[Oberlist] Moldova Pavillion @ Venice Biennale 2011 issue

[US Vladimir]

Dear Oxana,
you (along with Aliona Kononova, Igor Avramenko and Mark Verlan) seem to be very skillful in overcoming difficulties, especially those bureaucratic.There was a question addressed to you previously: How did you obtain 'green card' for Venice Biennale from the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Moldova?Please explain how did you (and the whole team) do it step by step (whom did you approach, what papers did you have to fill in, how much time did it take etc.), without any money involved as you claim it, so that we, stupid ones (who didn't succeed to do it yet), learn from your rich experience!and one more question which I would like to address personally to you: How did Venice Biennale team selected your particular proposal and what were the criteria?:1. Did you need to show a paper from the Ministry of Culture of Republic of Moldova?2. Did you need to present a project proposal and in which form?3. Who was in charge of examining this proposal on behalf of Venice Biennale? According to which criteria?4. Did you have to pay any participation fees and if you didn't have, does it mean that it was because you had the paper from the Ministry of Culture? (was there any money involved at all? and from where?)5. Please add any other important information which could explain to us the mechanism for taking part in this prestigious event!Hope to hear from you soon,Vladimir.
-- artist&curator
http://oberliht.com. . . . . . . . . . .https://lists.idash.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/oberlistportal informational pentru arta si cultura din Moldovainformation gateway for arts and culture from Moldova




Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2011 11:21:20 -0700
From: l_macari at yahoo.com
To: oberlist at lists.idash.org
Subject: Re: [Oberlist] Moldova Pavillion @ Venice Biennale 2011 issue



Dear friends and colleagues,

We, artists from Moldova, took the curage and get in direct contact with OXANA MALEEVA - curator of Moldova Pavillion at Venice. We would like to make this conversation widely open and invite everybody to follow and actively participate to our discussion.

 Please, write your comments and ask her question.

Just fell free to add the following email address ( info at artapart.org ) next to the email address of the main recipient, because she is not connected to Oberlist network.

First, get in aquantance with our preview dialog --->
________________________________


...

From: Dima Riba <dima_riba at yahoo.com>

To: Info Artapart <info at artapart.org>
Sent: ...
Subject:  for Oxana Maleeva


Dear Ms. Oxana Maleeva,

This is a PUBLIC message within I would like to inform you that an entire artistic community of Moldova and in particular community that activates in the frame of Contemporaty Art is expecting an answer from you.


We would like to understand the way of strange unification of commerial brand Moe and Mark Verlan.

1. What is your strategy as curator of Moldovan pavillion at Venice Biennale 2011 ?  

2. What consist the particular strategy of project TRANSNISTRIA that made possible to put together in one exhibition one artist and two people (based in Italy) without any eligibility to name themselves artists? 

3. What are your connection with Mark Verlan, who said that he didn't meet any curators that would represent Venice Biennale?

4. How it happens that
 you are a curator from St.Petersbourg based in Italy, but curate an exhibition that represent Moldova Republic?


I kindly ask you to reply. You may take it as a public interview.  
In case you decide to remain silent, we are going to take it as an ignoration of artistic interests by you as professional curator.

Thank you in advance!

________________________________

From: Info Artapart <info at artapart.org>
To: Dima Riba <dima_riba at yahoo.com>
Sent: ...
Subject: for Oxana Maleeva


Dear Dima,

I will reply to your questions one by one.

Dear Ms. Oxana Maleeva,This is a PUBLIC message within I would like to inform you that an entire artistic communityof Moldova and in particular community that activates in the frame of Contemporaty Art isexpecting an answer from you.We would like to understand the way of strange unification of commerial brand Moe and MarkVerlan.1. What is your strategy as curator of Moldovan pavillion at Venice Biennale 2011?

I don’t understand why you are talking about “strategy”. We simply had the idea of trying to
create a Moldovan Pavilion at the Venice Biennial for the first time, without any particular
financial or political connections or
 “strategies”. Surprisingly we have managed to do it,
though on a budget of zero. Without more financial and/or state support it is not possible to
do a more ambitious project that might offer, as you seem to wish, a more comprehensive
overview of the art scene in Moldova today. Which brings up another issue, however… namely
that there is no reason to assume that the pavilion of a given country at the Venice Biennale
somehow “represents” the art scene of that country. It’s an interesting theme, and it is part of
what we want to address in our project.

2. What consist the particular strategy of project TRANSNISTRIA that made possible to puttogether in one exhibition one artist and two people (based in Italy) without any eligibility toname themselves artists?

The TRANSNISTRIA project is what we, through our own unremunerated efforts, have been
able to salvage of an initial idea. It even has a sort of symbolic isolation about it, in its location
and its approach (as you will see if you come to Venice). Why are you not also discussing the
issues of the rest of Moldova’s participation at the Biennale? The entire process of initiating
Moldova’s presence in Venice was quite complex. Perhaps you should look at the bigger
picture before drawing conclusions.

3. What are your connection with Mark Verlan, who said that he didn't meet any curators thatwould represent Venice Biennale?
Maybe it’s your English, but I don’t think I understand the question. Perhaps it is
 answered in
our general statement (below).

4. How it happens that you are a curator from St.Petersbourg based in Italy, but curate anexhibition that represent Moldova Republic?

The world of contemporary art is completely globalized. There is nothing unusual about
such situations of interaction among people from different countries, even in a specific
national pavilion context. Just as there is nothing unusual about interaction between different
disciplines… it seems rather old-fashioned to insist on definitions of who is an artist, who is a
fashion designer, who is a musician, etc. One of the main evolutions taking place in the world
of contemporary art is precisely this kind of breaking down of disciplinary and geographical
barriers.

I kindly
 ask you to reply. You may take it as a public interview.In case you decide to remain silent, we are going to take it as an ignoration of artistic interestsby you as professional curator.Thank you in advance!
I don’t really appreciate the slightly threatening tone of your communications. Your interest in
what is happening is understandable and laudable, but your veiled insinuations regarding the
genesis of the project are not appropriate or understandable at all.

Sincerely, Oxana Maleeva

STATEMENT BY MOE ART GROUP

First of all we would like to thank you for your interest in our project. Your
 questions
raise certain points that could be better expressed as not-so-personal issues, and they
are issues we take very seriously. For example: just how does the process of creation,
curating, selection and organization of national pavilions at the Venice Biennale (and
other major art events) really work? Often there are hidden or not so hidden economic
and political agendas, situations of personal favoritism, discrepancies regarding
the quality and quantity of the work presented. These are issues that need to be
addressed by all countries and by the organizational machinery of such art events
themselves… and by the entire international art system. Our exhibition is, in part,
about just these issues and, ironically, is probably one of the few situations at the
Biennale that is without any hidden financial or political backing…

“TRANSINISTRIA” is an art project by MOE Art Group, which consists of
4
 people: Aliona Kononova, Igor Avramenko, Mark Verlan and Oxana Maleeva
as curator. We have worked together on this project from the initial idea to the
bureaucratic process to the realization. TRANSNISTRIA is just one part of Moldova’s
participation at the Venice Biennale this year. In a certain sense, it is what remains of
a more ambitious initial curatorial-artistic project, after the various compromises and

filtering involved in the organizational effort of establishing an official state pavilion.

We are convinced that art and culture have no frontiers or national boundaries. This is
one aspect of doing an exhibition called TRANSNISTRIA… a self-proclaimed country
inside a country, a self-proclaimed pavilion within a pavilion, something hyperlocal yet
almost universal.

We believe in the importance of what we are doing, and are investing our own time,
energy and resources in making it happen.

We
 hope these thoughts help to clarify the situation, and of course we welcome further
dialogue with the artistic community in general, in Moldova and all over the world. This
is the first time Moldova is participating at the Biennale, thanks to our idea, our efforts
and our personal investment of energy. Other artists could have done the same thing.
They (you) just didn’t do it. Maybe next time…

In any case, soon an official website and a Facebook page will be launched for the
“Transnistria” art project, where you will be able to make comments, ask questions and
express your opinions.

MOE Art Group

___________________________________________________________
Re: for Oxana Maleeva
...
From: Dima Riba <dima_riba at yahoo.com>
...
Add to Contacts
To: Info Artapart <info at artapart.org>


Dear Oxana,

Thank you for reply!

I'm not trying to
 offence you. Please, be more tollerant - you are maybe the only one who could, moreless, clarify for us (artists from Moldova) the created situation in an easyest way.

First, about Mark Verlan - an answer like "I don't understand it because of your english" sounds boring - what is your connection with M.Verlan could mean only one thing: Where, when and how did you meet him? He sais that he didn't meet nobody who would introduce himself as a curator working for VB.

We (his friends and colleags) have had a strange impression that somebody tries to use him (and his creation) for representing other people - simply saying, somebody had an intention to still his work/works! Now, after a slight tochering of you and other "participants" his name at least appeared on the list of that "art"-formation .. But things can not emerge in such way! This is not normal!!!!

"We simply had the idea of trying to create a Moldovan Pavilion at the Venice
 Biennial for the first time" --> this also does not convice! VB is not some local project but an international forum with history. Isn't it? And who are those WE? Are you a part of them? Why then, during your visit in Chisinau, you didn't visit Center of Contemporary Arts, for example? Or at least just Mark studio? You intended to put an artist in your exhibition which you have not any idea? My opinion is that this is at least not professional!

By the way, in 2007 as well like now, a Moldova Pavillion appeared at VB with some weird unnoun artist. In 2009 as well an italian macho wanted to promote in this way his moldovan girlfriend. You see? This seems already to happen in regular way! But the situation in 2011, what is happening now with Mark artworks - this is just to much! This is abbusive! 

We are not discussing the rest of participants because they are not part of your project. Center for Contemporary ARt in Chisinau already have
 sent an open letter to Ministery of Culture of Rep.Moldova. We know that this letter would not change nothing, because contemporary art in Moldova is far from being established, is not supported in any forms by State and is ignorated by Ministry of Culture. This is maybe our deal  as artists to work out the fact that our Ministry does not pay attention to our existence. This is totally representing Moldova - as well as biggest part of population, artists have to survive by themselves because the State has no money to pay and no work to offer in their own country. 

I know the notion "globalization", but I think it has nothing to do with our situation - there are an organised contemporary art community in Chisinau, Moldova. This community is represented by Center of Contemporary Art KSAK  www.art.md  which is quite known in many european art networks. Would be normal if an
 international curator (like you) would first get in aquantance with the context of geographical space he's going to represent. 


We hope for your understanding!

________________________________________________________________

From: Info Artapart <info at artapart.org>

To: Dima Riba <dima_riba at yahoo.com>

Sent: Tue, April 21, 2011 5:38:18 PM

Subject: for Oxana Maleeva


Dear Dima,

now your position is much clearer. It seems to be based, in part, on a misunderstanding. I didn't get your question about Mark because I  obviously DID visit Mark's studio (we spent a very enjoyable entire day with him there) and I was very impressed by his work, which I already knew about thanks to Aliona and Igor. The idea of Art Group MOE is not a sudden development, the people involved have been working on this collaboration for years. We are convinced that Mark's work deserves to be shown in an international context. There is no "strategy" of exploitation!

For the rest, as I wrote previously, I agree that the mechanisms of promotion and visibility of art (not only in Moldova) should be questioned and challenged. I wish you success in your efforts to improve the situation of contemporary artists in Moldova in the future. I hope our initiative will help, not hinder, such efforts. Just
 to do this relatively small project has not been a simple process, and it necessarily had to be quite limited in its scope. 

I hope this clarifies matters at least a bit... and I hope that our initiative in Venice can also, in its small way, become a forum for discussion of the situation to which you refer. Again --- not an easy task!

Thank you also for your understanding, best regards, OM.


_______________________________________________
Oberlist mailing list
Oberlist at lists.idash.org
https://lists.idash.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/oberlist 		 	   		  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: </pipermail/oberlist/attachments/20110428/345f32e3/attachment-0001.html>