A project of the Art Today Association, Plovdiv (Bulgaria) in
collaboration with code flow, Zurich ‘Äì
www.code-flow.net/fake and www.arttoday.org
*Discussion and bar.*
The project took place from 7 October to 8 November at the Centre for
Contemporary Art, Plovdiv, Bulgaria. It consisted of an international
exhibition and a series of performances with 30 participating artists
and collectives, a theoretical symposium with 18 lectures, and an
openair screening of a selection of short movies on the main
pedestrian street in Plovdiv.
A selection from the photo, video and web documentation of *Critique
of Pure Image ‘Äì Between Fake and Quotation* will be exhibited at
*Les Complices** on *11.-14.01.2006.*
*Special live guest this evening: Sexismus Productions - as an extra,
their slide show “Ovaries International / Internationale
Eierstˆcke”**, from Cream’s Crˆ(r)me de la Crˆ(r)me event in Stuttgart
(22.09.2005), or: The pre-”Fake” history of flying ovaries.
*And here’Äôs what the project has in store for you**: *
We have embarked together on a dangerous adventure in search of the
projection of the real fake, the real pure image and the truly great
quotation, and how these pieces fit together to produce reality.
The critical reflections on this process continuously change the
terminology of art. It is not only the system of concepts that
changes, but the very object of art, pertaining to a decidedly
European, humanist tradition in art ‘Äì life, or nature. With the
emergence of digital technics in art, contrary to the initial
expectation that virtual cyberworlds would be created, it turned out
that the interest was rather directed towards more nature. Towards
even more genuineness and authenticity. This changes not only the
design of the urban space, but fundamentally the concepts related to
this notion. The ‘Äúdesert becomes more desert,’Äù the ‘Äúvillage
more rural,’Äù the ‘Äúmountain more mountainous,’Äù the ‘Äúwrestlers
more wrestly,’Äù and the poor become aestheticizedly poor. What does
this do to our perception of the global and the local, and where do
we find ourselves on a personal level?
You’Äôll witness the presentation of a strategy with which ‘Äì with
the help of contemporary art practices and a number of artists and
collectives whose approach does justice to this adventure ‘Äì an
utterly unknown, remote city like Plovdiv with its rudimentary
pleasures, post-socialist exotics of concrete and other ruins and
neoliberal political experiments can be turned into just as groovy a
place for contemporary art as Sofia, Venice or New York.
What are your expectations towards this scene, outside of any dreams
of great breakthroughs in your career? How does the dynamic of such
an event unfold? To what extent can it be subversive, and will the
participants contribute to strengthening the myth of the hegemonic
white artist and cultural tourism in search of East European
authenticity, or will they find a way to disfigure and bend the
stereotypes at hand?
*Participants in the exhibition: *
0100101110101101.ORG, Florian Agalli and Eri Daka (LK47), Ursula
Biemann, Pauline Boudry/Brigitta Kuster/Renate Lorenz, The Centre of
Attention, VŸõra Chytilovˆ° and her fans, David Crawford, Alexandra
Croitoru, Guy-Ernest Debord and his fans, Maria Draghici, Etoy, Nadia
Genova, Rumen Jekov, Oliver Kielmayer, Athanasia Kyriakakos, Rudi
Maier, Karin Michalski, Emil Miraztchiev, Monochrom & Georg Paul
Thomann (Johannes Grenzfurthner & Günther Friesinger), Oliver
Musovik, Vlad Nanca, Dorel Naste, Nebudu group (Borjana
Ventzislavova, Mladen Penev, Miroslav NiŸçiŸá), Veselina Sarieva,
Sexismus Productions (Gaby Baldinger, Sabina Baumann, Lilian Rˆ§ber),
selection from the Shedhalle archive, Mirjam Wirz, The Yes Men, Artur
Zmijewski, Tim Zulauf
*Participants in the Theoretical Symposium: *
Pauline Boudry/Brigitta Kuster/Renate Lorenz, Alice Cantaluppi, David
Crawford, Maria Draghici, Etoy.ZAI and Etoy.HAEFLIGER, Indymedia
Sofia, Oliver Kielmayer, LK47 (Florian Agalli, Eri Daka), Rudi Maier,
Monochrom (Johannes Grenzfurthner & Günther Friesinger), Karin
Michalski, A Room Of One’Äôs Own (Nina Stuhldreher & Kristina
Haider), Dr. Klaus Schˆnberger, Sexismus Productions (Sabina
Baumann, Gaby Baldinger, Lilian Rˆ§ber), Nina Stuhldreher, Mirjam
Wirz, Vencislav Zankov, Peter Zorn, Tim Zulauf
*Openair Screening with films by: *
Pauline Boudry, David Crawford, Daniel Lo Iacono, code flow; from a
selection by Emil Miraztchiev: Yavor Gardev, Plamen Solomonski, Kamen
Stoyanov; from a selection by Athanasia Kyriakakos: Lina Theodorou,
Ioanna Myrka, Chi-Jang Yin, Morgan Showalter
*The project was realized with the generous support of: *
SDC / Swiss Cultural Programme Bulgaria; Pro Helvetia; Goethe
Institut, Sofia; Stiftung ‘ÄúBegegnungsstˆ§tte des Landes
Sachsen-Anhalt’Äù; Austrian Embassy in Sofi a; National Fund
‘ÄúCulture’Äù; Victoria Group Hotels & Resorts; Hotel Maritza;
Municipality of Plovdiv
*Special thanks to all participants* for their contributions on all
levels and their confidence in the project, to Lilian Rˆ§ber for her
special support, to Sabina Baumann for her Superteddy drawing that
became the mascot of the project, to Alain Kessi for moral and
all-round support, and to Emil Miraztchiev for having the guts to
invite me to curate this project.
*Dimitrina Sevova* is an independent curator, theorist and artist,
born 1971 in Varna, Bulgaria, graduated from the National Academy of
Arts in Sofia 1997. Based in Zurich, Switzerland since 2002.
———————————–
les complices*///
espace libre & edition///
anwandstrasse 9, 8004 zurich, switzerland///
e-Mail: info@lescomplices.ch
fon: ++41-(0)43- 243- 8877///
wednesday: 18-22h (bar!!!)///
thursday to saturday: 14-18h///
—————————————–
Critique of Pure Image ‘Äì Between Fake and Quotation
Curatorial presentation by Dimitrina Sevova
Opening, presentation, discussion, bar, Wednesday, 11 January 2006, from 18h
The documentation will be exhibited until Saturday, 14 January