The SOUZ cultural project was founded by gallerist Yulia Akimova in 2024.

In the decade preceding the launch of the new project, Yulia and her team had successfully worked in the gallery business, discovering new talent and organizing exhibitions of artists based in Russia and beyond. This extensive experience and strategies to face modern-day challenges laid a foundation for SOUZ.

“When opening the gallery, we were guided by an idea formulated by Andy Warhol, who believed that art should not be accessible only to the chosen few; it is meant for everyone,” says Yulia Akimova. “Over the past few years, we have been exploring the artistic landscape not only in Moscow but also in other cities across Russia. There, we have discovered fascinating artists, many of whom are little known outside their hometowns.

This was how I realized that many of the country’s regions were somewhat isolated culturally, a hindrance that needs to be overcome if we plan to further develop the Russian art market.”
SOUZ aims to foster connections within the Russian art community and to promote both emerging and established artists internationally. The project’s primary focus is producing exhibitions in collaboration with museums, private foundations, art fairs, and independent curators.

SOUZ brings together artists of different generations, styles, and approaches to deserve much more attention and representation than they currently get.

Besides exhibitions, the project runs residency and publishing programs designed to support artists and help popularize their work among a broader audience.