Contemporary Art Romania

29 May 2012

1st ArtLeaks Working Assembly


Inline image 1

Image credits: Zampa di Leone

1st ArtLeaks Working Assembly 2012

ArtLeaks invites you to a public working assembly around the issues that are at the core of the group’s mission - exposing instances of abuse, corruption and exploitation in the art world. This is the official public launch of our platform, which began to operate in September 2011, and will be followed by a series of debates and workshops in the near future. These present a unique opportunity to engage more directly with conditions of cultural work that affect not only artists but creative workers in general: those from the traditionally creative fields as well as those generally involved in cultural production. 

Members of ArtLeaks will present on the problematic politics of sponsorship in contemporary culture, the intense exploitation of cultural labor, the marketization of public space dedicated to so-called independent initiatives, the appropriation of culture under the umbrella of disreputable corporation and last but not least, what possibilities we may envision for transversal alliances and activism against cases of abuse and corruption of cultural managers and institutions. 

We invite to the discussion all those of you who have experienced abuses of your basic rights to be paid for your work, those who have struggled against subjugation under the dictates of galleries who cater to a wealthy minority, those who regularly take on other jobs to finance projects that may never be realized. Join us in forwarding the conversation from a critique of the status quo to formulating strategies on how to make real changes in the system – changes that would benefit the vast majority of creative workers, allowing them to unleash their full potential to bringing about a better world. 

To this end, the evening will be divided between a first part dedicated to interventions by members of ArtLeaks, while in the second we would like to engage the public in a conversation and brainstorm on solutions, models and positions in response to concrete problems, concerns, urgencies. 

Currently ArtLeaks is working on formulating a new regular publication entirely dedicated to issues of cultural workers’ rights and related struggles. This journal will be unique in focusing specifically on the challenges we face in the field today, related to wide-spread mistreatment, (self)exploitation and corruption and how these may be over-come through strategies of self-organization, solidarity and collective action. ArtLeaks will launch a call for papers at this public meeting. 

ArtLeaks members that will facilitate this working assembly: Corina Apostol, Vlad Morariu, David Riff, Dmitry Vilensky, Raluca Voinea. We will have interventions via Skype from Vladan Jeremic and Société Réaliste. 

Berlin, Sunday, June 3rd, 19:00h, Flutgraben

Address:
Am Flutgraben 3
12435 Berlin
fon:             +49 30 5321 9658       
www.flutgraben.org 

Directions to Flutgraben: http://www.kunstfabrik.org/Anfahrt_Kunstfabrik_engl.pdf



Then on Monday, June 4th, 8pm at West Germany in collaboration with Interflugs, ArtLeaks will co-host a workshop in which we would like to focus on specific cases submitted to our platform, and what we may learn from these instances of abuse and exploitation to create an international front of solidarity to struggle for cultural workers’ rights. How can we then challenge ourselves to re-imagine fairer relationships to institutions, organizations, networks and economies involved in the production and consumption of art and culture? In addressing these concerns as a group, we will develop themes that will form the bases of ArtLeaks’ upcoming publication, a journal which will be entirely dedicated to censorship, cultural workers’ rights and formulating strategies and goals of organizing cultural workers. 

ArtLeaks members: Corina Apostol, Vlad Morariu, David Riff, Dmitry Vilensky, Raluca Voinea will facilitate the workshop in collaboration with Interflugs and friends. Special thanks to West Germany.

Looking forward to your participation!


Time: Monday, June 4th, 8pm

Place: West Germany, Skalitzer Str. 133, S-Kottbusser Tor, Berlin

The workshop will be held in English.


About Interflugs: http://www.interflugs.de/en

About ArtLeaks:

http://art-leaks.org/
http://www.facebook.com/ArtLeaks

28 May 2012

subREAL Retrospect la MNAC


subREAL (Călin Dan, Iosif Kiraly), Castelul din Carpati (Draculaland 08), instalatie, 1994 - 2004

subREAL Retrospect
31 mai – 21 octombrie 2012
Vernisaj: joi, 31 mai, 19h00
Curator: Raluca Velisar
Design expozitie: Atilla Kim
Expozitia realizata in colaborare cu artistii care au format subREAL (Călin Dan, Iosif Király, Dan Mihaltianu) prezinta pentru prima oara impreuna o vasta selectie de lucrari conceptuale ce acopera intregul parcurs artistic al grupului, de la infiintarea sa in vara anului 1990 si pina in prezent.
Fondat de Călin Dan (istoric de arta la acea vreme) si Dan Mihaltianu (artist), carora li se va alatura la scurt timp si Iosif Király (arhitect la origine si fotograf), “grupul de actiune” a aparut ca o consecinta a schimbarilor politice din 1989 pentru a “exorciza reziduurile deceniilor de opresiune comunista”.

Combinind instalatia cu elementele formale ale performance-ului si actionismului, lucrarile din perioada 1990-1992 (East-West Avenue, Alimentara, Je t’aime, moi non plus ....) inventariaza vizual ramasitele perioadei comuniste oficial incheiate, relevind un complex fond comun, manifest la acea vreme (si mult timp dupa) in lumea artistica, in cea politica si in societate in general. Aparuta ca o reactie la cliseele din presa occidentala referitoare la Romania anilor ‘90, dar si la discursul nationalist autohton, seria Draculaland (1993-1995) a combinat fictiunea si realitatea prin folosirea unor surse multi-culturale si personale, in instalatii complexe ce abundau in referinte ironice si asocieri cinice. “Desi hibridizarea Vlad Tepes/Dracula si Mona Lisa a fost un gest spontan, aceasta a cautat instinctiv simplificarea relatiei noastre cu o cultura problematica in ceea ce priveste relationarea sa <> (Central/Est/Balcanic Europeana) altfel decit in termenii exotismului”.
 In anul 1993 Dan Mihaltianu paraseste grupul optind pentru o cariera artistica individuala.

Rezidenta de un an la Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin (1995-1996) marcheaza pentru duo-ul subREAL inceputul unei noi etape, distantarea de cotidianul romanesc permitindu-le  inceperea seriei de lucrari Art History Archive (Arhiva de istoria artei). 18 lazi cu material fotografic abandonat de UAP in urma desfiintarii revistei «Arta» - care a controlat imaginea publica a artei locale intre 1953-1990 – ajung la Berlin, unde initial formeaza o sculptura dinamica prin acoperirea peretilor si tavanului spatiului de rezidenta cu reproduceri a/n de diferite dimensiuni. Aceasta introducere in forta este urmata de un sir de evenimente, instalatii si performante avand ca centru conceptual fotografia de presă artistica. Urmeaza seria Serving Art (1997-1999), unde o serie de negative ale unor fotografii de reproducere erau deconstruite in instalatii ce recuperau universul aural din jurul obiectului artistic – obiecte, personaje, evenimente – urmarind teme ca: interactiunea intre cultura si politica; fotografia punte intre sfera publica cu cea privata; inocenta ambigua a aparatului de fotografiat; participare sociala versus conventie sociala, etc.

In seria Interviewing the Cities inceputa la Viena in anul 1999, “servitorii artei”, personajele marginale care indeplineau ritualul prezentarii operei de arta sint inlocuite de membrii grupului. Reconstituirea cadrelor din arhiva are loc de aceasta data cu un dublu scop: sa analizeze pe cateva nivele realitatile artistice din diverse orase; sa articuleze un jurnal subiectiv al relatiilor noastre cu oameni si locuri. “Proiectul se construieste din trei cicluri de fotografii inscenate: portrete produse in colaborare cu membrii comunitatilor artistice locale; interviuri cu monumentele de spatiu public; perspective citadine realizate in trompe l’oeil, pentru a sublinia caracterul artificial al urbanismului si buna sa colaborare cu turismul si mass-media”.

subREAL este primul grup cu adevarat international venit din Romania dupa 1989. Apartinind unei generatii de tranzitie, membrii grupului au facut primii pasi pentru a stabili un discurs cu arta occidentala, transformind cultura inchisa din care proveneau intr-una deschisa. Au initiat proiecte curatoriale ca Sexul lui Mozart (1991, Artexpo, Bucuresti) sau Nomadic (1994, Bienala de la Sao Paolo) si au participat la evenimente internationale majore: Bienala de la Istanbul, Manifesta 1 Kunsthal Rotterdam (1996), Berlin Biennale (1998), Bienala de la Venetia - Aperto (1993) si in Pavilionul Romaniei (1999).
Au expus la Museum of Contemporary Art din Chicago (1995), Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (1996), Institute of Contemporary Art din Philadelphia (1996), Akademie Schloss Solitude (1998) etc.
Participarea grupului subREAL la majoritatea expozitiilor dedicate artei contemporane din centrul si estul Europei din perioada 1997-2003 - Bukarest nach ’89. Kunst in Rumänien heute, Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst din Aachen (1997), After The Wall, Moderna Museet din Stockholm (1999), L’autre moitié de l’Europe, Galérie Nationale du Jeu de Paume din Paris si 2000 +. Arteast Collection, Moderna Galerja din Ljubljana (2000), In Search of Balkania, Neue Gallerie din Graz (2002) sau Blood and Honey, Sammlung Essl – Kunst der Gegenwart din Vienna (2003) - evidentiaza rolul jucat de duo-ul artistic in reconfigurarea scenei internationale de arta contemporana dupa caderea Zidului Berlinului.
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Partener MNAC: BRD Groupe Societe Generale, illy
Sponsor: Murfatlar
Parteneri media: Igloo Habitat & arhitectura, Zeppelin, 24Fun, Radio France Internationale, feeder.ro, Cocor MediaChannel
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