The main goal of creating our project is the popularization of contemporary art on the internet and the integration of Ukrainian contemporary culture into European cultures online. The article was published in OVAL Deti magazine
- Yuliia, you are the author of the online project Codeky.art, an International platform of contemporary art; tell us what this project is and what its goals are in Ukraine?
- Good afternoon. I have worked in the field of culture since 2000. I started with architecture and design — I had my own studio. The Codeky.art project was created back in 2016. At first it was a platform only for Ukrainian artists. We worked actively until 2019 on the territory of Ukraine, developing online sales in art, and in January 2020 our activity transformed into the sphere of Cultural Diplomacy, since our goals became the integration of our artists into the art market of the EU and England, and of their artists into ours, the Ukrainian art market.
European integration in the sphere of art and culture is our direct action today, the creation of an online art market on the territory of Ukraine. Today the users of our platform, besides Ukrainians, are English-speaking European consumers of cultural products and users from Great Britain.
- You were among the first in Ukraine to begin your activity online; what prompted you to do this?
- Yes, when we began working on the project I heard a lot of feedback from Ukrainian artists that online would not work in art, that personal meetings, exhibitions and biennales were necessary. But the art markets of the whole world had already been moving to online presentations and commerce for about three years; in Ukraine we were the first online platform. Now there are many platforms — art marketplaces — but only we work in the sphere of cultural diplomacy and present our authors online on European art markets online.
Ukrainian galleries actively use American and Asian marketplaces to present "their" authors on another continent, but the markets there are so enormous that, unfortunately, our galleries and their artists simply get lost.
So that is why we have chosen for now the narrower markets of Europe and the broader and more prestigious English one, although we also cooperate with the American online marketplace artsy.net, where we present the authors of our PR section of the platform.
- And what does the PR section mean? Does your platform advertise authors on the internet?
- The main goal of creating our project is the popularization of contemporary art on the internet and the integration of Ukrainian contemporary culture into European cultures online. Ukrainian authors are mega-talented, but to become popular, or at least for young masters to present their works to a wide audience, is almost impossible for them (and for well-known ones too) — it is a very expensive pleasure, enormous funds are required.
Our project invests very large funds in the development of the platform and we have broad international connections and opportunities. Apart from me, the project has another partner and investor, Yana Dubinina, an artist, a talented painter and gallerist who has been working on the European market for a long time, has her own art gallery in Slovakia and close ties with European partners on the art market.
Online allows artists very cheaply, and sometimes completely free of charge, to present their works to at least 10,000 users a month — today these are stable users on our platform! That is why we invite everyone to cooperate with us! We are unique, and in Ukraine no one except us works in this segment of culture online and across such a broad expanse of the market of art buyers!
- And how exactly do you promote artists online, what marketing tools do you use?
- First of all, artists have the opportunity to keep their own personal Blog, namely to write full-fledged articles in our online news section about their impressions, about themselves personally, about what inspires them. Self-presentation is of great importance for quality sales of one's works online. We place such materials in online advertising — we present the artists. At the same time there is no exclusivity whatsoever on the sale of works. Artists have the opportunity to cooperate with other galleries and art dealers — no boundaries at all. We provide one more service for artists on their way to recognition and development. In addition, the biographies of artists and the catalogs of works of the PR section are advertised.
If artists are not ready for PR and need time to adapt on the platform, they can start with the "Art Market" section, where only works and art goods are sold. Anyone can try to cooperate with us. The chance to present one's works to Western users is extremely important. If you are underestimated in one country, they may take an interest in you in another.
- So you give a chance to people who want art development, not only to professionals?
- Anyone can try to present their creative work and Themselves personally, as the author of works and concepts. But the highest chances, of course, are with professionals! The world has changed a great deal; people are interested in the concepts and the worldview of artists, and not only in a masterfully painted work or a created sculpture, but in what message the author and their works carry. Those who see the world not two-dimensionally, but who understand the essence of the world, the interaction of the world with humanity, the voice of the planet, the contemporary vibrations of the world, are of interest. Acceptance of the contemporary world (and of online virtual communication and work) lies at the foundation of artists' self-presentation on the world art market, of which Ukraine is a full-fledged participant!
