Over 500 visitors came to see the International Exhibition of Calligraphy on its first day

Over five hundred visitors came to the International Exhibition of Calligraphy today, which unfolded in I.E. Repin State Academic Institute for Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in St Petersburg from September 16th – 21st. Alexey Shaburov, Director of the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy and the International Exhibition of Calligraphy project author shared this information during a press conference held in the Baltic Information Agency (BIA) St. Petersburg, on Tuesday, September 16th.

He also revealed that four hundred and eighty artworks executed by top-flight calligraphers from twenty five countries were displayed at the exhibition. Although the total number of the exhibits counts seven hundred masterpieces, a part of them, including fifty museum samples, are left in the store-room.

“We did not want to overload the wonderful interiors of the 18th — 19th centuries,” Alexey Shaburov explained.

The project author also mentioned that within the International Exhibition of Calligraphy several master-classes on calligraphy will be offered for everyone, although they are mostly oriented to professional artists.

“Spaces are limited: only one hundred, but we have over nine hundred and fifty people from all over Russia on our waiting list. Of course, we will inform them as soon as there are spaces available,” he explained.

According to A. Shaburov, the organizers are preparing specialized master-classes for kids as well.

A series of scientific studies to investigate the effect of fine motor skill on the development of the human personality will be carried out within the framework of the International Exhibition of Calligraphy. For that purpose, experts from around the world, as well as scientists of the St. Petersburg Bekhterev Psychoneurological Research Institute will attend the event.

Meanwhile, the project’s authors say that the main purpose of the exhibition is to familiarize visitors of the International Exhibition of Calligraphy with the art of calligraphy. According to Pyotr Chobitko, Presidium Chairman of the National Union of Calligraphers, “there are many languages in the world, but the language of calligraphy is a universal language everyone can understand.”

The official opening of the International Exhibition of Calligraphy is scheduled for Wednesday, September 17th, at 2 pm.

Source: Peterburg2.ru, online portal