Project DoDaiArtists: Elena Bajo, Dafne Boggeri, BridA / Sendi Mango, Tom Keršvan, Jurij Pavlica, Morwenna Catt / Duncan Burnett, Beatrice Crastini, Vuk Ćosić, Emilio Fantin, Dušan Kirbiš, Warren Neidich, Luigi Negro, Sally Noall, Giancarlo Norese, Slobodan Peladić, Cesare Pietroiusti, Therese Sunngren, Miha Štrukelj, Giorgio Valvassori, Marcela Vanzo,
You are kindly invited to attend the closing of an exhibition on Tuesday, January 13 at 8 pm. 2009 at Galerija Škuc.
Irrespective of the hysteria of the last few months of the financial crisis, which is imbuing all pores of economic, political and social life, of all the guessing about how the situation which has arisen is going to impact upon the different spheres of our lives, the present exhibition provides, when speaking about art and its market orientation in the Slovenian space, the résumé, respectively, the result of the confrontation of the views of the various actors within the domain of modern art and its market orientation - a pressing theme also within the local space during the last few years. We have initiated the creation of the project together with the artists of the BridA group (Sendi Mango, Tom Kerševan, and Jurij Pavlica) about a year ago; however, the initial steps of the project were aiming at completely different goals. Our discussions, in which the artist of Italian origin, Cesare Pietroiusti (with whom Galerija Škuc has already worked), has been taking part upon the ulterior invitation of the artist, were most frequently focused in particular at questions focused on the marketing of the modern art, the advantages and weaknesses generated by the latter, and where Slovenian art has been located in this context.
In particular, the view from outside, where we can expose the point of view of Pietroiusti in the actual communication, who not only is not acquainted with the specificities of the Slovenian (non-)market of modern art, but is so much more acquainted with the specificities of the far more advanced Italian market, and whose practice is founded just on anti-marketing oriented artistic production, has well installed the course and implementation of the exhibit project DoDai - Add. First of all, the discussions generated questions about so-called "art" tourism, the production mechanisms, as well as the positive and negative market outcomes concerning modern art. We have established parallels between great international manifestations of modern art – biennale, triennial, document (“grand tour” - from Venice via Muenster and Kassel to Basel) to the juxta-position with trade fairs, which (at least some of them) strongly parry to the spectacle of the large non-market manifestations of modern art. We have not searched for great answers with which we could draw a conclusion and write down what is right and what is wrong, better or worse, more or less harmful, authentically binding for modern art’s production. Just the opposite, the answers have launched new questions and dilemmas, which have not however been presenting any novelty in the local environment, and even less in the international environment.
Likewise the question of audience, respectively the general public, played an important part in the creation of the exhibition project, that is, the part of the system which should present to every acting subject in the public sphere one of the most important articles of our activity. If the general public does not play an important part, then we should ask ourselves why should we act in public, why should we spend public financial assets, and why should we conduct our activities in public premises? Nevertheless, the most important audience of modern art is the general public, who are being encouraged by artists through their works and using the means of various artistic methods and practices, to reflect, respectively, confront everyday routine. If this factor is not in the forefront of the activities of a modern art public institution, then quite soon we can approach the logics of commercial galleries, whose principal motivational power is capital in the hands of a handful of individuals who provide for the survival of these premises.
For some people the presentation, assuming the image of a public gallery presentation, is rather simple, perhaps even naive and non-spectacular. And this is just about it. We did not wish the seeming spectacle, which should dictate answers to pressing issues, but we were searching for the way in which we could address, respectively, encourage the general public in the best possible manner to take an active part in the project via the internet, by visiting galleries, thus contributing through the means of such general public engagement to the designed final form.
For this reason the artists of the BridA group and Cesare Pietroiusti invited about twenty artists from different countries who they have made friends with, respectively, whose artistic work they are acquainted with and respect, and consequently wish to present to the general public. For this reason the exhibited works have no conceptual framework through which we could expose questions or theses; there is only one moment uniting these works – the works in the gallery as those contained in the website are waiting for the audience to respond with comments, interpretation, critique, or any other personal effusion. There is no financial reward for writing, yet there is a possibility that the artist either from enthusiasm, or from any other personal impulse, will gift his work to the writer of text, who according to his opinion will touch the core of his work. The social capital of an individual is the only component by means of which the project operates, since it is going to be a guideline for the possibility of possessing the artistic work presented in the gallery. The writer of the best texts following the judgment of the artists, the majority of whom will participate in the closing event, will be gifted with the works of artists without ceremonies and speeches on the last day of the exhibition.
The decision, however, is the exclusive right of the artist and therefore the works might not pass to another owner and will return to the artist's ateliers, cabinets, shelves, hard discs, etc.
Alenka Gregorič
Project is supported by Ministry of Culture of Republic of Slovenia and City Council Ljubljana-Cultural department.
For further information contact Alenka Gregorič on + 386 1 251 65 40 or galerija.skuc@guest.arnes.si.
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