|
Indepth Arts News:
"In the Gorges of the Balkans: Europe's Art and Cultural Scene"
2003-08-30 until 2003-11-23
Kunsthalle Fridericianum
Kassel, ,
DE Germany
Presented by the Kunsthalle Fridericianum, the exhibition entitled "In the
Gorges of the Balkans" is showcasing one of Europe's rapidly burgeoning art
and culture scenes: Featured are 88 artists from 12 different countries and
regions (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosova,
Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey), which together
define the term "The Balkans". A comprehensive programme of events
reflecting the current situation in the countries of south-eastern Europe
also accompanies the exhibition.
Residing at the interface between the Orient and Occident, Christianity and
Islam, the Balkans have remained an uncharted territory, a blank space on
the map, throughout their centuries-old, turbulent history, which has
witnessed the rise and fall of monarchies, dictatorships, Communist social
systems and democracies. As such, they have become the ideal canvas on which
to project western European preconceived notions of the region - notions,
which can even be found in Karl May's Balkans novel of the same name.
The definition of the term "The Balkans" is still rather diffuse.
Geographically the Balkan Peninsula extends from the Black Sea to the
Mediterranean and refers in name to the range of mountains in Bulgaria.
However, topographical boundaries do not convey the significance of the
Balkans that is encumbered by assumptions, prejudices and fears, which have
remained etched upon our cultural memories. And these fears are of a highly
topical nature: As multi-ethnic societies, the countries of south-eastern
Europe have in recent years served as the paradigm for prognoses on the
processes of globalisation and in this way fuelled the notion of the "Clash
of the Civilizations". The "Balkans" has long since become a metaphor. The
Balkans, in the words of the Slovenian philosopher Slavojn?ek, are always
the others.
In contrast to the novelist Karl May, the exhibition's curator Rene Block
has actually embarked on a journey through the Balkans where he studied the
situation on the ground within the individual countries in close cooperation
with indigenous artists and curators. Consequently, the exhibition IN THE
GORGES OF THE BALKANS perceives itself as a documentary, as an eyewitness
account, which invites the visitor himself to set out on a journey of
discovery through south-eastern Europe. A journey leading from the origins
of Concept Art in Yugoslavia in the 60ies, from works created under the most
difficult conditions during the era of the Communist regimes (Romania,
Albania), to the contemporary art scene. On our travels we also encounter
artists who are operating within the Western (art) context, whilst retaining
a strong affinity to their native countries. The individual works of art
always provide a running commentary on the current socio-political
situation. Whereas earlier generations of artists used their medium, among
other things, to expose the political systems or social evils, contemporary
art focuses more intensely on cultural traditions and on the events of
recent history. The application of new technologies and the emerging issues
relating to the status and relevance of art and of artists demonstrates that
the artists of south-eastern Europe have long since been integrated into the
global discourse on art.
KASSEL AS THE CENTRE OF ART IN SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE
Whereas the Museum Fridericianum itself is devoted to the presentation of
objects, paintings, installations, photography and video art, the exterior
space is playing host to actions and performances, together with exhibition
bound / less borders, which has been realized on the initiative of the
Goethe Institute in Belgrade and which, in the form of large-format posters,
introduces further artists from the region. Each week, the exhibition's
comprehensive accompanying programme focuses on a different South-eastern
European country and highlights its cultural features by means of lectures,
film screenings and theme-based guided tours. Many of these individual
strands are bundled together in the form of a symposium entitled THE
REINVENTION OF THE BALKANS. GEOPOLITICS, ART AND CULTURE IN SOUTH-EASTERN
EUROPE, October 24 - 26. (An updated schedule for the accompanying programme
of events can be obtained from: www.fridericianum-kassel.de).
It is no accident that in recent times various institutions and exhibition
projects have focused their attention on southeastern Europe. Of these, "In
Search of Balkania" (Graz, 2002) and "Blood and Honey. The Future is in the
Balkans" (Klosterneuburg, Vienna, running until September 2003) provided
some initial interpretations of the Balkans. Yet the Kunsthalle
Fridericianum goes a decisive step further. Following the launch in Kassel,
subsequent projects including exhibitions, publications, congresses and
discussion forums will be staged by the cooperation partners IN THE CITIES
OF THE BALKANS (Belgrade, Bucharest, Cetinje, Istanbul, Ljubljana,
Prishtina, Sarajevo, Skopje, Sofia, Tirana and Zagreb) before reaching its
conclusion BEYOND THE BALKANS. This will take place in 2004 in the form of
the Kassel Project by the Slovene Marjetica Potrc and a retrospective
dedicated to the Croatian art poet Mangelos (1921 - 1987), whose work has
enriched the canon of European art history with the inclusion of a further
chapter. Consequently, for the period of one year, the Kunsthalle
Fridericianum will become a forum for discussions - internal and external -
dedicated to exploring the term "The Balkans".
Staged for the first time on this scale, this dialogue between just one town
in Germany and the entire region of south-eastern Europe was facilitated by
the generous financial support from the Cultural Foundation of the German
Federal Government.
To coincide with the exhibition a richly illustrated large-format Travel
Guide has been produced (136 pages, 5 • / 10 • incl. postage). The book on
the exhibition will be published in June 2004 and will contain extensive
documentation on all the associated projects.
IMAGE:
Halil Altindere
Hard and Light,1999
Photograph
Related Links:
| | 
|
