Friday, June 12, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Zuzana Stefkova 5/20/09: Block Museum, Northwestern University
Center for Contemporary Art, Prague
Zuzana Stefkova, the curator at the Center for the Contemporary Art in Prague, came to Northwestern’s Block Museum to speak about the state of political art in Eastern Europe. Her discussion was titled, “Politik-um/New Engagement.” She started her lecture with numerous questions, such as: “What is it like to make political art in Eastern Europe?” “What is the post-socialist context?” “How much censorship is involved?” “What are the deconstructing issues on chauvinism, nationalism, freedom of speech, racism?” She would then attempt to answer these questions for the rest of the evening.
First and foremost, the Politik-Um is the show that took place in the Prague Castle Gallery in the Museum of Contemporary Art. It involved artists from twenty-eight countries and it is considered an important moment in contemporary art due to the scandal that followed. Some art works were censored or even canceled, one of the canceled works being that by Pode Bal, a Czech creative artist collective. Another example of a political art show that caused outrage was Czechpoint, curated by Zuzana Stefkova and Tamara Moyzes. Stefkova discussed how Czechpoint strived to show how art inspires an engaging discussion about corrupt politics. The show set out to force the audience to think about the current and past political situations in Eastern Europe, and to then influence change. By allowing local Czech artists to present their work in the public sphere, a new voice was heard.
Though I often fell by the wayside in Stefkova’s lecture due to it’s convoluted structure, I would have enjoyed watching more videos and seeing more examples of art. However, I was able to gather the status of the current state of Czech contemporary political art. It has evolved rapidly since the 1990s, but there are still many problems. There is a lack of efficiency—the art is not accomplishing what it set out to do. The audience is also not learning anything from viewing the artwork since they are already converted viewers, like the old saying, “preaching to the choir.” There is also parasitism on politics. Without the corrupt nature of the political there would be no need for this sect of art. Because of this, the art has a lack of independence. In the future, Stefkova hopes that the resistance apparent in political art will create a new audience of converted followers for both the art and the political ideals.
Personally, I enjoyed the work of Tamara Moyzes and her comment on racism in Eastern Europe. The time lapse video of a Roma woman transforming to be a "white" Eastern European beauty queen, and the other video installations have a global appeal. These problems are seen everywhere, from Prague to the United states. All around, these artists, I feel, are doing their job. The whole point of political art is to contest history in order to ignite a change in thought, and controversy is definitely necessary in order to start the discussion.
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