Young artists from 100 countries showcase works at IFY 2026 in Russia

Young artists from 100 countries are showcasing their works at an international art exhibition at the International Festival of Youth (IFY) 2026 in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

The exhibition, which forms part of the festival being held from September 11 to 17, 2026, brings together hundreds of works by emerging Russian and international artists aged between 18 and 35.

The project is being organised by ANO Tavrida Art in partnership with the Union of Russian Artists, with support from the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives.

Project head Diana Kovela said the exhibition features works from across Russia as well as contributions from hundreds of young artists around the world.

According to her, the selection process was highly competitive, with organisers receiving more applications than the exhibition could accommodate.

“This is a unique exhibition – it will only be open for four days during the Festival,” Kovela said.

She explained that entries were assessed not only on the artists’ ages, techniques and genres, but also on their ability to reflect themes centred on homeland, culture, tradition, history, people and landscapes.

The same criteria, she said, were applied to both Russian and international participants.

Kovela added that organisers had already received offers to purchase some of the works on display, raising hopes that the exhibition could provide commercial and professional opportunities for participating artists.

For some of the young creatives, she said, exhibiting their works at an international event of this scale could serve as a springboard for their careers.

Marina Rogatovskaya, Executive Director of the Union of Russian Artists, said the paintings selected for the exhibition had undergone assessment by the union’s creative panels.

The Union of Russian Artists also contributed three works by prominent artists Alexander Deineka, Andrei Yakovlev and Alexander Laktionov.

“You will see three paintings that embody our whole essence; they explain how we live, how we exist, how we raise our young people,” Rogatovskaya said.

She said the works of established artists provided a foundation from which younger generations could develop their own artistic expressions.

The exhibition’s chief architect, Alexey Komov, said the collection brings together different artistic schools, movements, genres and creative approaches.

According to him, the diverse works are connected by artists’ interpretations of homeland and tradition.

“It is a large mosaic, assembled around the feeling of tradition as experienced by a contemporary artist,” Komov said.

Among the participating artists is Marina Kudrina from Perm, whose oil paintings are being displayed at what she described as the largest exhibition of her career so far.

Kudrina said the event had given her an opportunity to encounter the works of artists from other places and could also inspire her future projects.

“I’d rate the level of the exhibition as high – everything is very professional, the bar has been set high,” she said.

The exhibition is also attracting festival participants interested in contemporary art.

Marta Kuneva, a 20-year-old philology student, writer and art enthusiast, said several works caught her attention, including Alina Yusupova’s painting, You’re Watching Over Me.

The International Festival of Youth 2026 is being held under the motto “Follow Your Dream” and has brought together 10,000 young people from 191 countries, according to organisers.

The participants comprise 5,000 Russians and 5,000 international delegates drawn from creative industries and the arts, public administration, science and education, sport, entrepreneurship, media, digitalisation, information technology and civic engagement.

The event also includes 1,000 teenagers aged between 14 and 17, evenly divided between Russian and international participants.

The festival was established by a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 29, 2025, following the World Youth Festival held in Sirius from March 1 to 7, 2024, which brought together about 20,000 young people from 190 countries.