Russia is no worse

ARCO Contemporary Art Fair took place in Madrid

— 21.02.11 16:10 —

PHOTO: photo by the author

The Madrid contemporary art fair ARCO received a large delegation from Russia this year. Eight of our galleries participated in the Focus Russia program, and leading art institutions like Garage and Winzavod showed up with representative stands.

There is a widespread opinion that Russian contemporary art is very poorly represented on the international art scene, almost not at all. This opinion does not entirely correspond to reality. Leading domestic galleries appear at art fairs around the world, including the most prestigious ones. The only problem is that against the general background ( as a rule, such forums are very numerous) this participation is not noticeable to everyone. It may even be accompanied by some commercial success, but from a PR point of view it is rarely convincing.

Therefore, the invitation of Russia as a privileged guest of the Madrid fair should be considered a kind of gift.

The point is not even that our galleries have the opportunity to trade with their authors on a status platform ( although, of course, this is important for them - galleries and authors), but that the Russian representation has finally become visible and significant. The Focus Russia program, supervised by Daria Pyrkina, was undoubtedly heard at the current ARCO - in the sense that it was impossible not to notice the presence of our stands at the fair. Eight galleries ( Moscow's XL, Aidan , M &Y Gelman, GMG, Paperworks, St. Petersburg's Marina Gisich and Anna Nova, and Arka from Vladivostok) were scattered throughout the exhibition space along with other participants, but exhibitors from Focus Russia received a special marking.

, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art and some other institutions have also acquired presentation stands here If we consider that Garage , Winzavod intervention” will become clear , the scope of the “ .

True, it would still not be possible to pull the whole blanket over oneself: the scale of the Madrid fair is impressive enough to exclude anyone’s dominance. However, the preference made at ARCO for Russia ( we remind you that this year we are cultural friends not only with Italy, but also with Spain) turned out to be very opportune.

As a result of this “ invasion,” it became clear, in particular, that domestic works of contemporary art are quite competitive as goods. Sales at our galleries were no worse than those abroad ( ARCO is traditionally dominated by European and Latin American participants). Moreover, the interest in Russian contemporary art was not of the nature of familiarization with the exotic. Works by Anya Zhelud, Andrey Kuzkin, Chaim Sokol, the art groups Blue Noses and Recycle, Oleg Kulik, Marina Alekseeva ( by the way, the virtual and witty “ doll houses” of this St. Petersburg artist, despite their modest size, were hardly produced at the fair not a sensation) and our other authors were perceived as something natural. These opuses did not stand out from the general “ assortment”, which in a fair situation should be regarded as a positive moment.

Simply put, the bet on international style is fully justified when it comes to sales abroad. You can appeal to national characteristics as much as you like, but the fact remains: if a European viewer does not find in a work some references to something already familiar to him and at least partially understandable, he will not buy this work. Our gallery owners are aware of the situation and work in context. Artists also keep their noses to the wind. We must admit that no one expects national exclusivity from us. International recognition is possible only within the framework of the international ( read, globalist) format. This is today’s reality, but whether it will remain so tomorrow is a big question. Is it necessary to predict events and prepare in advance for changes in the situation? Probably, it would be inappropriate to demand this from gallery owners who live with immediate prospects... It seems that Western gallery owners are not thinking about anything like that yet.

The ARCO fair, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this February, traditionally welcomes art that is relevant and advanced, but not so advanced as to be ahead of the current process.

Conceptual photography, video art, objects, installations, painting on unexpected materials, postmodern combinations of classical sculpture with new technologies - all these trends have been in demand for more than a year or even the first decade. Any experiments, as a rule, take place close to the mainstream - at least among those authors who are taken to international fairs. It’s the same syndrome: you can’t leave the well-worn rut without good reason, otherwise the client will be more puzzled than expected, which means he won’t buy. Still, an art fair, especially one as respectable as the Madrid ARCO, is not a testing ground or a laboratory. Here, the new must be new in moderation so as not to lose its commercial properties. Despite the apparent diversity of the repertoire, the rules of the game are quite strict. Russian galleries follow them along with everyone else. The dominant attitudes will change and the tactics of speeches will also be adjusted. It would be reckless to recommend anything else to participants in the international art process, including ours. Although, to be honest, I would like to see how someone turns off the common ski track and skis across the virgin soil. But where should he go? And will he even meet with any audience? No, it’s somehow safer to move along known landmarks.

Contemporary art fair ARCO was held in Madrid - Gazeta.Ru