Donbas remains at the turn of epochs

Donetsk is a city of modern art and not only an industrial center or a city of soccer. This is the fact emphasized by the organi­zers of ArtPoint – exhibit of contemporary art that was opened in the capital of Donbas. It is already the second art project presented by the SCM Company. This year it gathered 13 artists of different genres of contemporary art from 10 different countries of the world. The main idea of the ArtPoint is transferring space onto art (photography, installations, graphics, and performance). This year’s exhibit featured 12 pro­jects, which represent Donbas one way or another. How did famous Ukrainian and foreign artists see the East of Ukraine? What impression did the space of Donbas make on them?

For example, Horlivka was presented in works by Andrei Loginov (Belarus-Germany). His exposition is called Phantom and it is about what is left of a city when one epoch is changed by the other. Horlivka City Theater almost completely destroyed preserves shades and phantoms of those characters and artists, who once came upon the stage of the theater.

“I began working on the series of paintings last year. You are able to notice this phantom only if you grew up here. Even though I was born in Belarus, I can see the phantom of this region because they are somewhat similar. Donetsk is a city of contrasts. There is a gloss and glamour, poverty and ruins. This is the absurdity of life. All of this is interesting to an artist. Today the city is being renovated, brushed up, and maybe all of the things I pre­sent in the exposition will be gone. I believe that the modern art can be a great help, but there is not enough art in Donetsk. Besides, unlike cities that barely breathe, there is money circulating here and it is very important for art,” artist said.

Triptych by Ihor Husiev and Nata Trandafir from Ukraine more closely resembles the embankment of the Azov Sea in Mariupol than embankment of Kalmius in Do­netsk. However, the moon that looks very much like a soccer ball brings your thoughts back to the capital of Donbas. This installation is called Martin – Penalty Kick and it contains, according to the authors, two sen­ses: Donetsk as an industrial city and Donetsk as a capital of soccer.

Soccer theme is also presented in a video installation by Austrian master Liddy Scheffknecht. It is a screen with soccer game broadcast – something that, according to Scheffknecht, can be seen at the Artema Street.

Waste banks were also used as an art theme. They were presented in sculptures by Franz Rodwalt from Germany. However, his waste banks differ considerably from those which could be seen from the window of the 20th floor of the trading center, where, in fact, the ArtPoint was held. Rodwalt’s waste banks are huge cones of ice cream in metal color, red UFO and blue Olympus with a long red carpet. “We speak about things that were artificially imposed here. Waste banks are like that. Just look, out of all waste banks (there are nearly 100 of them) only one has a deer on top of it. It is a topic on which I can still work. In fact, when I was coming here I had an absolutely diffe­rent idea. I didn’t think I would create sculptures of waste banks. But when I saw photos I changed my mind. Since then I got fascinated with this topic. Now I can say for sure that I will continue working with this topic,” project participant Franz Rodwalt, sculptor from Germany shares his impressions of the city.

Ukrainian artist Serhii Bratkov in his video compilation tries to say that soccer and waste banks are not the most important in Donetsk. The main thing in this city is mo­ney. Even a cat and a crow have them and it is more than likely that in the evening you can be robbed on the street. Because even air has its price here. “Money sermon” to the sounds of the night; full moon is reinforced by the fact that it is night outside the window. The view of the whole city center opens from the window of high-rise building: hotels, coffee shops, restaurants, cars – here are the money. If you have them, you become the ruler of this world. But you can just as well not have them…

Russian project AES+F group presented a video about glamorous Donetsk, Serb Dejan Kaludjerovic made a video installation on the song by Dalida I’m sick, American Matt Mallican made abstract banners, Spaniard Santiago Sierra placed an Afghan veteran in a corner, Belgian Vadim Vosters photographed a miner with a torch, who resembled Solovianenko, Belgian Steve Schepens drew attention to the fact that in Ukraine everyone walks around with BOSS plastic bags (photo), and the art group Sinie Nosy (Blue Noses) from Russia made a photo series of kitchen suprematism using sausage, cheese, and rye bread.

Donetsk in the eyes of the ArtPoint participants is an industrial city, inhabited with the ghosts of the past (waste banks, old knocked down theaters, women with BOSS bags, hard-to-find sausage, and children who sing about their sickness). On the other hand, it is a city with luxury, fashionable parties with incredible amount of money, and passion for soccer. City of contrasts, as noted by Andrei Loginov, city that is still forming itself, probably, leaving the old things and is uncertainly sprouting with new meanings.

COMMENTARIES

Mila NETOY, TV show editor:

“I like the fact that such mea­su­res are being carried out in Do­netsk. However, I can not say that I am delighted by this exhibit. I haven’t seen here Donetsk that would surprise me – all of the things presented at the exhibit are common to us. The only thing I noted for myself is the installation by Serhii Bratkov. Evening landscape of the city, the moon – all of these is so peaceful. Despite the fact that the audio that accompanies the evening video is not optimistic (the world is ruled by money), you still want to sit on a windowsill and watch the city, knowing that everything will be fine. In my opinion, the best installation is the view from the 20-storied building of Donetsk: building from 20th and 21st century, noise streets, electric lights, noise and smoke of Donetsk Machinery Plant, calm view on the city pond.”

Olena POVOLIAIEVA, editor of non-political news portal NGO.DONETSK.UA, journalist of Radio Svoboda:

“It’s been the second ArtPoint exhibition I’ve visited. Both of them haven’t reflected Donetsk quite well. Only some works remind about the city. For example, the triptych Martin – Penalty Kick by Ihor Husiev and Nata Trandafir. It is a landscape of an industrial city with a soccer ball moon. City panorama is similar to Donetsk, however, I don’t know a place that would look exactly the same, so I conclude that it is fictitious. In my opinion, the photographs of the destroyed theater turned out pretty good. However, it is not in Donetsk, but in Horlivka. But maybe there are places like that in Donetsk too.”

Ania MEDVEDIEVA, curator of cultural programs:

“The project ‘Donetsk Goes Con­temporary’ wants to find strings that connect Donetsk with modern art. It is difficult, especially if to take into account the fact that it is foreign artist at work and they have to deal with unfamiliar environment. It is too hard to get to know the city well in time they had here. I think that the new ge­neration of Donetsk artists could also present a project that would meet the requirements of contemporary art. Even though they would not have enough practical expe­rience, provincial vision of such art could be felt and such exhibition would be much more interesting and bright than the one presented at ArtPoint-2011.”