About the Project
The industry depends on everyone, but no one is listening to anyone else.
The contemporary art industry in Russia operates horizontally: without the artist, there is no critic or collector; without exhibition representation, there is no market. Despite this mutual dependence, the dialogue between these roles is conducted in the language of competition for space, not dialogue. Everyone has taken on closed roles and is trying to pull the blanket toward themselves. Pressure from external events has intensified this insularity. The artist fears not fitting into established boundaries. The critic has yielded to the curator and the influencer. Art historians remain isolated. The barrier to entry is simultaneously low and high—luck has become the main determining factor.
«In the Russian art industry, there is no safe space where roles could honestly voice their struggles and yet hear each other.»
Solution
«NOT OVER YET» is an independent print publication where industry roles anonymously pose questions to one another. The guest speaks openly, the question comes from a role, not from a specific person whose career is on the line. This structure builds a dialogue free from direct confrontation and fear.
Weekly Newspaper — Free interviews plus a question from another perspective. Available for free in cafes and bookstores near the university.Monthly Book — Collection of issues plus expert analysis. A5–A6 format, hardcover. Paid.Website — Paid question for a guest, application to be a guest, archive of issues.
Studios
Whose pain point is closest to what the project solves?
We segment by role in the industry. Five roles featured in the publication are gathered into four segments (collectors and intellectuals are grouped). The direct target audience is students and young artists—they are more sensitive to the fear, they are located at distribution points for the paper, and interviews with open names function as advertising for them.
Competitors
Discussions about art are already underway.
What room is left?
Insights • Raw, unedited tone — a free niche. • Physical outreach outside the art scene among analyzed competitors has not been observed. • The format of «question from role to role without an author» has not been found among competitors. • We differentiate ourselves from Art MUSE with an emotional, rather than a career-focused angle: not «how to build a career, ” but „what hurts and what remains unspoken.“
Positioning and Benefits
«NOT OVER YET» is an independent print media outlet for artists, curators, critics, and art school students. Anonymous questions across professional roles evolve into candid conversation.
Vulnerable Honesty.A young artist will not tell the curator what they truly think because their standing depends on the curator. Here, fear is removed: the opinion of the person asking the question is anonymous, while the right to speak truthfully and to be featured remains with every guest.
Content
Tone of Communication
Calm and intelligent—without pretension. Frame interactions with doubt and inquiry rather than declarative verdicts. Use the formal «you» (Вы). Avoid being overly academic or childish.
