Russian ceased to notice. Well would it have gone out of fashion buyers. But no. Graphics Alexei Kallima sold like hot cakes, each new picture of Eric Bulatov waiting for all collectors. In the gallery market-horizon drifts many Russian artists. But in today's museum world art Russian concert anymore.
Russia dropped out of league of visual culture. Of course, the status of our early twentieth century avant-garde is not shaken. Another thing - the post-war art. Out of respect to the merits of its predecessors for the Russian right had been reserved seats. In reality, they were occupied only since the 1970s, and, it turned out that they have settled the authors with a surname starting with 'K'. The first in the encyclopedia of modern art duo hit Komar and Melamid. Then there was a triumphal procession of Ilya Kabakov on the main museums of the world. In the 1990s, this small group of elected joined Oleg Kulik. Today, all as if they are forgotten. Not because the talent has dried up and the world gave up on their achievements. Do not rejoice, moskhovskie Shawky, your grandchildren in the school will be singing praises the writings of the "golden trio" no less than now you lick Repin, Surikov and Serov. But today they have dropped out. And what is interesting: both cooled the interest of the international community to the phenomenon of Soviet civilization. Recently, even the whole of Europe rushed to consider the creation of "socialist realism." Ceased. Soviet world has sunk into the story. I see a direct connection between these events. "Golden Three" many Russian writers in the West was interested in the role of anxiety decoder puzzles that are full of indoor Soviet space. The Western audience would arrest the fear of the mad actions of the Politburo of the Communist Party and resigned his people through a huge dive into the mentality of these people. Artists helped to understand. Komar, Melamid, Kabakov and Kulik, each in its own way acted as Virgil. Letting go of ironic comments, they were determined through the dense darkness of the audience consciousness homo soveticus, into the world of things and they generated images. The artists themselves were flesh and blood derived from the Soviet world. At the same time, they were able to be transformed. By the removal of its local incarnation, its study and description of a universal artistic and human language.
Today, the role of the author and translator, interpreter closed on itself, living a separate life of the regional culture, performing numerous artists of the former "Third World", Africans, Asians, Hispanics, Polynesians. A similar problem is also facing artists interpreter sexual, political, religious and other closed societies that have distinctive shapes of thought, behavior, production and consumption. The current major exhibitions often seem Congress "interpreters." And are a set of unconnected message across, the common language setting forth the value of regional and local cultures. As for Russian artists, they are still at these conventions by delegates from the lost civilizations of the Russian and Soviet empires, showing off the ability to be expressed in the archaic manner of academic, classical avant-garde, socialist realism and non-conformism. Someone, perhaps, appreciate the very mastery of the "dead language", but their meanings are transmitted almost anyone is not clear. Therefore, performances of Russian in the world fail time after time. I am the least inclined to blame themselves in this situation, our artists. The point of our curators, critics and experts. I also belong to this guild, and all inclined, accustomed to distinguish between our cultural and civilizational identity in the historical past. In domes, crosses, stars, rustic utensils, manor splendor camp chanson, Stalin's Empire style, nonconformist conceptualism. But now the period is prolonged for more than 20 years, we tend to interpret as beskharaterny "instant" go into some new quality, whether in the Eurasian realm, whether in Orthodox life and times, or in Russian-Chinese blood brotherhood . As long as it lasts a moment of transition, Russia is stuck to the West, pinned to it as a province or a colony to a world metropolis. And, consequently, devoid of its own cultural meaning. This cliché is widespread among Russian cultural figures, even those who dream the most delay the process of our country slipping into a new, fragrant exotic identity. So, according to this cliche about time erasing the identity of the current generation of Russian artists on a par with our European and American colleagues have already participated in the overall race and compete in the accuracy of the characteristics of today's moment of life of Western civilization. This struggle is, of course, uneven. Jeff Koons has learned from his mother's milk coordinate system, the meaning and objectives of the art in the "public spectacle". And Larissa Rezun-Zvezdochetova having no less a talent caster shameless temptations of kitsch, has to be retrained to move and maneuver in search of material that has not yet been assigned a master of the West. And you get both Tavasievym Rostan, misunderstood as a plagiarist Mike Kelly. No, he was a reluctant icon simulator. The sinister shadow of reproach in the secondary has covered almost all of our newest art. Above this situation it is easy to laugh "Blue Noses". But many local colleagues, critics and art historians in all seriousness imbued with these accusations. And refused to defend the new artists. This is a serious strategic miscalculation of a professional.
Very indicative in this respect a list of the winners of the Kandinsky Prize in the category "Project of the Year" prize, among other awards of this institution. It would be logical to assume that award created in becoming the aid has not yet been "institutionalized" art, which is not included in the texts on the history of the local artistic culture and not become a mandatory part of a retrospective museum exhibitions. I mean, do not display in the Centre Pompidou, of course, but our Russian museums - the Tretyakov Gallery, Russian Museum, MMSI, etc. It is known that the award does not apply are entitled to any of the authors, including regional classics turned into a museum. So, five years of the prize jury chose four well-known classics "non-conformist art," but once - a radical 46-year-Gintovt marginal Belyaev. His neoneoakademizm, was known to be relevant twenty-five years ago. All other winners, too, were the past tense of modern art, his posture, or the day before yesterday, day before yesterday discourses. Thus, de facto, the jury rewarded a "museum" that is confirmed already consecrated talents, and refused to recognize the author as a new - albeit momentary - but the main figures of the living art of today. Here and in 2011 the situation is the standard again. The jury chose conceptualist Yuri Albert, refusing to award Irina Korina. I am not against Alberta. And how to argue here? Albert - an indisputable fact of our culture and history of any any respectable publication dedicated to Russian art of the 1980s, can not bypass it exits to the outside tables with breast-confession about his own creative crisis. But today is the Russian art of the early 2010s, in which the hot topic is not a performance or lettrism, and the search for a plastic tongue at the junction of "formalism" and "contextualism." Corina in this case - the leader. Do not undisputed, of course. I attended the first show of its installation in Bologna, and heard the grumblings of many types: "How much of this has been done, redone!". I am afraid that the jury in resolving Kandinsky also triggered the argument. Excuse me, gentlemen, then hurry to make of the Tretyakov Gallery "Bathing the Red Horse," for such a compilation of Puvis de Chavannes to Matisse engaged in dozens of neosimvolistov.
I am convinced that the installation Corina as adequate historical moment, like a picture of Petrov-Vodkin. Its plastic, combining rough welds with graceful and delicate hand-molding, is remarkable for a bridge between civilizations, which we so long hung. Corina has found an exact expression of the internal energy of protest and rush to the will, which in a collision with a lattice rules and prohibitions of plastic filled with clarity and beauty, and is given a rough ordering, and shapeless bessmylenny zhizhy release. This formula is now the Russian people, their struggles with the authorities and the degree of internal autonomy, it is very specific. At the same time, she expressed a universal language is extremely clear. In general, Corina in his work captures as an aesthetic and structural standards situation update the channel surface of Russian life cosmetic "renovated" a cheap and temporary materials. The fact that Western Europeans is the beginning and a sign of future deep transformations in the Russian context may be the finale of the modernization effort. This is dedicated to the art and Corina, describing the choice of the character who lives on the edge of civilization and chaos, in a world where the weak currents of spiritual and material culture are not able to cope with the lawlessness of human passions and fantasies, with the natural and social disasters.
I was also a member of the Kandinsky Prize jury, and, although the final vote did not take part himself ready to extend these criticisms. In fact, we usually do not trust their own culture at the time of its appearance, its living light. Alive, it does not convince us. We understand it is a pleasant and a posteriori as an archive of material. Perhaps because Russian society (in this case, art criticism and art history) is traditionally not included in the conceptual flow of becoming artistic culture, and evaluates it from the outside, from outside, from the far "archaeological" distance soaked uncritical worship of the past. But if the artist in our environment does not get proper support, then complain about the lack of attention of foreigners, which of course, first and foremost, glaring weaknesses and the losing side of creativity from a distant region.
Irina Korina is really far from Anish Kapoor. For the Englishman is the power of British industry and the generosity of local patrons, financiers. He gets in his temporary use of the largest showrooms in the world. Experts England jointly promote this brilliant representative of the "New British Sculpture." And Corina forced to work as a single craftsman. Holiday barn - the main place to store its products. I would like to critics, curators, museum workers and experts contracted to enthusiastic delight to live today's art. Do not come to the discussions with the sour mug jaded inspector, not a curve to his mouth, herbs poisonous sarcasm, and learn to admire the fact that our past is not unlike the experience and - yes! - Statements like neighbors and colleagues from other countries. After all, to be seen and heard in the global context, the Russian artist to equip such exposition techniques, which involve not only knowledge and skills, but also big money institutional support. And who will give money ministerial opportunities, public order, media support, even if the inner circle on the author dies before the actual position of the deepest doubts about? And, mentally comparing it with an imaginary standard of the past, decides to "refuse to recognize!".
Andrei Erofeev
http://artchronika.ru/kolonki/russian-play-loose/