BE OPEN Art, an online art gallery established by the BE OPEN think tank, a humanitarian initiative founded by international entrepreneur and philanthropist Elena Baturina, summarised the first month of a new regional competition for up-and-coming artists.
Beginning in 2023, the BE OPEN committee of experts began selecting the artists who best exemplify the cultural and artistic identities of the Eastern Mediterranean region. The region consisting of Cyprus, Turkey, the Greek Dodecanese islands, and the nations of Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, and Egypt is the first segment of the competition, which will last for the first three months of the year.

Jovanna Theodosiou is the February Regional Artist of the Month, as determined by the preponderance of ballots cast by BE OPEN Art online gallery visitors. Jovanna currently resides and works in Nicosia, Cyprus, where she studied Fine Art at Kingston University, United Kingdom.
In March, the public will select one more Artist of the Month, and the BE OPEN expert jury will select the champion of the Eastern Mediterranean stage from the three nominees. Each regional champion will be awarded a cash prise of 500 euros, while a selection of artwork that best represents the region will be exhibited in public and the artists will be honoured.
Each regional stage will last three months, resulting in a total of four stages per year, each with its own champion. End of the year, the focus of the competition will shift to the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and Central Africa.
The regional competition will operate concurrently with the ongoing work of BE OPEN Art, whose specialists select 20 artists each month for the gallery using online voting to determine the Artist of the Month and Artist of the Year.
BE OPEN Art identifies artists in the early stages of their careers with the intention of showcasing and supporting emerging artists; the project’s mission is to identify the new art scene leaders.
Being featured in BE OPEN Art is a chance for emerging artists from around the world to be seen and a launching point for connections to be made between the new creators and collectors of today’s art. As an online gallery, BE OPEN Art has remained a thrilling and highly relevant space for dialogue between new artists and collectors, who are now, in the midst of global humanitarian turmoil, more motivated than ever to create and collect socially significant art.