[Oberlist] Fwd: THE REMOVAL OF AIDAN SALAKHOVA’S SCULPTURES FROM THE PAVILION OF AZERBAIJAN IN 54TH VENICE BIENNALE

[stefan rusu]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: nini palavandishvili <designini at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Jun 8, 2011 at 11:27 AM
Subject: Fwd: THE REMOVAL OF AIDAN SALAKHOVA’S SCULPTURES FROM THE PAVILION
OF AZERBAIJAN IN 54TH VENICE BIENNALE
To:


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: beral madra <madraberal at gmail.com>
Date: 2011/6/8
Subject: THE REMOVAL OF AIDAN SALAKHOVA’S SCULPTURES FROM THE PAVILION OF
AZERBAIJAN IN 54TH VENICE BIENNALE
To:



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*THE REMOVAL OF AIDAN SALAKHOVA’S SCULPTURES FROM THE PAVILION OF AZERBAIJAN
IN 54TH VENICE BIENNALE*

I was invited by the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan to be the advisory
curator of  the exhibition of Azerbaijan Pavilion in 54th Venice Biennale.
>From September 2010 on I have worked with Mr. Chingiz Farzaliev, who acted
as commissar and local curator. All the works of these artists have been
evaluated in meetings in Baku and Venice. Aidan Salakhova has presented her
sculptures in every detail which have been produced in Carrara and these
works together with the works of the artist have been published in the
catalogue and announced in the website from April 2011 on.

31st of May, when I came to the pavilion I was informed that  Ministry of
Culture has found Salakhova’s two sculptures which were installed in the
entrance of the Palazzo controversial to the prestige of the country.

Aidan Salakhova   and me, we felt very concerned and responsible of the
image of the exhibition and respecting the position of the other artists we
tried to be positive and find a solution. As it could not be removed during
the opening days, the sculptures were covered with textile. Until 5th of
June, every day   we have discussed with the authorities and responsible
people of the pavilion and explained that:

-Removing the sculpture will mean “censorship” and it will do more harm to
the image of the country than the sculpture itself; it would be much
effective, if the officials would place a label next to the sculpture and
declare that the authorities are not acknowledging and approving the form,
message or concept of this sculpture, that it is the interpretation of the
artist.

-The concept of the sculptures has been misinterpreted and misjudged by the
authorities or by their advisers; all symbols, signs, objects Salakhova is
using have a historical and traditional knowledge and anchorage.

-The meaning and message of this work is extensively explained in my
catalogue text and is eventually the artist’s interpretation of “being woman
under the religious dictums”; here the religion is not only related to Islam
but also to Orthodoxy and other religions, which before Islam introduced the
veil;

-The selection of artists and the works have been made by me and by Mr.
Farzaliev with utmost responsibility and prudence; during this process there
was not one negative hint that came on Salakhova’s work.

-The Venice Biennale is a platform for extreme artistic freedom, for
sensitive topics, for limitless criticism; therefore all countries must
consider and accept this context before participating.

However, we were not able to convince and stop the removal of these
sculptures.

In my 25 years of curating profession, I have never experienced this kind of
conflict. However, lately I am observing - probably most of my colleagues
also do - the growing intrusion of the political and official power on
contemporary art production and on the artists and curators in many
countries, including the developed democracies. Contemporary art production
and its theoretical and critical context is being employed and exploited by
the official power as well as by the private sector as a tool for high
prestige and glory; but at the same time its content and concepts are not
tolerated and acknowledged.

We in the production sector of contemporary art are witnessing and enduring
this use/abuse process. We release protests and supports for the victims of
these attitudes. Journalists investigate and write about it. However, at the
end the damage is done and the artist or the curator suffers.

In the case of Azerbaijan Pavilion, I think from now on this is the problem
of the artists and curators living and working in Azerbaijan. I have done my
best, to bring the Azerbaijan contemporary art production into the agenda of
international contemporary art; however I must acknowledge that I was naive
and I failed. The artists, art critics and curators in Azerbaijan should act
and liberate art making, art production and creative criticism and take
their long deserved position in the international art.

On the other side, this is also becoming a general problem in the art world
and I think the artists and curators should have an international legal
protection against these conflicts.

Beral Madra

Tuesday, 07 June 2011

-- 
beral madra
curator, art critic
BM Contemporary Art Center, Istanbul
www.bmsuma07.blogspot.com
www.pluversum.blogspot.com
www.supremepolicy.blogspot.com
0090 212 2311023
bmadra at tnn.net
btmadra at dsl.ttmail.com
skype:madseher




-- 
Sabina Shikhlinskaya
artist, curator
Baku, Azerbaijan
AZ1065, Inshaatchilar pr. 28, apt. 19
mob:   (+994)503117785
home: (+994)124975184
http://sabina-art.blogspot.com/
http://sabina-artcurator.blogspot.com/




-- 
*********************
nini palavandishvili
http://geoair.blogspot.com/
http://geoairresidency.blogspot.com/
http://archidrome.blogspot.com/
http://georgianartistsarchidrome.blogspot.com/


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