ARSENALE 2012 acquires distinct features
David ELLIOTT: The question of responsibility refers to art on the whole
The Mystetsky Arsenal has held a press conference dedicated to the First international artistic biennale in Kyiv, ARSENALE 2012. The conference was attended by the art expert and art theoretician, curator of ARSENALE 2012 David Elliott (Great Britain); curator of the biennale’s discussion-theoretical bloc of the future, art expert Ekaterina Degot (Russia); director-general of the Mystetsky Arsenal, ARSENALE 2012 commissar Natalia ZABOLOTNA; special program curator Oleksandr Soloviov and chief editor of the magazine ArtUkraine Alisa Lozhkina.
The discussion platform of the First international artistic biennale in Kyiv under the title “What do we have and what should not be there? Art after apocalypses” headed by Degot will take place in March-April 2012. The project will have a format of a series of discussions, lectures, seminars, and workshops, and include the final many-day public discussion which will take place in April 2012. A book based on the resume of the platform will be published after the event. A discussion section will also operate during the biennale itself (May-July).
Mr. Elliott answered a couple of journalists’ questions.
At what stage is the preparation of the biennale now?
“The exhibit has almost been formed. We have made the bulk of the most important decisions. The event has no analogues in Kyiv, in terms of scale and quality. The project called ‘The best times, the worst times. Renaissance and apocalypses in contemporary art’ reveals the complexity and ambiguity of the time we are living in. I want to admit that at this moment I am speaking not only about Ukraine, but the world on the whole. I think the question of responsibility refers to art on the whole. Surely, we are not calling on one or another artist to offer some ready-made decisions or conclusions. We just show the approach. Biennale is a possibility to see the things from the outside, with unbiased look, far from media or ideology; it is worth getting estranged from the players who imposed their own lenses on us. This is truly an example of how we can understand the art, mediate upon the life and world surrounding us. This is a humane, human stand, not humanistic in the Soviet meaning of the word, but in the sense of humaneness. The exhibit will include hundreds of works of the leading artists of the word, from China, Japan, the US, Germany, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine etc., united on one and the same platform of equals, it will offer an opportunity the audience never had before; this is a very specific exhibit organized namely for this place and time. This is the very reason why it is an opportunity to really think about art, enjoy it, as well as think and speak about art and enable it to enter our lives.”
Do the artists eagerly go to Ukraine?
“Yes, they are very glad. I think that this is, too, connected with the curator’s work, I have worked with the most of these authors before, we know each other, they like the biennale and the approach, they are also impressed with the space of the Mystetsky Arsenal, which is indeed wonderful. This is a fantastic place for contemporary art. I cannot recall any other ground that would offer such long and continuous enfilade. As soon as you enter, you will see a stream of various works, along which you will be able to walk.”
Of course, we come up with the question about famous authors. Can you reveal a couple of names?
“In particular, there will be presentations of the famous artists of Ukrainian origin, such as Ilya Kabakov and Boris Mikhailov. I have worked with them, and we have known each other for many years. Only one artist whose works are on display is no longer with us, Louise Bourgeois [a famous sculptor from France. – Author]. There will be one more artist with whom I have worked, Yayoi Kusama, she is 80. She is having a huge retrospective in London’s Tate Gallery this week. She has made a special installation for Kyiv and a huge painting. There will also be Paul McCartney, Chapmen Brothers [British provocative artists exploring the transformations of human flesh. – Author]. But whether the artist is famous or not makes no difference for me. The quality of the work is what matters. I think if you are an artist or even a curator, you will be estimated based on your latest work, the latest exhibit you organized. I am trying to make an emphasis namely on the work. It is especially important to show a range of the generations namely in the first ARSENALE. I am a bit annoyed by the fact that young artists are surrounded by so many difficulties.
“We have had quite a limited time for the preparation. I can say that lately I have been a rare guest at home: I have been traveling, talking to people, viewing their works. I have been using the recommendations of Oleksandr Soloviov and Ekaterina Degot, who knows the Ukrainian stage really well, I read catalogues, visit exhibits and studios, so gradually, step by step, everything is acquiring a proper shape.”
The Day’s FACT FILE
The First international Kyiv biennale of contemporary art ARSENALE 2012 will take place in May 23 through July 30, 2012 at the Mystetsky Arsenal. The main project of ARSENALE 2012, “The best times, the worst times. Renaissance and apocalypses in contemporary art,” will consist of four parts: “The Indefatigable Spirit,” “In the Name of Order,” “Flesh,” and “Uneasy Sleep.” Curator: David Elliott
