Ukrainian band DakhaBrakha nominated for Russian Prize

The ethno group DakhaBrakha from Kyiv was short-listed for the Sergey Kuryokhin Prize in modern art, which is presented in Saint Petersburg. The band was nominated for the grand prix in pop-mechanic, with the prize of 250,000 rubles.

DakhaBrakha’s competitors in this nomination are: Sergey Khimsatov, composer from Saint Petersburg; Moscow-based artists Andrey Barteniev and Katerina Bochavar with the joint performance White Rainbow Over the Table. Musicle of Expired Goods; and the Liquid Theater from Moscow. The official website of the Sergey Kuryokhin Prize says that it also includes three other nominations: Best Curator Project, Best Poetic Performance, and Best Visual Art Work. Nominees in these categories are culture activists from Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Perm, Kaliningrad, and the poetic group Orbita from Riga, Latvia. The prize fund in these nominations is 100,000 rubles each.

The awarding ceremony will take place on March 25 in the Sergey Kuryokhin Center of Modern Art in Saint Petersburg. On the same day, the winners of special prizes, Ethnomechanica (for the best world music project) and Elektromechanica (best DJ or VJ project), as well as the winner of the prize for a contribution to the development of modern art will be announced.

The organizers of they Sergey Kuryokhin Prize describe its goal as finding and supporting current prospective musicians and artists, developing modern art in its diversity, and attracting young people. The prize is geared toward defining new trends in modern art and immersion in the international modern art environment.

In June 2009, DakhaBrakha performed at a Ukrainian party in Venice on the occasion of opening the Ukrainian Pavilion at the 53rd Venice Biennale.