a-s-t-r-a is a gallery project created by Alina Kryukova, an entrepreneur, collector, and graduate student of the Faculty of Philosophy at Lomonosov Moscow State University, in 2018 to promote art among the new generation and popularize collecting.
a-s-t-r-a is a combination of exhibition and interdisciplinary educational projects aimed at attracting new entrants to the art market.
Conceived as an entry point for aspiring collectors, a-s-t-r-a worked during 2018 as an online platform for purchasing affordable art, and in late 2019 already represented Russian artists at the international fair SCOPE as part of ART BASEL, MIAMI. In March 2020, became the first Russian gallery to participate in the Spring/Break ArtShow in New York as part of the Armory Show, and in August 2020, the only Russian gallery to participate in the Enter Art Fair in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since 2020, it has participated annually in the Russian fairs Cosmoscow and blazar.
a-s-t-r-a works both with established artists with international careers, such as Igor Litvinov, Egor Ostrov, Alina Bliumis, Oksana Mas, Sebastian Heiner, and with young artists who have gained institutional recognition, among them Maria Agureeva, Nikita Shokhov, Dishon Yuldash.
The gallery is located on the premises of the Winzavod Contemporary Art Center.
Since October 2020 it has been a member of the Association of Galleries of Russia.
Artists presented at Cosmoscow 2022: Natalia Turnova, Dmitry Margolin, Pavel Bushuev.