Spaces
of Exception
Чрезвычайные
и Полномочные
Artplay,
Moscow
11
- 26 September 2013
Open
every day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Free
admittance
Participating
artists: Yuri Albert, Ivan Brazkin, Chto Delat, Yevgeniy Fiks, Nikita
Kadan/Alexander Burlaka,
Gulnara Kasmalieva/Muratbek Djumaliev, Gert Jan Kocken, Irina Korina, Jiri
Kovanda, Maryanto, Taus Makhacheva, Renzo Martens, Metahaven, Aernout Mik,
Marina Naprushkina, Nikolay Oleynikov, Anna Parkina, Dmitry Prigov, Tima Radya,
Willem de Rooij, Haim Sokol, Jonas Staal, Roy Villevoye, Carey Young, Katarina
Zdjelar
Choreographer:
Anna Abalikhina
Exhibition
architect: Maria Kalinina
Curated
by Elena Sorokina & Jelle Bouwhuis
Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam presents the exhibition 'Spaces of
Exception'/ Чрезвычайные и полномочные" in Moscow, featuring Dutch,
Russian and international artists. The title of the exhibition refers to the
economic state of emergency becoming permanent today. The current conflict between the rights and
the markets affects the liberal democracies or would-be democracies, as their
merits and values are constantly tested and questioned, or even intentionally
ignored. The 25 artists participating in the exhibition use its 'exceptional'
space within the realm of art for political maneuvering and blunt, or subtle,
commentary. Reviving the utopian image of "artist as legislator",
they question, dispute or temporarily suspend some of the existing or
historical laws and regulations, proposing their own alternatives. The exhibition
is conceived as part of the Dutch-Russian Year, and as a special project for
the Moscow Biennial 2013.
A text published by the Russian collective Chto
Delat in 2005 and originally reflecting on the Bush-doctrine ruled world,
resonates in this project with a new relevance: "Not so long ago, 'state
of emergency' still sounded like an abstract juridical notion, and seemed
reminiscent of the fascist regimes of the last century. Yet today, as the
result of recent catastrophic changes in the situation, a "state of
emergency" is in the process of becoming a quotidian reality, a strange
new 'norm' that affects all areas of life, a grey backdrop for the everyday.
New systems of surveillance are implemented; public space is privatized and
placed under strict control; censorship dams the flow of information; passport
controls and travel restrictions limit freedom of movement; suspicious
individuals are searched and detained; elections are falsified, all
in the name of the battle for democracy and human rights."
The oldest work in the exhibition is the Book
of decrees (1977) by the legendary Russian conceptualist Dmitry Prigov
(1940-2007). The book consists of only six pages, but each of them proudly
enunciates a decree signed by “D. Prigov, chairman". Included were the
following: the decree of the animal, decree of the air, decree of closeness,
decree of unit, decree of black, and ultimately, the decree of decree. Prigov's
decrees evoke an absurd revolutionary hero in times of stagnation, blending
sincere imitation, stylization and parody in Russia. Decree is the legal
language of the "state of exception", associated with revolutions and
wars, and, in Prigov's case, a conceptual work.
'States of Exception' takes up the myth of the
‘artist as legislator’ from today's point of view, when artists assume multiple
identities: producer, researcher, worker, romantic entrepreneur, cognitive
proletarian, etc. The 'legislator'
replicates Prigov's conflicted set of ideas, celebrating and questioning it at
once, and highlighting its performative and transformative aspects. 'States of
Exception' works around it as a space of homage, investigation and analysis.
The exhibition defines itself as a space of imagination or counter-imagination
of the artists, hosting their legal utopias, proposals, analysis, and
reflections.
The exhibition will in turn serve as a stage for
the choreographer Anna Abalikhina. She will appropriate the show and use it as
an exceptional space of rehearsal after its opening. Engaging with the entire
exhibition, she will reconsider the Soviet tradition of the parade and its
lavish mass ornaments as a carnival-cum-demonstration. The results of this
collaboration between the curators and the choreographer will be performed on
September 17th.
The exhibition is accompanied by an edition of
SMBA Newsletter (bilingual English/Russian) with an introduction by the
curators, Elena Sorokina and Jelle Bouwhuis, as well as information on all of
the exhibited works. This Newsletter is available in the exhibition space in
Artplay and in SMBA, as well online on www.smba.nl
Elena Sorokina is an independent curator
Jelle Bouwhuis is head curator of Stedelijk
Museum Bureau Amsterdam
On 11 and 14 to 17 September, the exhibition space also
hosts "The Dutch Art Assembly".
This is a series of lectures and debates on the changing role of the art
curator, initiated by the Mondrian Fund (The Netherlands) and programmed by
Elena Sorokina. The full schedule can be found on www.mondriaanfonds.nl
“Spaces of Exception” is organized by Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam (SMBA), the Netherlands. It is a Special Project of the Moscow Biennial 2013, held in the framework of The Netherlands/Russian Federation Year 2013. It has been made possible with support of the Mondriaan Fund, the Netherlands.
