On the eve of the “Petersburg of the Future 2019” awards, Manege will host two public talks about how St. Petersburg can become more comfortable and modern. The newspaper “sobaka.ru” awards this prize annually to those sparking development in our city, be they architects, urbanists, artists, designers, activists, officials, or developers.

On Monday 4 February, a public talk will take place on the subject, “How does one build contemporary art in St. Petersburg, and how does one make St. Petersburg into contemporary art?” Participants in the talk include the director of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, the commissioner of Venice Biennale’s Russian Pavilion, Manege Board of Trustees chairman Semyon Mikhailovsky, and Pokras Lampas, Petersburg and Russia’s most in-demand young calligrapher. Entry strictly with prior registration.

The second meeting will take place on 5 February. The country’s top architecture critic, KB Strelka partner Grigory Revzin, and head researcher of Petersburg identity Lev Lurye will talk about how to make St. Petersburg an attractive destination on a global level. Registration is open.

Sobaka.ru’s editor-in-chief Mikail Statsyuk will moderate the discussions. The talks will begin at 19:00.

Entry strictly controlled and granted only with prior registration. Seats are limited.