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In November 1998 I and Dick Ward visited Moscow
with the Links and Connections exhibition.
Links and Connections is an exhibition of
works on paper by Russian and British artists,
jointly curated by Sunderland University and the
L-Gallery Moscow, and making links between
the two cultures.
L-Gallery Moscow is a contemporary art
gallery in central Moscow. They receive a small
amount of money from, and the building is
subsidised by, the municipal district. The gallery
workers do other paid work, and there is also some
help from student volunteers. Each individual
exhibition also may receive some sponsorship, for
example from small restaurants or a sporting
council for an exhibition connected with tennis.
The exhibitions include visiting artists from
places including Scandinavia, and are cross media
(for example a Moscow artist who invented a series
of fictional satirical drinks, which had labels and
a poster designed for them by a graphic design
company). The curator Maria Katkova has good links
with young filmmakers and night-club denizens, and
has a special interest in performance art. A recent
event included retracing the drunken journey
described in a famous Moscow novel in a special
metro train.
The economic crisis does not appear to have
destroyed small galleries like these, although
apparently a couple have closed down. Muscovites
appear expert at improvising, making do, and making
things happen on 'no money', as they no doubt have
been for some time.
Maria took me to the outskirts of Moscow to
visit Marina Hertsovskaja and her partner Mikhail
Molotchnikov who are both involved in computer
graphic design. They both do commercial graphic
design, for money, and do their won artwork too.
Marina has been making interesting large inkjet
prints of computer graphics onto net-type fabric.
They montage images of aeroplanes (struts, wings
etc.) with images of women (from Victorian glamour
and fashion magazines). Mikhail works for 'Public
Totem' design company (design@publictotem.ru)
Before visiting Moscow I had contacted the Soros
Centre for Contemporary Arts, and they invited me
to come and give an illustrated presentation about
the interactive exhibition Serious Games which I
curated. They invited about a dozen artists, which
resulted in a very interesting discussion The
SCCA has computer graphics (not Macs interestingly)
and video facilities, a small photography gallery,
and a resident cat. Artists can use the equipment
by arrangement. They organise exhibitions, and have
published several interesting books concerning
photography and new media.
Some interesting points to come out of
discussion and beer were:
- There are currently no degree courses at
colleges which deal with computer graphics or
computer-based/interactive multimedia. Most of
the artists there had trained in graphic arts,
photography or 'other'.
- The SCCA is one of the few bodies with
remaining substantial funding for contemporary
art production, which puts it in a rather
strange position.
- Although there are not a vast number of
artists using new media, (due to lack of access)
the artists present were using the media in a
sophisticated manner, with the welcome addition
of humour (often missing from their
better-resourced Californian cousins).
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^ L-Gallery Moscow
^ Children's participation,
L-Gallery Moscow
^Vardy Gallery, Sunderland.
Clockwise from top: Lubov Salnikova (Director,
L-Gallery), Maria Katkova (Curator,
L-Gallery), Irina Novash (Artist, Moscow),
Beryl Graham (Sunderland).
^ Marina in her flat with her fabulous
cake!
^ Soros
Centre for Contemporary Art, Moscow.
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