It was created to introduce modern Russian art to a wide audience and help artists' works find their buyers.
BIZAR marketplace was launched in the summer of 2021 with the idea to combine in an online catalog a wide body of works in all popular media: painting, original and printed graphics, photography, sculpture, objects, digital art. At the same time, the marketplace attracts both large galleries from Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as independent artists and their associations from all regions of Russia to be its residents. Each resident gets a space on the site to tell about himself/herself and exhibit his/her works to be managed independently through his/her personal account. The site has been open since June for applications from artists and galleries, while all applications are curated to maintain the catalog quality.
The main task of the marketplace is to provide maximum coverage and introduce millions of potential buyers to contemporary art, to make the process of choosing a job understandable even for those who do not understand art, and the purchase process is no more complicated than ordering at Ozon. To do this, a recommendation engine has already been implemented within the site framework, a pool of selections of works from project curators and external experts, an online fitting in the interior, a curator's consultation when choosing a job. The prices for all the works are open, the purchase is made in one click online, the works are delivered directly from the artist or gallery to the customer.
An extended profile of the author helps to get acquainted with artists and their work, including a story about herself/himself, additional video and audio materials, the history of exhibitions and curatorial projects, prizes and awards.
Starting this fall, the site begins a series of offline markets for those who want to get to know the works closer.
The project aim is to open contemporary Russian art to a wide audience and introduce them to artists, and as a result to make the purchase of works online a simple and familiar process for visitors, and to give artists a permanent channel for dialogue with their audience and a new source of income.
To achieve this goal, several tasks are being implemented:
- Launching the widest possible catalog, attracting young artists from the capital and regions to the site, for whom the marketplace becomes the only opportunity to show and sell their works
- Enriching information about artists and their works
- Online mediation, which helps to learn more about the author of the work and her/his works
- 24/7 support for residents, assistance in compiling an interesting and selling profile on the site
- Broadcast of news of residents: exhibitions and creative projects via social media accounts
- Providing support to marketplace visitors on the way to choosing, buying and delivering a work of art
- Entering the business market: assistance to residents in organizing collaborations with major brands, maintaining corporate collections, selecting art objects for offices
