Smart Art artists

Smart Art is an art production and exhibition company established in 2016 by Anastasia Karneeva and Ekaterina Vinokurova, collectors and art patrons. Smart Art invests in Russia’s local art scene and fosters its development in close collaboration with artists, institutions, collectors, and the community.

Acting as a cultural institution in its own right, Smart Art accompanies artists through all production stages, from inception to exhibition. Smart Art takes care of fundraising, venue selection, legal backing, establishing contact between collectors and artists, attracting new audiences, and public programming. Smart Art runs a yearly grant program that subsidizes studios, materials, residencies and other practicalities for one of the artists in its portfolio. 

Its experience includes over 10 successfully produced solo and group shows. The portfolio of artists includes such well-known names as Alexey Buldakov, Alexandra Galkina, Arseny Zhilyaev, Daria Irincheeva, Alexandra Paperno, Alexander Povzner, Anastasia Potemkina, Sergey Sapozhnikov, and Sveta Shuvaeva.

Along with the development of the local art community, Smart Art sees its mission in the integration of young Russian art into the international art scene. As the official operator of the Russian Federation Pavilion in Venice for the next ten years, Smart Art aims to provide it with a much-needed long-term strategy. In this capacity, Smart Art is responsible for the Pavilion’s maintenance and exhibition production at the highest standards. 

Ekaterina Vinokurova is an expert in Contemporary Art having worked as a representative of Haunch of Venison gallery in Russia from 2007 -2010. In 2010 Ekaterina joined the Christie’s team in Moscow, later becoming the head of Russian Business Development. Assuming her role as Director, in 2015 Ekaterina opened the new Christie’s office with its own permanent exhibition space.

From 2001 to 2005 Ekaterina received a BA in Political Science from Columbia University and in 2006 finished the Masters program in LSE.

Anastasia Karneeva has extensive experience in art and investment consulting, with over 6 years of business development for Christie's auction house in Russia. In 2008, she opened the first Christie's office in Moscow. In the following several years, she successfully built up a client database in Russia and the CIS. Since 2012, she held the post of director of Sapinda UK Limited investment company, while remaining a consultant at Christie's. In 2014, she became a partner in the MVG Communications Group with the head office in New York. 

Anastasia Karneeva is a graduate of Lomonosov Moscow State University. From 2005 to 2007, she was a student at University College London.