Logo OkNo Gallery
*   exhibitions & projects
*   publications
*   about
*   links
 

 
  

 © 2001-2022
  OkNo Gallery
  Chelyabinsk, Russia

 
EXHIBITIONS & PROJECTS

PERFECTING SUPERSTATE
Whitney Biennial in Chelyabinsk
May 3- 28, 2005

Exhibition poster

Press Release

Contemporary art gallery "OkNo"

supported by Whitney Museum of American Art (New York), Culture and Art Center "MediaArtLab" (Moscow), and Ford Foundation

presents the project

"PERFECTING SUPERSTATE.
Whitney Biennial in Chelyabinsk"

Polygraphic prints & Lectures on American video art

May 3 - 28, 2005

Curator: Konstantin Bokhorov (Moscow)
Organizers: Svetlana Shlyapnikova, Dmitry Latukhin (Chelyabinsk)

"PERFECTING SUPERSTATE" -- is the "animation" project including exhibition of polygraphic prints of Whitney Biennial '2004 and intense conversations with project curator Konstantin Bokhorov.

"PERFECTING SUPERSTATE" offers to Chelyabinsk public interested in contemporary art to become spectators of Whitney Biennial '2004 being the most significant event of artistic life of the United States. Whitney Museum of American Art has been carreing out it regularly in New York City since 1932. Biennial creates representation context for American art: builds new artistic powers into cultural and historical situation, revalues achievement of the past, makes critical survey of accumulated mass of ideas, styles and methods. On the 2004 biennial, for example, organizers have presented together works of acknowledged artists (David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, Marina Abramović, Jonas Mekas), masters having been brought to light recently and being in progress now (Sam Durant, Dike Blair, Jim Hodges) as well as brand-new artists having been just treated by art critics (Elizabeth Peyton, Emily Jacir, Julie Mehretu). Furthermore Whitney Biennial '2004 has become an outstanding event in the world of art owing to its curatorial approaches to problem of art media and actual themes. Because less year has passed since closing the Biennial it should have appeal to persons interested in contemporary art to become familiar with present-day state of one of the most influential national art school and to get latest firsthand impressions from its achievements.

Exhibition in Chelyabinsk has become possible thanks to collaboration with one of organizers of the 2004 biennial, cinema and new media curator of Whitney Museum of American Art Chrissie Iles, having kindly presented all materials. These are set of high quality polygraphic prints published by the biennial. They have all traits of self-dependent art works. Everyone has been fulfilled on the original sketch of artists - participants of Whitney Biennial and has its own design and conception. Although installing these prints can't produce comprehensive impression from the biennial exposition, but it certainly allows to get a direct foreshortened sensation from this wonderful art exhibition.

Program of the project also includes introductory lecture curator Konstantin Bokhorov on opening the exhibition and then, next day his lecture on American video art which helps to plunge into art life in USA. It uses such powerful tools of "cultural animation" as display oriented arts. The materials for presentation have been presented by MediaArtLab (Moscow), an organization deals with arts of new technologies.

Organizers would like to say the words of their gratitude to: Chrissie Iles, cinema and new media curator and Gary Carrion-Murayari, curatorial assistant of Whitney Museum of American Art, Alexei Isaev, director of Center of Culture and Art "MediaArtLab", Irina Yurna, coordinator of program "Culture, Art and Journalism" of Ford Foundation in Moscow, German Vyatkin, president of Southern Ural State University (Chelyabinsk), Igor Bukharin, director of advertising agency and printing-house "Crocus", Julia Pozdeeva, general director of JSC "Ural Media"and main editor of radio station "Echo of Moscow".

Konstantin Bokhorov -- contemporary art critic, commissar of Russian pavilion on Venice Biennial in 1996-1999, curator of projects of Russian art on biennials in Istanbul (1997) and San Paolo (1998). In a few last years he was current of the projects "Subject and Authority" (2001) and "Come On! From laboratories of free art in Russia" (2002). Author of many articles in "Art Magazine" and others editions. Lectured in Institute of Problem of Contemporary Art (Moscow), Ural State University (Ekaterinburg), Institute "Pro Arte" (St. Petersburg), etc. Member of Moscow Union of Arts and AICA.

Opening day -- April 28, 2005 at 18:00
Lecture of Konstantin Bokhorov "American video art from collection of MediaArtLab" -- April 29 at 18:00.

Exhibition is opened for public from May 3 through May 28.