|
November 2004 saw the inception of “Teddymania” or an exhibition of collector’s teddy in Russia. The show, which was the first event of the kind ever held in Russia, was put together by Jemma Kadzh. It had run in Moscow from 2004 through 2007.
The Art-Trophy Gallery situated at the very center of Moscow became the venue of the Exhibition. It is a small-scale gallery with a cozy hall designed by Natalia Ushakova, an artist and gallery manager.
About 150 Teddies by 60 artists, basically from Moscow and the Moscow Region, were put on display at the Exhibition in 2004. The number and variety of Teddies grew substantially in the following years. About 400 Teddies by 120 artists from all parts of Russia (from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok) were exhibited at the latest “Teddymania”.
| 2007 |
2006 |
 |
 |
All the participants made an effort when getting ready for the show. They put on display only their brand-new works, which had not been previously exhibited.
The competition for the Best Teddies by several nominations was held at the annual exhibitions. Drawing collectors’ attention to new exhibits and spotlighting new artists was the main reason behind the competition.
Kukolny Master Magazine (Russian for “Puppet Artist”) had been the principal media sponsor of the Exhibition for the first three years. The latest show was arranged in partnership with the “Teddy-Medveddy” (Teddy Bears) Magazine. The event was covered by the Russian media e.g. Russian TV channels: ORT, RTR, NTV, NTV+, “Stolitsa”, “Kultura”, TNT, “Domashniy”, TVC, “Style” and “Stream TV”. Coverage was also provided by Radio Maximum and the following magazines: “Vash Dosug”, “Afisha”, “Taburet”, “Collection No” et al. Some of the Russian print media also reported on the event: “Komsomolskaya Pravda”, “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” and “Tverskaya, 13”. The exhibition became a news item posted by a number of Russian web sites.
| 2005 |
2004 |
 |
 |
Lots of Russians became aware of designer Teddy Bears thanks to that Exhibition. Many artists got an impetus to design their own furry creatures after visiting the “Teddymania”. Others took a fancy to designer Teddy Bears and started collecting them.
The Gallery Guest Book was filled up with visitors’ comments and words of gratitude for opening a new world full of goodness, warmth and joy for them. Apparently, the visitors were also thankful for a wonderful opportunity to travel back to their childhood and enjoy momentarily the spirit of childlike ingenuousness.
During its four years of existence the “Teddymania” made solid grounds for launching more Russian Teddy Bears projects at a larger scale.
Jemma Kadzh stopped arranging similar shows once the “Teddimania” project came to a close. She opted to devote herself to creative activity.
The table of Prize-winners of competition "Teddimanija" with 2004 on 2007
Photo Gallery
|
