Friday, September 19, 2014

In “Drummer”, an exhibition of Kandinsky Prize nominees – Russian Newspaper

the eighth consecutive year exhibition of Kandinsky Prize nominees is becoming one of the most anticipated events in the life of contemporary art in Russia.

The reason does not only in the fact that the stakes are high: the total prize money Prize – € 50 000. Of these, 40 000 euros – the award for the “Project of the Year” (this year in this category is represented by 18 works of 157 works, which were filed), 10 000 euros – prize in the “Young Artist. Project of the Year” (selected by 12 projects from 261 applications). What’s nice is the most democratic award: self-nominated candidates welcome, would be the work that I would like to show to people. Equally important is a serious level of experts. And it is very significant that this year there was one nomination – academic, for which established a separate advisory council and its jury. It’s about the scientific work in the history and theory of contemporary art. Incidentally, with applications here not a lot: there were only 10 of which selected five. Prize to the winner here will be the publication of the study. In fact it is a private foundation grant for the publication of scientific work that despite the public statements of the Minister of Culture that the humanities too many divorced, I confess, happy. Not to mention the fact that the appearance of this nomination certificate just the opposite – the lack of support of humanitarian studies, including in the field of contemporary art. Finally, there is a third point – the international jury, which should in theory ensure the bar “Hamburg account” and then, that the ceremony will not turn into a corporate get-together. This year, the jury of seven members – three new Marina Lochak, director of the Pushkin Museum. Pushkin, Maria Tsantsanoglu, director GMSI (SMCA) in Thessaloniki and independent curator Boris Manner of Austria. Plus – are already familiar faces: English curator, art historian David Thorpe, Ph.D. Catherine Bobrinskaya and Olga Sviblova, Director Multimedia Art Museum, and Vasily Tsereteli, executive director of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art.

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Actually, these whales: prize money, democracy, international jury and a serious examination – something on which the premium is worth the eighth year. And the main story here, as in almost every sensible competition, just longlist. It is he who gives you the opportunity to see those 35 projects that have passed the first round of competitive selection that represent a sample of the most interesting in the national contemporary art for two years, including – show young projects. And today, “long list” seems to have become increasingly important. Eight years ago, when the award was created, it seemed that it would be primarily a tool to build a hierarchy of names for the art market. Accordingly, critics feared that private Prize “to lose the optics” artists create “artificial selection” commercial version of contemporary art. Not that fears were completely unfounded. But now, when the art market lost (this year and “Art Moscow” will not take place), is the ability to generate a discussion of contemporary art, to wake the thought that makes him brave “ride into the unknown,” comes to the fore. In other words, as noted by the curator of the exhibition in the “Drummer” Antonio Jeusa not a contemporary work passes the test of time, and exactly the opposite – “it’s being tested in modern art”.

The exposure and is, so to speak, three levels of verification time: a scientific experiment, the traditions of art, reality.

Play all times and non-stop!

On the ground floor – “Experimental Station.” As it turns out, the most unexpected experiences associated with the game. For example, a composer, a student at the Moscow Conservatory Elena Rykov made music video performance, where the main tools are … fir cones and table tennis. The essence of the game – a quick “mirror” repeated motions partner who moves on the table bumps. Before us is mixed with billiards table tennis, sports plastic – with the performance, the music – with performance art. Duet and fight, passion and art games, improvisation and strict rules – a very effective job, in fact, that on what art is worth.

Next to this elegant design – the work of the painter Maria Safronova looks kontrhodom. Small tempera demonstrate joy “child’s play”, and the layouts of buildings – ideal “playground.” But on closer examination compunctionate story New Year’s morning and joys in playpen staggering just sad seriousness “rehearsal” to adulthood. Rehearse till you drop, so as not to make a mistake, do not slip … Step to the side of the playpen is considered to escape! In the trash bins is all that can ruin the game rules and endangering the stability of Sadness.

Game quest in “grand style” offers Bogdan Mamonov in the “tranquilization memory.” The plot is given journey into the past of the family (the grandfather of the artist died in prison in 1930), archetypal motif of sacrifice, and a biography of Caligula “The Twelve Caesars” Gaius Suetonius Tranquillo. Dual optics grandfather stereoscope defines complex construction project linking the innocence of children’s sight and knowledge of the horror of adults; photography, painting, video performance. This is one of the few attempts to work with the injury history, which is almost in every family, but of which were silent, at least two generations.

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Finally, among certainly a fascinating experience – already three projects of a certain group of Yekaterinburg “Where dogs run” (BSC). They are a favorite conceptualists study languages ​​and put on a technical basis. Pushkin’s poems, Harms and Lorca translated, for example, the language of electronic circuits, so the text is converted, for example, in a crystal set … Or on the contrary, create three balls (diameter more than half) scored the eyeballs robotic devices, the relationship of these three “balls” determined at approximately the same laws that defines gravity … And then obtained miracles create objects created and manage them – no chance. Trajectory of the motion is absolutely unpredictable. In other words, the technocratic logic demonstrates a quiet shift to absurdity: the logic is there, but the meaning is dissolved on the road … At the same time, and the ability to handle claims for “man-made” world and a selection of situations, even in the simplest of all systems look more modest and humble.

Frankly, in the same line of children’s games fit perfectly into the project Paul Pepperstein “Holy Politics” (2013). Infantile games giant child in war (ay, Swift!) World seen children’s eyes, devoid of reflection, is impressive not only absurd, but also an elegant mix of fabulous illustrations and graphics of the game in the “soldiers”, poster characters and calligraphic signatures. Of the finest – neat ink drawings whether trees, or clouds with colorful letters: “Internet is bad and nuclear weapons is good.” Without punctuation, of course! In general, it is understandable why the graph Pepperstein placed on the first floor, where the reality is verified art. And what else?



From the primitive to the street art

So, on the first floor are decisive artistic tradition. Recreating the ‘naive’ view in the works Pepperstein rhymes with signs written Olga Florenskaya found on iron sheets, plywood and wooden boards of different shapes. Signs sent to Pirosmani and ligature Georgian character turns the most ordinary words in mysterious fairy letters. And then there was a continuation – in Russian, then in English, and in Jerusalem, as a matter of – came inscriptions in Hebrew and Arabic … Ads that promise to fulfill almost any desire: from washing cars – to a fish spa, from repairing watches and keys ( around the clock!) to a truthful prediction of the future over the mirror – is a harmonious world, cozy, in which strangers are ready to help you 24 hours a day. In general, it is, of course, incredibly beautiful world, which miraculously still alive, despite the machinations of progress, and that naturally includes the area of ​​the cares and motorcycles, and bicycles and other iron horses.

In some ways similar effect omnivorous absorption shows the world created in the project “OGLYANAZ” group MishMash (Michael Lakin, Masha Sumnina) with the participation of Ivan Lungina and Valentine Dyakonova. But then the ability to encapsulate, to blur the boundaries between neoclassical and avant-garde, conceptual interpretation and unobtrusive design approach demonstrates the art service housing and communal services. Lovers OPOYAZ and Apollo – wide as a river in flood, the spectrum of services. Next to them all (including in your humble servant) is a weighty chance to feel incompetent critic. You can certainly explain that the sky is written dashing strokes Ivan Lungin, very similar (if you imagine it upside down) to paint the porch, and a nail driven into the gold curtain wall gives a new vision wrapped in a cloth picture. Naivety, which was characteristic of the primitives, there is unlikely to be found. World In “OGLYaNAZe” too close to us, to experience the salutary emotion.

Another type of unifying space – in the project from Ekaterinburg Timothy sake. If signs “under Pirosmani” sound in small towns, the street art – the voice of industrial areas and cities. Radya – one of the real contenders, at least on the short list in the category of “young artist. Project of the Year.” He nominated for the award two projects. One with a foreign name “Figure # 2: Game”, but the essence of the game is quite Russian: money down the drain. The exhibition presents a recording of the performance and its aftertaste – as an object of the five rings. The second project – a manifesto “All I know about street art.” The Manifesto was written in the concrete wall. But reads like a poem. Lyrical, because of the author’s name, monumental – because on a concrete wall. Conceptual – because the author works with text. The avant-garde – because it breaks through the boundary between art and life.



Without melodrama

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On the second floor and the balcony – the one part of the exhibition, which is called “Memory of the real.” By the way, and then the reality in question, in many ways the reality of art. About landscapes and works of Malevich Olga Rozanova resemble severe landscapes Horizons objects Alena Kirtsova “Grayscale”. Gray scale, painting – exactly as aphorism. On the artistic utopias: from “Towers” Tatlin minimalist projects to Donald Judd and Carl Andre – offer to remember “Utopian skeletons” group ISP from Krasnodar. On the “Strict boy” (1936) Abram Room – “Dialogues on transforming” Ilya Korobkova.

The same memory of the reality that emerges in projects Irina Korina (“Chorus”) and a group of “KultProekt” (” Urbanism “), as well appeal to ruin and repair. More precisely, repair strangely turns ruin. Moreover, both states appear to be eternal, signifying whether the endless crisis, whether the whirlwind update. All traces of the holiday – there is a “chorus” Korina. Like a haunting tune – tinsel in the window, colorful costumes entertainers carrier advertising and ridiculous car-canopies of toy theater … But the holiday is clearly over, props fetched in one corner, and the space is already preparing for the new advertising zazyvno celebration. Pass veiled film from walls: pieces of drywall. Corina creates not only the scenery of the play ended, as the scene changes, where every viewer feels “on the spot”. This place does not imply “their” – in this celebration of life all the “other”.

In contrast to “refrain” project by Vladislav Efimov “Living Area”, which includes photographing endangered old wooden houses in Nizhny Novgorod, looks more ” cozy. ” Although it seems to be also of the ruins. At the bottom – found in the ruins of houses old doors, trim, frames, roof ridge … above are enclosed in a light-boxes pictures one-storey wooden buildings – fixing the process of dying, but the evidence of the past and archiving. And on top of the shelves are pots of flowers. In other words, the “Living Area” really alive. He becomes a place of remembrance. In this case, the natural life and organic life of the old city look firmly connected. Update here – part of the natural cycle, and also includes art. Image of the garden emerges as another layer of reality, the memory of which Barely, but alive.

In general, it is difficult not to agree with Catherine Bobrinsk, who said that “the jury will be difficult.” The jury really do not envy. But you can envy the audience that before November 30 can see the exhibition in the “Drummer”.

Figures

418 applications for the Prize Kandinsky was received in 2014. Of these, 157 works – were nominated in the category “Project of the Year”; and 261 – in the category of “young artist. Project of the Year”.

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