Key trends of the year:

Due to dissatisfaction with the election results, unabated protests led to an explosion of protest art.

Due to the pandemic, exhibition spaces, museums and other public spaces were forced to close during the lockdown. After that, restrictions were introduced on the number of visitors per square meter, so the viewer got to the exhibitions in turn, wearing masks, observing social distance.

Almost all events have moved to the online format. Boom at Zoom conferences, discussions, round tables, presentations, openings and other events.

Due to the political regime, arrests and persecution with risks to freedom and life, many representatives of culture were forced to leave Belarus: for example, the action artist Aleksey Kuzmich, the artist Nadezhda Sayapina, the philosopher Olga Shparaga.

• In connection with the political events in the country , 146 paintings of the "Art-Belarus" gallery were arrested. This caused great resentment in the cultural community. Two days after the incident, the Art-Belarus gallery opened with QR codes on the walls instead of paintings - everyone sent them to a site where they could see the work. On July 1, the performance "Property" was held here. About 20 cultural figures attached images of paintings to T-shirts and stood all day near the places where these paintings used to hang. The idea of the action belongs to Nadezhda Sayapina. Soutine's painting "Eve" has become a symbol of peaceful protest. A flash mob #evolution started on social networks, where artists, and then other users, began to massively replicate the image. She appeared on T-shirts, bags, avatars on social networks, souvenirs.

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Selected events of the year:

The last international exhibition at the Ў Gallery was dedicated to COVID-19: Touching Distance.

• The PRAFOT award was held in Minsk for the fourth time. The winner in the nomination "Art photography" was Masha Svyatogor with the series "Everybody dance!". The winner in the nomination "Documentary photography" was Evgeny Otkyy with the series "Confused". The Grand Prix in the nomination "Digital Storytelling" was awarded to the following projects: Maxim Sarychev, Olga Bychkova, Yulia Volchok, TUT.BY team, "Resistance is pointless"; Sergei Gudilin, Natalia Lubnevskaya, "Belarusian zeros".

September 7

The artist Nadezhda Sayapina was arrested for 15 days for participating in a protest action by artists near the Palace of Arts in Minsk.

October

Photographer and eco-activist Irina Sukhiy was sentenced to 5 days in jail for participating in a women's protest march.

October 21

Dmitry Strotsev was detained in Minsk. The next day, he was found in a temporary detention center in Zhodino, where he was sentenced by a court to 13 days of arrest.

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Purchases of the year:

Among the debuts and notable statements of new names among artists: Alexander Adamov, Rufina Bazlova, Gleb Burnashev, Tasha Katsuba, Angelina Mass, Uliana Nevzorova, Tasha Orlova, Daria Sazanovich, Nadya Sayapina.

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Loss of the year:

November

The most important contemporary art gallery for Belarus "Ў" ceased its activity.

20th of December

The artist Svetlana Katkova has passed away.

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• Context in Belarus:

  May 7

  Entrepreneur and blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky announced his intention to run for the presidency of Belarus. As a result, the Central Election Commission of Belarus refused to register him. Instead, the decision to run was made by his wife, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. And the CEC allowed it. Six months later, Tikhanovskaya will be included in the list of the hundred most influential women of the year. Sergei Tikhanovsky himself has been under arrest since the end of May.

  June

  Another potential candidate for the presidency of Belarus is under arrest - banker Viktor Babariko. The former head of Belgazprombank announced presidential ambitions in mid-May and was arrested on charges of economic crimes. Recognized as a political prisoner. The third potential presidential candidate, former diplomat and co-founder of the High-Tech Park Valery Tsepkalo, was forced to flee Belarus due to the threat of criminal prosecution.

  July

  Three women remain at the head of the opposition - presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, head of Viktor Babariko's campaign headquarters Maria Kolesnikova and Valery Tsepkalo's wife Veronika Tsepkalo.

  August 9

  On voting day, Tikhanovskaya's supporters go to the polls en masse. In order to cast their vote, people stand in long queues at the polling stations - this has never happened in Belarus. In the evening, the Central Election Commission announces the victory of Alexander Lukashenko. According to the CEC, he is gaining more than 80% of the vote (81.35%), Svetlana Tikhanovskaya - only 8%. Its supporters are alleging fraud and taking to the streets across the country to protest. The siloviki violently disperse the actions, using stun grenades. At this time, there is practically no Internet in the country. Websites of independent media and social networks do not work. Police report a record 3,000 detainees. Hundreds of people were wounded and beaten. The brutality of the security forces leads to the fact that the next day people again take to the streets. Weapons and force are again used against them.

  10th of August

  The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus reports the first victim of the protest. Later it will become known that this is Alexander Taraikovsky. A criminal case on the fact of his death has not yet been initiated. Strikes begin at Belarusian factories - they demand an end to violence and new elections. The shock of the protesters is caused not only by the first death, but also by the stories of the detained demonstrators. They talk about mass beatings, torture and facts of sexual violence in the detention center for offenders on Akrestsina in Minsk.

  11th August

  Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is leaving Belarus under pressure from the authorities. Already from Lithuania, she records a video message in which she announces her withdrawal from politics. Later it will become known that the authorities threatened Tikhanovskaya prison, and her children with an orphanage.

  August 14

  Svetlana Tikhanovskaya announced the creation of a Coordinating Council for the transfer of power in Belarus. It included Nobel laureate Svetlana Aleksievich, former Minister of Culture Pavel Latushko, lawyer Lilia Vlasova and other well-known Belarusian figures.

  August 23

  Despite attempts to behead the opposition, Belarusians invariably go out to protest marches every Sunday. One of the largest marches drew more than a quarter of a million protesters on August 23. On that day, Alexander Lukashenko came out to the security forces guarding his residence with a machine gun. The weapon was also in the hands of his 15-year-old son.

  11th of November

  Death of 31-year-old Roman Bondarenko in Minsk. He died of brain damage after his arrest. Public activists and independent media believe that people from Alexander Lukashenko's inner circle were involved in his death.

  For the whole of 2020, the European Union introduced three packages of sanctions against individuals and legal entities.

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  Context in the world:

  January 2

  In China, 59 people have died from "mysterious respiratory disorder" (COVID-19), the cause of which was not known at that time.

  January 31

  The UK has officially left the EU after 47 years of Commonwealth membership.

  February 29

  Representatives of the United States and the Taliban movement signed the so-called " Peace Agreement in Afghanistan ", which marked the beginning of the peace process in this Asian country.

  10th of March

  The Duma of the Russian Federation adopted amendments to the Constitution extending the term of office of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

  11th of March

  The World Health Organization has declared that the COVID-19 outbreak has become a pandemic.

  May 29

  On the third night of protests against the killing of George Floyd Protesters set fire to a police station in Minneapolis. In the evening, Mayor Jacob Frey announced a curfew. Mass riots began.

  July 30

  NASA sent a rover to Mars.

  10 September

  The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has reported a 68% reduction in the world's wildlife population over the past 46 years.

  October 6

  Protests of political parties began in Kyrgyzstan after parliamentary elections, which did not pass to the country's highest legislative body (Jogorku Kenesh). In Bishkek, protesters seized the presidential administration and parliament.

  November 7

  Democrat Joe Biden became the winner of the 59th presidential election, held in the United States on November 3.

  The number of cases of COVID-19 infection in the world has exceeded 50 million.

  December 3

  The number of deaths due to a new type of coronavirus infection in the world has exceeded 1.5 million.