Mamont

Mamont (Russian: Мамонт, Russian for Mammoth) was an international modern art show and avant-garde fashion show held in Minsk, Belarus, during 1995-2015. Competitions, presentations, and exhibitions of avant-garde painting and sculpture were held. Judges traditionally gave a master class for young designers.

Purpose

• To show the achievements of young artists, including artists, sculptors, musicians, designers, and fashion designers.
• To draw the attention of mass media, public and professionals to the creativity of young and prospective authors.
• To give artists the possibility to acquaint the general public with their creativity.
• To expose the general public to new names and talents.
• To allow dialogue among artists.
• To make an active, creative atmosphere in the field of modern art and design.
• To create a show with an original stage and by attracting art workers, including from theater, television, and cinema.

Organizers

• Belarusian firm Bellegprom
• The union of designers of Belarus
• Magic publishing house
• The company Center of Theatrical Initiatives

History

Television director Yury Breus first had the idea for the event. It was intended to discover new names and concepts for TV programs, but it quickly received such popularity among young designers that became an independent event.

Categories

There are three creative categories at the festival: avant-garde fashion, body art, and video art. Video art features performances lasting no more than five minutes.

Prizes

In 2005, 2006 and 2007 stylized bronze "golden tusk" figures (for the best suit and best collection presentation) and "golden mammoth" figures (for the best combination of all performance elements) were awarded. In 2011 the award of prizes was changed as video art was added as a category. The "golden mammoth" is awarded for the best avant-garde clothes collection, while the two "golden tusk" awards are awarded for the best video art and body art.