The “DiDi” art gallery is located in the historical center of St. Petersburg at 62, Bolshoi Prospect on Vasilievsky Island. It cooperates with artists who represent the main trends of modern art, from post impressionism to neo impressionism, avant-garde and non-conformism.
     One of “DiDi’s” main activities is the organization and hosting of personal and group artists’ exhibitions, master-classes and festivals. Among important St. Petersburg exhibitions recently held in the DiDi gallery are the exhibition “Masterpieces Outlook” featuring artists of Arefiev circle; the exhibition “Vitrum” as part of the First Petersburg Biennale of Modern Art; beautiful paintings on glass by Alexander Klimtsov; and the “Mitki in DiDi” exhibition. Many events were also organized by DiDi in other venues, such as the four exhibitions held in St. Petersburg sport clubs in August 2006.
     The gallery also participates in major St Pete, Russian and international exhibitions, such as “Artindex 2004 and 2006”, the personal exhibition of L. Mosiashvili in the Museum of Ethnography in 2005, the festival “Dialogues” in the Central Exhibition Hall “Manezh” in 2005 and “The First Petersburg Biennale” in 2006.
     “DiDi” is an open and welcoming gallery. Over 10,000 art-lovers visit it’s exhibition hall at 62 Bolshoi prospect every year. DiDi events are widely advertised in press and through the internet. The gallery organizes tours and discussions on different aspects of modern art for schoolchildren and studies for students of St. Petersburg art schools. “DiDi” offers the use of its premises for meetings of artists and art-lovers, organizes tours to the artist’s studios, provides qualified assistance for art investors and collectors seeking to establish or add to private collections including recommending specific promising artists of Russia.
     “DiDi” selects the art-works for the gallery’s art collection on the basis of their spiritual and aesthetical value, with consideration also to the commercial success or potential success of the artist. “DiDi’s” extensive art collection includes paintings, drawings and sculpture by the leading contemporary artists from Russia, Europe and USA such as A. Baturin, M. Tserush, E. Mihnov-Voytenko, F. Volocenkov, V. Lukka, Yu. Shiller. Many remarkable art-works representing the Georgian school of painting are also included in its collection.
     The gallery not only co-operates with already famous artists, but diligently searches for new talents. The latest “DiDi “discovery” was the young painter Maxim Lapshin, who has very quickly become a well-known artist, with his work now owned internationally, as well as with some billionaire groups in Russia. Maxim Lapshin’s creative work includes the so-called “Haute Peinture”, a reflection of the daintiness of fashion in painting, a touch point of pictorial and decorative art. His art rests on the traditions of the Modern era – a period of synthesis of different arts. Maxim’s paintings, like a fantastic world of fashion, glorify ideals. Voluminous silk, brocade and lace shapes - such words are rather applicable to describe a fashion collection than a painting. Such is Maxim Lapshin’s haute peinture: such is the artist himself. His paintings are symbolic narratives about the lost ancient times and the transience of life. They are always exquisite, while also being romantic at the same time. In 2006 “DiDi” gallery organized Maxim Lapshin’s first personal exhibition named “Haute Peinture – Haute Couture”. It took place in the Radisson SAS Hotel and was accompanied by a fashion show. Maxim Lapshin’s second personal exhibition will be opened in “DiDi” gallery in August 2007. It will be called “From the Other Side” and the audience will have a chance to observe brand new paintings by this artist, also seeing through these new paintings other aspects of his creativeness.