OCH, BIENNIAL, BIENNIAL
The time of holiday, rest – for some people at least – and of watching modern art has come. This year is very rich in great events. On 10th June Art Biennial in Venice was opened. Following days brought another ones: the opening of „Documenta 12” in Kassel and „Skulptur projekte” in Münster.
It does not surprise that in such situation many write-ups, reviews and discussions took place. First, in daily newspapers and weekly magazines – their amount was shocking. In the discussion in “Tygodnik Powszechny” about the place of modern art in Poland, Dorota Jarecka observed: „There was a change for the better. Nowadays, nobody is surprised by the fact that one reads in newspapers reports from Biennial in Venice or Documenta in Kassel. It is difficult to imagine that an important newspapers does not have its correspondent in places which are very important for art.” (Widzę różnicę / I can see the difference, “Tygodnik Powszechny” 15/07/07)
On the other hand, Piotr Bernatowicz announced with hope in the newest edition of „ARTeon” (issue 7/2007): „Great exhibitions, or just the background of accompanying gossip columns, provoke reflections not only on condition of modern art (this reflection will come later) but on the society which creates this art, shows it and writes about it.” But not everyone is provoked. Some of reviewers were more interested in dresses they saw on these exhibitions than in the art shown, not to mention digressions on people’s condition. But maybe there was something more than the opportunity to see a dress that Tracey Emin wore on the opening of her exhibition in Venice? All right, it was catty enough.
After these press reviews, extensive and more specialist texts appeared. However, they were written quickly and contained only the first impression. We can become convinced that the reading can be interesting when we look into the online edition of “Obieg” (www.obieg.pl), where Monika Branicka, Justyna Kowalska, Małgorzata Ludwisiak, Adam Mazur, Kaja Pawełek, Kuba Szreder i Joanna Zielińska presented their reports from Venice. A diverse review was made – just compare opinions about Sophie Calle’s works presented in French pavilion: from admiration to boredom. It is difficult to agree with some of judgements. Easiness of assessing may be irritating but the reader should not at least be bored.
But let’s concentrate on magazines published traditionally on paper. In July issue of “ARTeon” that was earlier mentioned, there were two texts about Biennial in Venice. Justyna Ryczek presents the history of this event (Świat poza sztuką – Biennale w Wenecji / The world beyond the art – Biennial in Venice). It is a brief report on over one-hundred-year history of Biennial. It is not easy to present such report because one can slip into cliché. The author does not succumb to complaining, however, it is often done in Poland. Some criticize Venice for old-fashioned format, attachment to seeing art through national glasses (it is the only place where the division into national representatives applies). Others criticize it for showing incomprehensible art, for the pursuit of fashion or yielding under political and ideological pressure. On the other hand, all those people outdo one another in lashing the event for its snobbery. But nobody can imagine that they could not take part in these opening ceremonies, all these celebrated presentations, where not everyone is allowed to come.
„Today there are many events similar to biennial but Venice is a point of reference for all of them. Biennial in Venice is more than just the presentation of artistic work due to its history – treasured but not restrictive and consistent setting in modern world. It’s a kind of manifestation of accepted world.” – Justyna Ryczek writes. And she adds: „Keeping trace of this biennial, we see the history of the world, debunking of the old order and developing the new one. The story is made by such emphasized facts as rewarding an American artist with the first prize, being receptive to youth or first women curators. This year we have also got a very important event – it is the first time an American [Robert Storr – P.K.] has been the curator of Biennial in Venice. This is not an information only about art, it is also the record of changes in our mentality. That’s why we visit Venice every other year – to touch the world through art.”
It is not easy to deal with this „empire of art”, to quote after Jarosław Lubiak from the May issue of „ARTeon”. This year you can also see the work of artists from 77 countries, several dozen national pavilions and, last but not least, the main exhibition „Think with the Senses – Feel with the Mind. Art in the Present Tense” prepared by Robert Storr and collecting works of about 100 artists from all continents. We should also mention over 30 other presentations of art which accompany Biennial.
But Olga Miłogrodzka managed to see what was marginalized in Poland (Prowincje imperium – 52. Biennale w Wenecji / Empire’s provinces – 52. Biennial in Venice). African art was to be the discovery of this year’s Art Biennial in Venice. „Check List Luanda Pop” exhibition is the first big exhibition on art from this part of the world. What is more, it is the integral part of the main exhibition, which emphasizes its significance. Storr’s gesture – as Olga Miłogrodzka observes – „is not only the act of recognition and directing one’s attention to passed over or forgotten areas. It is much more – it is giving the opportunity to expressing one’s opinion.” She also quotes in her text from one of this exhibition curators, Simon Njami: „it is a very important moment, when an African takes advantage not only of the privilege of being seen but also of the possibility of looking at himself.”
Maybe Polish members of an audience are too concentrated on our Central-European courtyard? This passing over and disrespect for African art was accompanied by very thorough and interesting remarks concerning Lithuanian, Serbian, Romanian or Hungarian works.
In „ARTeon”, next to texts about Venice, there was Monika Szmyt’s article about Biennial in Shanghai (Orientalne targowisko (p)różności / Oriental vanity (variety) fair ). It is very interesting combination, the more so because in the National Museum in Poznań, until the end of July, we can watch „Asian Attitude” exhibition. Many artists presented there took part in the following editions of the event in Shanghai.
As the author observes, it is Biennial which „is the expressive example of national practices, which involve modern art in formal representation. In the same time, it is an illustration of the tendency for including this art in global current, which is paradoxical for such formula of informal path presentation. ‘Being between’ what is formal and informal, global and local, central and peripheral, eastern and western, is some king of a curse put on Asian art and it is fulfilled during meetings in Shanghai.” The comparison of both biennial is very instructive. Politics was somehow responsible for its appointing. And both of them are trying to stand up to it.
Paweł Kompanicki
Translated by Karolina Klica
Discussed journals: ARTeon