Curators’ Studio

On the 2nd of November our curatorial team WIRE (Critical Writing and Curatorial Practice group at Konstfack, Stockholm) made our first exhibition. The exhibition was a result of one week workshop with curator Cecilia Andersson.
Coming from different backgrounds with various experiences in critical writing and curatorial practice, including dance, music, crafts and design, photography and video art, philosophy and doing cultural events, we created a patchwork of visual expressions of where we are coming from. Our methods, research tools, perspectives, positions, motivations, references, visions, expectations and influences turned into a spatial installation. Wires cut through the room, creating conceptual connections between the individual participants’ material, at the same time altering the physical space.
A curator’s or writer’s efforts are never impersonal, hence the variety of idiosyncratic material on display. There were no names attached to the exhibits though the installation is arranged by each individual’s clusters of material. We wishes to show the assets of the group rather than expose our separate paths.
Participants: Annika Enqvist, Theo Ringborg, Anna Kharkina, Elisabet Euren, Johanne Nordby Werno.
Performance by Jacquelyn Davis.

Elverket

Yesterday in Elverket (new stage of the Drama Theater in Stockholm) I together with Swedish curator Thomas Lundh opened a Russian video program which we made to be screened during Chehov’s festival. I was interested to show female artists. Because before I got a question from one Swedish female artist which I thought needs a practical reply “Do you have female artists in Russia in general?”
Everyone knows Brener and Kulik. I wanted to show that new people came into art since 1990-s and yes, some of them really are female artists.
And I could not resist to bring the last film made by one of my favorite Petersburg artists Mikhail Zheleznikov. “Collection no 1″ won a prize at the international festival “Poslanie k cheloveku” in St.Petersburg and continues its film and video festivals’ travel.

So the Russian video program at Elverket looks like this:
21 september – 17 october
Mikhail Zheleznikov (St.Petersburg) “Collection no 1″

18 october – 16 november
Xenia Peretrukhina (Moscow) “Humburger”, “Parade”, “A Little Poem”

From 17 november
Masha Sha (St.Petersburg) video installation “My Mother”

Actually it will be bigger event on the 17 of November – The Russian Openning – not only video installation but also
photography of Xenia Nikolskaya (St.Petersburg, Stockholm) and performance by Liza Morozova (Moscow).

Some photos from yesterday event:

Today was my first day at KONSTFACK – University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm – as an MA student at the program “Critical Writing and Curatorial Practice”. Yes, yes back to school again…
Here is the web site of the school http://www.konstfack.se

Mobile relaxation station

… and the last project is…
The last project from the seria of public art projects in St.Petersburg which I curated at the end of 2006 and the first part of 2007 was “Mobile relaxation station” made by Swedish artist Ann Rosen (www.schhh.se, www.annrosen.nu).
On the 22nd of August we were standing next to The City Exhibition Hall “Manezh” and inviting people to take a sit or even lay down on a bed and take a brake in the middle of the day listening so called ‘musical pillows’ made by the artist. Inside of them the one could hear birds, water drops, cat’s mrrrrrr – 6 sound compositions written by Ann Rosen.
On the 23rd of August we repeated this action on the island Kronshtadt (the part of St.Petersburg).
The most popular question which people asked was “Are you selling this?” So maybe it would not be such a bad idea to produce these relaxation pillows as a mass market product.
The event had a good press – two TV channels came and two radio programs took an interview with us. There were some articles published as well.
You can find photo documentation of the event on Ann Rosen web site here
And below there are some other pictures from the first day which I managed to make with my left hand while inviting people to come with my right hand and at the same time explaining what it is all about.

Art Electronics

My recent articles for the magazine Art Electronics (Ru) were dedicated to the Swedish female artists: Annee Olofsson, Ann Rosen. Next one which is about to be issued is the interview with Johanna Billing.

Europe is under construction

I was googling and found the web-site of my on-line project “Europe is under construction” which I made for the young artists festival in Moscow “Stop! Who is coming?” 2005 and 2006. I thought it was already closed. Nice they did not close it yet.
I asked internet users to photography construction sites and upload pictures to the web-site of the project http://www.ncca.ru/images/upload/europeisunderconstruction.htm

Idea: There was some moment in the past when new construction began in European cities and towns. And, most likely, it will be never finished. After one foundation ditch another will be dug out. Hoisting cranes become the dominant in the European city landscape. No one needs buildings which are built “for ages” anymore. In contemporary world buildings and the space around them are changing as quickly as social connections and structures are developing. Everything is mobile. Everyone should react to constant changes. Construction has entered an infinite cycle of renovation.

Dorinel Marc Talk Show

20 June 2007. Mirai Projects, Sibyllegatan 22, Stockholm

During my last visit to Stockholm I was taken to the event organized by the artist and archivist Dorinel Marc (here you can find out more about his significant collection of video materials http://www.sourceunlimited.org).

Dorinel presented new issue of his Source Video Magazine which looks like that.

He invited two artists from the program for a talk: Ilona Huss Walin (se) and Erik Bandolin (se). First one had to play the role of The Priest, second one – of the Sinner – in Dorinel Show’s scenario.

It is useless to retell what happened. Dorinel is a great actor – you have to see it.

The last dish of this intensive evening was a crying performance of Lisette Merenciana. She was crying so loudly that scared two children on the street and Dorinel immediately decided to take them into his Show asking “what were they scared of? Why do not they think that this was art?”

On this picture you can see Lisette Merenciana explaining children why her performance IS art. And as you see Dorinel is totally supporting her.

Moral: If you will get press-release with the event organized by Dorinel Marc, Stockholm, do not think – come! Relax and enjoy! I did.

Curating “Field Studies”

2006-2007 I work as a free lance curator for National Centre for Contemporary Art (St.Petersburg). Program “Field Studies: Contemporary Art from Scandinavia in the Public Space of St.Petersburg”. Lots of stuff to do actually.

I already made 3 Swedish-Finnish-Norway-Russian events.

The end of 2006 – “Re-arranged movement” by Swedish artist Tomas Nygren in the inner courtyards of Art Centre Pushkinskaya-10.

 

June 2007 – the presentation of Annee Olofsson at the “Bukvoed” bookshop and video screening of her work “Evil Eye”. I made a doubling to make words more direct for the audience. And I have to tell it was not so easy to read the text from the work in Russian. It was horrible, terrifying (Annee took texts from the newspaper column with articles about missing people, crimes… difficult stuff).

June 2007 – MEGA shopping mall. I curated video program “Reklamnaya pauza” which was shown on 4 big diode screens in the centre of the shop. 11 short works which was possible to show without sound. Artists to participate: Lars Siltberg, Gustav Sparr, Lotte Konow Lund, Saara Ekström, Tea Makipaa, Hannu Karjalainen, Pirjetta Brander, Hanna Maria Anttila, Xenia Peretrukhina, Anna Kolosova, Alexandra Mitlyanskaya.

Now I am working on the last project from the seria.

GOOD/BAD

Few months ago I curated the exhibition “Good/Bad: the dialectics of good and evil in contemporary illustration, graphic art and comics”.

It was shown in the Dostoevsky Museum, St.Petersburg in January-February 2007.

It happened to be really good event. One of my biggest success. Many people came for the openning and next days. Some knew about the event from TV:

Yesterday the exhibition was open again – in the music club “Place”, St.Petersburg. Exhibition returned from Moscow where it was shown too.

The ground question of “Good/Bad” was ironical and provoking: “We live in the world without beforehand given criteria how to distinguish Good from Bad. We should give our own definition of what is the basis of our moral choice”.

In spite of this moralistic theme I invited illustrators and designers working for fashion magazines to participate in the show. Project site http://mediamama.ru/exhibitions/good-bad