with respect to the modern paradigm of art – object (Ershov, Klukanov) and exhibition of mystery, “the Last supper” with ritual eating spaghetti and demonstration of the books with the most unique Alexandrova. In the framework of the annual marathon series of conceptual exhibitions curated by Dmitry Pilikin. In particular, he has curated several exhibitions of Dmitry Shubin and modern Petrozavodsk artists and joint Russian – Finnish exhibition pictures “Memento mori”.