online showcase of creative products in nizhny novgorod

The Vasari Festival is Russia’s only festival of texts about art. Since 2014, it has been held in early fall, traditionally in Nizhny Novgorod. During the festival, a book fair is held, accompanied by a program of readings, meetings, seminars, round tables, presentations and film screenings. The festival was attended by academic institutions, publishing houses, magazines and TV programmes, covering classical and contemporary art. The festival is named after the Italian painter and writer Giorgio Vasari of Arezzo.

He was the first art historian. He wrote a comprehensive "competition" of texts on the work of artists of his time. Each year one of the art movements is selected. Then, texts, reports, lectures, and already published books on the subject, are picked. An almanac is published based on the results. The festival is included in the top of Russian cultural events.

Zlata is an artist. She creates unique items of decor. For materials, the designer uses wood that remains after the demolition of old houses. She makes utensils that you could find in Russian huts in the old days: krynka (a clay jug), kubyshka (an ancient piggy bank), krupnik (a pitcher-jug), chugunok (a cooking pot). Objects that you'd never find in a modern household, but only preserved in the villages or kept "as a memento". She also makes cute jewelry boxes. Zlata draws inspiration from traveling, new emotions, the colors, the perfect combination of nature and architecture.

One of Zlata's major works is the "Invisible Threads" series. Since antiquity, embroidery and weaving patterns have absorbed a myriad of symbols - you could not only look at them, but also read. Each symbol bore a certain meaning, serving as a talisman and a reminder of the invisible threads that connect each person to nature and its heritage. The artist decided to transfer these patterns to woodwork and reinterpret them.

YALLO is a Russian clothing brand with vibrant pieces steeped in the 70s aesthetics, founded by designer Miklina Olya. She takes the philosophy of life inherent in the fashion of the 70’s and 80’s and interprets it in her outfits: striped shirts, daisy-chained or patchwork dresses, loose jumpsuits, wide flared jeans, bright knitwear.

Colored vests and panama hats, knitted like mats, were a great success. This clothing line is full of surprising and bold outfits of irregular shape, rich in detail. You can appreciate the level of detail of each piece of clothing. YALLO has its own small production. Everything is made in-house, without the involvement of third-party factories.

A project that preserves and develops the historic part of the city. Zapovednye Kvartaly (Historic Quarters) is a cultural space of 28 historic wooden houses within the boundaries of Novaya — Korolenko — Slavyanskaya streets. Many famous people have lived here, including Maxim Gorky, Leonid Andreev, and Fyodor Chaliapin. Today, the old city quarter hosts festivals, concerts and exhibitions that tell stories about the residents and houses. Some exhibitions even offer you a chance to restore old furniture and décor items from the quarters.

The quarter hosts such unique tours, as "Women’s Stories of the Quarter," "Details of the Quarter. Closely," "Histroric Quarters. The First Look," and others. Old traditions are being revived. For instance, opera singers still perform compositions from the balcony, as Chaliapin himself did a century ago. Here you can stop in for bagels and samovar tea, see the work of street artists, join the summer restoration festival, and listen to jazz in the garden.