vector 2_1.cdr - Universitatea de Arte "George Enescu"

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Center for Communication and
Context Kiev - Red Zone
dedicated to the context of
contemporary art in Ukraine, mixed
media, 2006
Yellow zone contained works of artists devoted to the topic of exhibition.
Iwona Golebiewska from Poland created the media-installation Between. The
videotape recording at one of Kiev's maternity hospitals shows birth of human
being – completely private, inevitably public process. As the artist herself
explains, the private appearance process turned absolutely into a public one,
surrounded by doctors, nurses and the artist with a video camera. Iwona used
for sound in the video voices of children playing in Kiev's courtyards. Polish artist
and art critic Anna Lazar noted in the exhibition review that Iwona's images
didn't fit in the traditional iconography of "mother, child, washing powder" or
"mother, child, nation". Sufficiently frank videotape of birth caused strong
reaction among visitors. The original idea became clearer in interrelation with
the video from Mykola Ridnyj's installation. Both artists underlined the
independence of social processes from their bearer. Mykola's project Visa
denied consisted of photos for documents, a view of Ukrainian-Polish border and
a video. The action takes place near the German embassy in Kiev the artist
"applicant" decided to lie in front of it, waiting for an answer. Mykola used his
recorded conversation with guards as sound for the video. Almost ridiculous
talks about public disorder, punishment and social works resonate with calm
and peaceful action on the street. The idea is clear: the private wish to travel
abroad can be easily transformed into a political project when its bearer is a
citizen (especially of a "third world" country). The disparity between sound and
picture once again works as a catalyst for a deep cultural explanation of the
project. Vulnerability of being becomes apparent in the most private moments
of life which unexpectedly gain political and cultural meanings. Such situations
show how culturally related can be the notion of “private”. Travel, birth, death,
work, education, communication (no matter if by own's choice or not) are
private initiatives / models / routes in public surroundings. Olena Karasyuk's
work pointed out the complex relationship between the human object and its
surroundings (object formed by surroundings) by two examples: aesthetic
dimensions of funeral rites and closeness of creative process.
She proposed two installations. The first one imitates a grave with
artificial flowers, whose petals are made from photofilm. Enormous butterflies
with lace wings are glued to sticky ribbon above the grave. Originally
interpreting Ukrainian tradition of funeral decorations, the artist suggests to
think about the public functioning of a private vital act (death). The same as
birth, death turns into public process independently from the person – private
memory of a family is complemented by public rituals, creating a cultural space
instead of a private event. The artificial character of flowers and butterflies
alludes to culturally constructed models of life ready for use from birth to death.
These obtrusive models don't leave many possibilities for private choice in
Ukraine. Traditional culture reproduces itself in millions of private lives. Such
processes could be quite comfortable if it's OK for you to concern your own
originality just in private photofilms and photoalbums, but turn into hard
invisible limitations when the person would like to cross cultural borders and
customary standards in public sphere.
The second installation was created as a model of studio. The easel with
black dress is bounded with wire net from one side and a wall with photo of
immured window from the other. Black dress could be recognized as auto-fetish
of artist. Through the wire net the space of “studio” is open for view from outside
world can come in and stay imprisoned here. The bricked-up window shows that
a huge part of the creative process is left inside the artist (or community?). In
contradiction with the documentation videos of Laboratory meetings, Olena's
installation indicates the real conditions of contemporary art in Ukraine.
Interrelation between artist and culture is rather private and closed from endless
public discussions which usually take place just on the top of the problem field.
Works of Lesya Khomenko ironically proceed with this trend. Developing
an idea about private and public in the artistic process she made an educational
video about methods of creation and proposed a series of canvas, which could be
determined as documentary. Pathos big paintings show moments of unofficial
intercourse between artists (copied from flash photos). Evening sketches of
drinking-bout, fun and dance are quite banal and don't fit into stereotypes about
bohemia week-days, which are usually considered as permanent holiday. I don't
really think that Lesya wanted to show emptiness and uselessness of artistic
talks in the circle of acquaintance. But in the situation when all discussions about
contemporary art are in fact just contemporary art talks the sole wise way for
artist is to laugh. If an artist doesn't wish some glamour and fame he / she stays
unnoticed, unread, without any influence, any critic (a little advantage no
censorship). It's not by accident that during Open Laboratory residents used
megaphone and placed their conversations on streets and squares. Famous
Ukrainian art-group REP (Revolutionary Experimental Space) used the same
strategy: if you don't come to contemporary art, it comes to you. This is a brave
and interesting method that's why REP activities are prominent not merely for
Ukraine. But in fact such strategy is rather a howl of despair. Performances on
streets get lost in flows of advertising and politics, inertly amaze inhabitants and
leave superficial descriptions on pages of fashion magazines and newspapers.
The mythical story about Oleg Kulik who wanted to bite Slavoj Zizek is the best
metaphor for interrelation between art and critical discourse. Contemporary art
shows open wounds of society which should be nursed by philosophy and
humanitarian criticism. It can be a painful process especially if critical discourse
is absent (or if it is oriented rather on the elevated canon of philosophical texts
than on reality). Ukrainian contemporary art sometimes makes brilliant analysis
of culture and society and shows wounds clearly but doesn't have any critical
surroundings to work together. That's why it gets into daily life and forms its own
discourse quite aggressively towards the market-academia mix. You may not
care about contemporary art but it cares about you.
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