Somehow, somewhere

In May of the Moscow School, photos and multimedia named after A. Rodchenko turned 10 years old. They solemnly celebrated this anniversary at the end of June by the large project “About SR” in the multimedia art museum, part of which is legally the school (the exhibition is still on; those who have not seen can visit it until mid -September). True, it is necessary to start with the fact that the anniversary is not entirely accurate: in 2006, all sorts of constituent documents were signed - but full -fledged work began later. But in general, this is not so important. Rodchenko’s school has long grown into the Russian art process, you can’t uproot. As its directors Irina Uspenskaya and Elena Lungin, as well as numerous teachers like to repeat it, her graduates received leading prizes in the field of contemporary art, their work got into museum collections, and they themselves are actively exhibited in Russia and abroad. School assessments have already been repeatedly issued, on Colta.ru once a polemic around this educational institution ( 1 , 2 ) even happened. Therefore, on the eve of a new set to school, I will bring my five cents into a discussion about it. I don’t know, I didn’t hear and did not see (for example, the times of teaching the late Vladimir Kupriyanov) - I won’t write about that, but please about the rest.

Fun and informative

For the first time, I visited a well -recognized house near the Krasnoselskaya metro station in November 2010 at the show of the Dubai in Me Christian von Borris and “In a free fall” by Hito Steierl. Then, by the way, the entrance to the school was relatively free. I ended up in the room where trimester views were taking place, there were about 30 more people there. The event itself was a logical continuation of the I, which ended a month before the I Ural Industrial Biennale, two of the three curators of which were teachers of SRD David Riff and Ekaterina Dygot. These videos were demonstrated in Yekaterinburg, and since it so happened, it was decided to bring them to Moscow. The curators rightly considered that their students are unlikely to reach the Urals, and at that time new and hard-to-reach work was simply useful.

This event, of course, was interesting to me not only because of the von of Borris and Steierl. Firstly, the discussion was supposed there: in fact, Riff said the most (for some reason there was no tar), but he did it so ornate, with many details unknown to me and names that did not have to get bored. Then I was not yet familiar with David's characteristic manner of David, confusing the audience. Secondly, at some point the belated students flew into the show, I personally met them much later. These were Daniil Zinchenko and Dmitry Venkov; The first recently drove his full -length film on festivals, cinemas and museums, and the second became a teacher in Alma Mater . At that time, they had fun with might and main. They came excited and began to inform others, where they were and what they did over the past hours. I don’t remember the details exactly-in later conversations with them, it was not possible to restore the details of those events-but Dania and Dima went somewhere to shoot either video or a photo service. And since in parallel they still drank and talked for their lives, they started in earnest and poured their creative plans for comrades, and they answered, chuckling, if only they would get rid of: “Well, yes! Well done! "

My main impression of that show was the thought: how great they study there. Artists! I still did not know about underwater trends, undercover intrigues, quarrels, requirements for students, characteristics of the teachers, and it seemed to me that this easy life, which, according to my then infantile performances, should be among the artists: smart aunts and uncle talk about high matters, and school students are carefree and create. Of course, I was deceived, but I was an incredibly glad to be deceived. And I decided to visit there again.

At first, however, I went to the apartment exhibition at the Cheremushki gallery in January 2011: there David Ter-Oganyan and Ivan Brazhkin showed the slide show of their “digital graphics”. This visit came partly by chance, but successfully. It was fun, and there I already met many participants in the artistic party. The owner of the apartment Kirill Preobrazhensky turned out to be the head of the video art workshop at the Rodchenko school, many of his students came to the exhibition. The most valuable conclusion I made from this event: even if you came from the street and no one knew you before, in principle, you all were glad to be friends and communicate (you quickly pick up the rule of art community to consider any person to be almost the best friend in a day, or even 15 minutes after meeting). And David so at all immediately wanted to sing me to an important matter-to promote his art to the masses through the mass media. Later it turned out that this is a fairly common way for artists to start acquaintance with a journalist. As on a regular gallery or museum vernisage - only in a more relaxed manner - those present exchanged news, gossiped, made plans, offered to act in their works and called each other for future exhibitions and promotions. Victoria Marchenkova - And I had no idea about her work at that time - I called me to my exhibition in the SR. And I thought: why not, I wanted to come there - and here he is, an occasion. And, as is customary with us, returning home, I added new friends as a friend to FB.

Spheres of influence

A month later, in a small hall, where students often show their achievements, the exhibition opened. I came there quite early: I did not know that it was better to be late, because everyone was doing this, and not only at Rodchenko’s school. It was empty, even the artist herself went somewhere, but the video was already working. The only (except me) viewer was Danya Zinchenko, who, if my memory does not change me, helped the artist either configure the projector or pouring wine. He stood with a plastic glass and looked thoughtfully at the wall. I started a conversation with him. And what? How? And when? Where? And who? Danya told me everything about students and teachers, apparently he was bored. Then I was interested in two stories. In the foreseeable future, two exhibitions were supposed to take place: one in the Browsstripe apartment gallery, the other on the ice of a frozen reservoir in the suburbs. Of course, I really wanted to get there. Zinchenko promised to keep me in the know. Both exhibitions eventually turned out to be extremely exciting, especially the one on the ice - the "field of silence." Her organization was dragged out before the beginning of March, this is a common place for students of SR - suddenly relax and grate, risking nothing (and there is a charm in this). But, fortunately, the ice did not work before the melting, and the project took place. I still think that exhibition of one of the best I have seen.

(Here you need to make a slight digression. Because of my love for questioning, one of the then students of the SRD Mikhail Maksimov in his characteristic paranoid manner-I still can’t guess when he was played out, and when not, he suspected a sent Cossack in me either from the FSB, or from the Federal Drug Control Service, or from the Center. - Although the arguments and assumptions in this theory were constantly changing, as far as I know.

After that, everything spun. I already actively went to different exhibitions in Moscow, talked with artists from completely different parties, but what happened at Rodchenko’s school and around it especially fascinated me. I admit, I looked at this motley company absolutely uncritically. Perhaps the role was played by the fact that it was here that I saw a boiling work-I must say, I have already begun to distinguish it after endless libations and jokes-converters, which were so famous in those days (and now) students of the SRD. After all, they had already begun to scold them: they say, unconscious, some techies under the high. And, of course, I began actively, as far as the possibilities allowed, to write about literally every sneeze of these students. Yes, at that time I met graduates, students and the chief teacher of the Institute of Contemporary Art, almost the only educational institution competing with the SPR, where they teach, what to do to become an artist (just like that, although it doesn’t sound very), but their exhibition and design activity in any comparison with violent activities at Krasnoselskaya - in any case, for me at that time - did not go.

I found out that at the Rodchenko school there is rivalry between the masters, many criticize or even pour mud on each other, but they don’t give a look, retain external decency. That is, usually no one was shy to tell me or to their students that colleagues are engaged in harmful activities instead of teaching, but no one directly touched or poisoned anyone. Although there were separate creations. Sometimes, for example, on trimester views between the masters there were skirmishes, for which later they had to apologize before each other. Much later, after a few years, these quarrels will take completely extreme, unbridled forms (such, for example: 1 , 2 , 3 ), but not in those blessed times. Students, in turn, did not sit back: they created their coalitions against teachers. For example, it seems to them that the tar with the riff is excessively purposefully indoctrinize them with left theories - in the peak they create the Asso Up!, Based on the ideas of Russian cosmism; Others believe that Preobrazhensky is too leading them from pressing socio-political problems to the kingdom of a “pure form”, and Aristarchus Chernyshev and Alexei Shulgin only do that they say some about the entertainment ( 1 , 2 ), and they leave their workshops, for example, to Roman Minaev, which brings him anger of colleagues. And some students are generally against everyone. Etc. Etc. In general, there was a normal educational process in which rivalry and the impossibility of the final victory of someone alone spurred the development of students. In any case, I hold this opinion.

Relaxation session

To say that the School of Rodchenko changes people is like saying nothing. Some came to aesthetes in the clouds, and went away with radicals tearing into battle. Others, on the contrary, lost all faith in the school in the original ideals and became the burned cynics, which were uneasy in the world. This happened with the teachers. The most uncompromising critics of the system, having come to work in a SR, nevertheless discovered the strength to make certain concessions. So, in general, it happens everywhere, but at a school with its energy and constant discussion of each other, these processes looked especially embossed.

In 2012, I came to the same hall where I came to watch Marchenkova’s video at the exhibition of Nikita Shokhov, who at that time studied there for the second year. As I immediately understood, his master Igor Mukhin has already appointed his ward star, and everyone else, including directors, joyfully supported this appointment. There was nothing wrong that everyone considered him a talented photographer, but the excessive praise that I watched on the vernisage could only harm him. Since then, I often talked with Nikita and became very friends, subsequently he overwhelmed himself and did a lot for his development, but then, observing how he, with the blessing of teachers in a matter of minutes, turns into a bronze monument to himself, and clearly ahead of time, I was indignant. I understood that many fierce criticism from the target, Shulgin or Preobrazhensky in trimester shows does not motivate at all, but rather the opposite, but so voiced copper pipes also do not bring anyone to good. I wrote an article with an unflattering assessment of such an approach in the walls of the school-after a while someone caught up there, and excerpts from my text appeared on the educational institution’s website. He was reprinted on his website by the former teacher of the SRC Oleg Klimov, who had gone after the conflict with Olga Sviblova for some time, and Mukhin called me on the mobile and said that it was impossible, not to criticize our approaches, the school leadership had a plan and understanding why and why this is done. The meaning between the lines: Do not interfere in our internal affairs!

In general, telephone law has become one of the running tactics of behavior that the school teachers inherited from its founder - Olga Lvovna. Only Sviblova usually called or grabbed on the vernissages of those who said something wrong or wrote about the museum, but the masters were responsible for the SPR. On the day of the wildly popular article by Alexandra Novozhenova about the strategies of school art and his inclusion in the exhibition life of the capital, Preobrazhensky called me late in the evening and, starting with the words “You are there completely ******!”, He became step -by -step and very expressively expressing counterarguments. As a result, a few days later he said the answer .

But we must pay tribute: many of the arrived were held during the training somehow on the tangent, and in the end everything was fine-they took what they needed, and calmly left the school: it was with the already mentioned Zinchenko (partly), Polina Kanis , Sasha Pirogova and some others.

Now the School of Rodchenko is not worried about the best, as it seems to me, times. Yes, graduates and students still continue to glow at all important awards and exhibitions, and the workshop of Sergei Bratkova, who wanders from the vernissage to the vernissage, makes bridges everywhere, gains contacts and turns any, even the most painful, event into a holiday. Everyone knows their faces, but not all - by names.

At the last diploma exhibition in the “Worker and Collective Farm” there were at least two strong works - Olga Deryugina and Svetlana Isaeva. They are simultaneously ironic and very accurate, and Dereyugin also managed to dissect the entire history and internal mythology of the school. It would seem that the plot of school life is the same that was before, only with new characters.

Of course, competition appeared, but not the one that could throw the school somewhere in the storage storehouse. Yes, there is an institute “Base” that is actively developing, and many of those artists who associate themselves with it or another are now exhibited no less, or even more often, and they are already starting to apply for bonuses - even if, possibly, undeservedly, but I already want to support . They step on the heels, and this is even good. Such rivalry can motivate

However, the problem is in the school itself: its teachers either parted, or are preparing to leave, or they did something else that they are very distracting them. Especially the most active of them, or maybe almost all. Here are trimester views, as everyone has been talking for a long time, not at all the ones that were. Long before our cheerful prime minister sent teachers, since not everything is so rosy in the economy, “somehow, somewhere to work out to survive,” the permanent residents of the house on Krasnoselskaya have already fulfilled this order. Not everyone weakened attention to the school because of money, many for other reasons, but the result is one: everything is good and fun for students, and I seem to have the same feelings again as six years ago at the first meeting with this beautiful party, but for some reason it seems that I will not find the second bottom this time this time.

The heading "prints" is supported by the Fund for Assistance to the Study of Russian Fine Arts "Russian Art The World".