Aidar Zabbarov, winner of the 2022 Presidential Prize for Young Culture Professionals
The prize was awarded for his contribution to the development of Russian theatrical art.
Aidar Zabbarov is a theatre director.
He was born on July 10, 1991, in Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. He graduated from the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts – GITIS (2018, Sergei Zhenovach’s studio). Aidar Zabbarov is a post-graduate student and a lecturer at the GITIS Department of Drama Directing. He has received professional awards.
The young director demonstrated the ability to gather actors of different generations in a single well-coordinated team during his thesis. Working at the Galiasgar Kamal Tatar State Academic Theatre, he stages performances at the Lensovet St Petersburg State Academic Theatre, the Chekhov Moscow Art Academic Theatre, and the Moscow Sovremennik Theatre. His plays based on classical and modern prose stand out for their original outlook and unexpected interpretations, and resonate with the problems of young viewers. They organically combine depth of reading and elegance of presentation, spectacular modern form and clarity of theatrical expression.
Zabbarov is one of the most popular and original directors of his generation, a significant figure in the young Russian theater with an original directorial style. He has staged more than 10 performances.
Yekaterina Pilnikova, winner of the 2022 Presidential Prize for Young Culture Professionals
The prize was awarded for a series of sculptures dedicated to outstanding representatives of Russian culture and art.
Yekaterina Pilnikova is a sculptor.
She was born on August 5, 1987, in Chelyabinsk. Yekaterina Pilnikova graduated from the Ilya Repin St Petersburg Academy of Arts (2015); currently she is an assistant at the Department of Sculpture. She has received professional awards.
A student of People's Artists of the Russian Federation Albert Charkin and Grigory Yastrebenetsky, Pilnikova has the professional experience of an established master, an inclination towards individual comprehension of large-scale topics, and the ability to deeply reveal an idea.
The sculptor has an original and virtuosic approach to interpreting the images of famous figures of Russian culture, subtly conveying their portrait resemblance and characters. Her work is distinguished by great skill, a sense of material, and significant creative capacity.
The unveiling of the monuments to Ivan Turgenev in France, Pyotr Tchaikovsky in Germany, and Leo Tolstoy in South Korea were welcomed by the public with great interest.
Sergei Polunin, winner of the 2022 Presidential Prize for Young Culture Professionals
The prize was awarded for his contribution to the development and promotion of national choreographic art.
Sergei Polunin is a ballet dancer and Acting Rector of the Academy of Choreography in Sevastopol.
He was born on November 20, 1989 in Kherson. He graduated from the Kiev Choreographic School (2003), the Royal Ballet School (London, UK, 2007), and Kherson State University (2012). Sergei Polunin received a letter of commendation from the President of the Russian Federation (2021) and has won international and Russian dance competitions.
Polunin is a world-famous ballet dancer, one of the most notable ballet stars. His bright personality, artistry and refined technique allow him to shine in performances of classical ballet repertoire and modern choreography and to collaborate with outstanding world choreographers. His new choreographic projects are also very popular among audiences.
Polunin actively participates in the cultural and social life of Russia, and holds concerts and charity workshops for students of choreographic schools. In 2019, he founded the Sergei Polunin Charitable Foundation to draw attention to the art of dance and to support talented children from different Russian cities through a system of grants. Polunin participates in charitable events to support participants in the special military operation.