[Oberlist] Fw: Moldova Pavillion @ Venice Biennale 2011 issue
Macari Lucia
l_macari at yahoo.com
Sun Apr 24 10:26:06 CEST 2011
Dear Oxana,
Month ago I've tried to establish with you a conversation via Facebook. I get
from you only one answer - that you do not curate all participants, but only MOE
group.
You have also mentioned that you have had a "talk" to Ministry of Culture of
Moldova --> those are your words "Я высказывала свое мнение Министерству
Культуры, что Венецианский BIENNALE это выставка современного искусства.... Мое
мнение осталось не замеченным!!!!" (I expressed my opinion to the Ministry of
Culture that Venice BIENNALE is an exhibition of contemporary art .... My
opinion remains unnoticed!!)
Could you tell us little more about that fact?
In what way you did it? Have you meet someone representing Ministry of Culture
during your visit to Chisinau? Did you write some letter? To whom in particular
was it adressed?
This would really help and give some extra power to our arguments, which we
addressed to Ministry of Culture of Moldova. In case it's a letter, could you
forward it (or a scaned copy of it) to us?
Thank you in advance!
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Macari Lucia <l_macari at yahoo.com>
To: "cultura tinerilor, arta, politici culturale / youth culture, art & cultural
policies" <oberlist at lists.idash.org>
Sent: Thu, April 21, 2011 8:21:20 PM
Subject: Re: [Oberlist] Moldova Pavillion @ Venice Biennale 2011 issue
Dear friends and colleagues,
We, artists from Moldova, took the curage and get in direct contact with OXANA
MALEEVA - curator of Moldova Pavillion at Venice. We would like to make this
conversation widely open and invite everybody to follow and actively participate
to our discussion.
Please, write your comments and ask her question.
Just fell free to add the following email address ( info at artapart.org ) next to
the email address of the main recipient, because she is not connected to
Oberlist network.
First, get in aquantance with our preview dialog --->
________________________________
...
From: Dima Riba <dima_riba at yahoo.com>
To: Info Artapart <info at artapart.org>
Sent: ...
Subject: for Oxana Maleeva
Dear Ms. Oxana Maleeva,
This is a PUBLIC message within I would like to inform you that an entire
artistic community of Moldova and in particular community that activates in the
frame of Contemporaty Art is expecting an answer from you.
We would like to understand the way of strange unification of commerial brand
Moe and Mark Verlan.
1. What is your strategy as curator of Moldovan pavillion at Venice Biennale
2011 ?
2. What consist the particular strategy of project TRANSNISTRIA that made
possible to put together in one exhibition one artist and two people (based in
Italy) without any eligibility to name themselves artists?
3. What are your connection with Mark Verlan, who said that he didn't meet any
curators that would represent Venice Biennale?
4. How it happens that you are a curator from St.Petersbourg based in Italy,
but curate an exhibition that represent Moldova Republic?
I kindly ask you to reply. You may take it as a public interview.
In case you decide to remain silent, we are going to take it as an ignoration of
artistic interests by you as professional curator.
Thank you in advance!
________________________________
From: Info Artapart <info at artapart.org>
To: Dima Riba <dima_riba at yahoo.com>
Sent: ...
Subject: for Oxana Maleeva
Dear Dima,
I will reply to your questions one by one.
Dear Ms. Oxana Maleeva,
This is a PUBLIC message within I would like to inform you that an entire
artistic community
of Moldova and in particular community that activates in the frame of
Contemporaty Art is
expecting an answer from you.
We would like to understand the way of strange unification of commerial brand
Moe and Mark
Verlan.
1. What is your strategy as curator of Moldovan pavillion at Venice Biennale
2011?
I don’t understand why you are talking about “strategy”. We simply had the idea
of trying to
create a Moldovan Pavilion at the Venice Biennial for the first time, without
any particular
financial or political connections or “strategies”. Surprisingly we have
managed to do it,
though on a budget of zero. Without more financial and/or state support it is
not possible to
do a more ambitious project that might offer, as you seem to wish, a more
comprehensive
overview of the art scene in Moldova today. Which brings up another issue,
however… namely
that there is no reason to assume that the pavilion of a given country at the
Venice Biennale
somehow “represents” the art scene of that country. It’s an interesting theme,
and it is part of
what we want to address in our project.
2. What consist the particular strategy of project TRANSNISTRIA that made
possible to put
together in one exhibition one artist and two people (based in Italy) without
any eligibility to
name themselves artists?
The TRANSNISTRIA project is what we, through our own unremunerated efforts, have
been
able to salvage of an initial idea. It even has a sort of symbolic isolation
about it, in its location
and its approach (as you will see if you come to Venice). Why are you not also
discussing the
issues of the rest of Moldova’s participation at the Biennale? The entire
process of initiating
Moldova’s presence in Venice was quite complex. Perhaps you should look at the
bigger
picture before drawing conclusions.
3. What are your connection with Mark Verlan, who said that he didn't meet any
curators that
would represent Venice Biennale?
Maybe it’s your English, but I don’t think I understand the question. Perhaps it
is answered in
our general statement (below).
4. How it happens that you are a curator from St.Petersbourg based in Italy, but
curate an
exhibition that represent Moldova Republic?
The world of contemporary art is completely globalized. There is nothing unusual
about
such situations of interaction among people from different countries, even in a
specific
national pavilion context. Just as there is nothing unusual about interaction
between different
disciplines… it seems rather old-fashioned to insist on definitions of who is an
artist, who is a
fashion designer, who is a musician, etc. One of the main evolutions taking
place in the world
of contemporary art is precisely this kind of breaking down of disciplinary and
geographical
barriers.
I kindly ask you to reply. You may take it as a public interview.
In case you decide to remain silent, we are going to take it as an ignoration of
artistic interests
by you as professional curator.
Thank you in advance!
I don’t really appreciate the slightly threatening tone of your communications.
Your interest in
what is happening is understandable and laudable, but your veiled insinuations
regarding the
genesis of the project are not appropriate or understandable at all.
Sincerely, Oxana Maleeva
STATEMENT BY MOE ART GROUP
First of all we would like to thank you for your interest in our project. Your
questions
raise certain points that could be better expressed as not-so-personal issues,
and they
are issues we take very seriously. For example: just how does the process of
creation,
curating, selection and organization of national pavilions at the Venice
Biennale (and
other major art events) really work? Often there are hidden or not so hidden
economic
and political agendas, situations of personal favoritism, discrepancies
regarding
the quality and quantity of the work presented. These are issues that need to be
addressed by all countries and by the organizational machinery of such art
events
themselves… and by the entire international art system. Our exhibition is, in
part,
about just these issues and, ironically, is probably one of the few situations
at the
Biennale that is without any hidden financial or political backing…
“TRANSINISTRIA” is an art project by MOE Art Group, which consists of
4 people: Aliona Kononova, Igor Avramenko, Mark Verlan and Oxana Maleeva
as curator. We have worked together on this project from the initial idea to the
bureaucratic process to the realization. TRANSNISTRIA is just one part of
Moldova’s
participation at the Venice Biennale this year. In a certain sense, it is what
remains of
a more ambitious initial curatorial-artistic project, after the various
compromises and
filtering involved in the organizational effort of establishing an official
state pavilion.
We are convinced that art and culture have no frontiers or national boundaries.
This is
one aspect of doing an exhibition called TRANSNISTRIA… a self-proclaimed country
inside a country, a self-proclaimed pavilion within a pavilion, something
hyperlocal yet
almost universal.
We believe in the importance of what we are doing, and are investing our own
time,
energy and resources in making it happen.
We hope these thoughts help to clarify the situation, and of course we welcome
further
dialogue with the artistic community in general, in Moldova and all over the
world. This
is the first time Moldova is participating at the Biennale, thanks to our idea,
our efforts
and our personal investment of energy. Other artists could have done the same
thing.
They (you) just didn’t do it. Maybe next time…
In any case, soon an official website and a Facebook page will be launched for
the
“Transnistria” art project, where you will be able to make comments, ask
questions and
express your opinions.
MOE Art Group
___________________________________________________________
Re: for Oxana Maleeva
...
From: Dima Riba <dima_riba at yahoo.com>
...
Add to Contacts
To: Info Artapart <info at artapart.org>
Dear Oxana,
Thank you for reply!
I'm not trying to offence you. Please, be more tollerant - you are maybe the
only one who could, moreless, clarify for us (artists from Moldova) the created
situation in an easyest way.
First, about Mark Verlan - an answer like "I don't understand it because of your
english" sounds boring - what is your connection with M.Verlan could mean only
one thing: Where, when and how did you meet him? He sais that he didn't meet
nobody who would introduce himself as a curator working for VB.
We (his friends and colleags) have had a strange impression that somebody tries
to use him (and his creation) for representing other people - simply saying,
somebody had an intention to still his work/works! Now, after a slight tochering
of you and other "participants" his name at least appeared on the list of that
"art"-formation .. But things can not emerge in such way! This is not normal!!!!
"We simply had the idea of trying to create a Moldovan Pavilion at the Venice
Biennial for the first time" --> this also does not convice! VB is not some
local project but an international forum with history. Isn't it? And who are
those WE? Are you a part of them? Why then, during your visit in Chisinau, you
didn't visit Center of Contemporary Arts, for example? Or at least just Mark
studio? You intended to put an artist in your exhibition which you have not any
idea? My opinion is that this is at least not professional!
By the way, in 2007 as well like now, a Moldova Pavillion appeared at VB with
some weird unnoun artist. In 2009 as well an italian macho wanted to promote in
this way his moldovan girlfriend. You see? This seems already to happen in
regular way! But the situation in 2011, what is happening now with Mark artworks
- this is just to much! This is abbusive!
We are not discussing the rest of participants because they are not part of your
project. Center for Contemporary ARt in Chisinau already have sent an open
letter to Ministery of Culture of Rep.Moldova. We know that this letter would
not change nothing, because contemporary art in Moldova is far from being
established, is not supported in any forms by State and is ignorated by Ministry
of Culture. This is maybe our deal as artists to work out the fact that our
Ministry does not pay attention to our existence. This is totally representing
Moldova - as well as biggest part of population, artists have to survive by
themselves because the State has no money to pay and no work to offer in their
own country.
I know the notion "globalization", but I think it has nothing to do with our
situation - there are an organised contemporary art community in Chisinau,
Moldova. This community is represented by Center of Contemporary Art KSAK
www.art.md which is quite known in many european art networks. Would be normal
if an international curator (like you) would first get in aquantance with the
context of geographical space he's going to represent.
We hope for your understanding!
________________________________________________________________
From: Info Artapart <info at artapart.org>
To: Dima Riba <dima_riba at yahoo.com>
Sent: Tue, April 21, 2011 5:38:18 PM
Subject: for Oxana Maleeva
Dear Dima,
now your position is much clearer. It seems to be based, in part, on a
misunderstanding. I didn't get your question about Mark because I obviously DID
visit Mark's studio (we spent a very enjoyable entire day with him there) and I
was very impressed by his work, which I already knew about thanks to Aliona and
Igor. The idea of Art Group MOE is not a sudden development, the people involved
have been working on this collaboration for years. We are convinced that Mark's
work deserves to be shown in an international context. There is no "strategy" of
exploitation!
For the rest, as I wrote previously, I agree that the mechanisms of promotion
and visibility of art (not only in Moldova) should be questioned and challenged.
I wish you success in your efforts to improve the situation of contemporary
artists in Moldova in the future. I hope our initiative will help, not hinder,
such efforts. Just to do this relatively small project has not been a simple
process, and it necessarily had to be quite limited in its scope.
I hope this clarifies matters at least a bit... and I hope that our initiative
in Venice can also, in its small way, become a forum for discussion of the
situation to which you refer. Again --- not an easy task!
Thank you also for your understanding, best regards, OM.
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