INTRODUCTION
I thank the participating artists who trusted both our colleagues at the State Hermitage Museum and curator Kasper KÜnig to create an extraordinary context for their works. Fifty-five artists have contributed to the exhibition, of whom thirty-five have created newly commissioned and site-specific works. We are also deeply grateful for their trust in the project and their engagement with Russian audiences. We thank the constructive hard work of Joanna Warsza, curator of Manifesta 10’s Public Programs, for her wholehearted commitment to the public program and its artists. We also would like to thank the many institutions worldwide that gave their generous support by lending exclusive works for Manifesta 10. We thank the many international grants and organizations that have supported Manifesta over the past twenty years for their unending trust in and support of our endeavors. We especially thank Moscow-based Teresa Mavica, Director of the V-A-C Foundation, who stood behind us from the very first day with moral help and genuine support. We thank our colleagues, the staff members, and curators of all the various departments of the State Hermitage Museum who have so helpfully guided us at different points throughout the process, especially Dr. Vilinbakhov. We are equally grateful to our colleagues and Board members at the Foundation Manifesta 10 St. Petersburg, who stepped in to solve problems and provide guidance. They succeeded in creating an atmosphere of real intercultural communication between Russian, Italian, English, and Dutch-speaking Board members, striving to produce the best possible structure for the anniversaries of both the State Hermitage Museum and Manifesta. We thank Swetlana Datsenko, Victoria Dokuchaeva, Olga Vysotskaya, Peter Paul Kainrath, and Paul Domela for their financial, administrative, and logistical organization of Manifesta 10. Special thanks must also go to the members of the team of the Hermitage Museum XXI Century Foundation for believing in the project. We thank the members of the Supervisory Board for their constructive and valuable moral and practical support. Various departments of the City Authorities of St. Petersburg joined in at all stages of the project with the right momentum, assisting in securing venues within the city and offering logistical and financial support. The Russian, Berlin-based, and international Manifesta 10 staff members and the permanent specialists in Amsterdam receive my thanks and generous affection for creating a productive working environment in which we were able to establish this tenth show in a unique and productive manner, sometimes under volatile circumstances. A special mention of thanks goes to Maria Isserlis, General Coordinator of Manifesta 10, who acted as my eyes and ears over the last two years, finding solutions for every challenge that came our way. Thank you for your commitment and support.
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