spriest vien varbūtības izteiksmē, tāpēc ka mūsu (21. gadsimta sākuma “cilvēces”) ikdienas rīcība, radītie artefakti un attiecības vis biežāk par saprātu, kur nu vēl veselo, neliecina. Patika arī, ka sarakstu noslēdza Blixa Bargeld. Hanss Kristians Emmerihs, kas slēpjas aiz tikko minētā pseidonīma, jauki sabalsojas ar kādu citu pasaku meistaru – Hansu Kristianu Andersenu. Bet kāds pants no Einstürzende Neubauten dziesmiņas Sabrina tikpat jauki sabalsojas ar Lielo sprādzienu kā visa sākumu. Lūk, šis pantiņš: It is as black as malevic’s square The cold furnace in which we stare A high pitch on a future scale It is a starless winternight’s tale It suits you well
Te arī, Maļeviča personā, mājiens uz mākslu kā uz bezgalīgu tukšumu, melno (elles?) caurumu, ja vēlaties. Uz caurumu, kurā sakrīt itin viss, kas mums tik labi piestāv: cilvēku radītais un par derīgu, vajadzīgu, vērtīgu, peļņu nesošu, interesantu, aicinošu, vilinošu, baudu izraisošu uzskatītais. Vai ellē patlaban atrodas godājamais Ričards Džons Bingems, septītais grāfs Lukans, kas raugās no attēla Edgara Gluhova izstādē elegants kā pats Klārks Geibls vai varbūt Kerijs Grānts? Un kur atrodas viņa bērnu auklīte? Protams, elegantais slepkava vedina atcerēties netālu atšķirtās Breta Īstona Elisa grāmatas patosu un (arī) eleganci. Bet ne tikai. Cita izstādē pamanāma personāža – Freda Hjūza – uzvalkotais tēls un stāja, darbojoties Endija Vorhola komandā, tāpat pakaļpalicējiem (Interview piemiņas rakstos) atmiņās sabalsojas ar Holivudas skaistuļiem. Glamorama, arī, šķiet, klātbūtiska grāmata Edgara Gluhova domu labi rintos, man saistās, varbūt paradoksāli, ar tiem kičīgajiem rāmīšiem, ko piedāvāja izstādītie reklāmas plakātiņi. Kādā ziņu aģentūras “Leta” fotogrāfijā redzēju pašu Edgaru Glu hovu – arī uzvalkā, arī ar kaklasaiti, arī kā Beau Brummel, Alan Flusser u. tml. idejisku mantinieku. Interesanti, kā viņā – tik ļoti pozējošā – skan sarakstā minētā Black Betty vecajā Leadbelly oriģinālversijā. Vai kā izaicinājums? Vai varbūt tikai kā apropriēts ready-made? Iz stāde, kā daudzas mūsdienās, uzdod jautājumu par mākslinieku. Vai kreativitāte vispār ir cilvēkstāvokļa nepieciešama sastāvdaļa? Vai paņēmieni, ko izmanto skola, izkopjot personas “radošo brīvību”, personu “attīsta” vai “deģenerē”? Vai tam, kas tiek saprasts ar vārdu “māksla”, ir jēgveidojošs, plašākā nozīmē komunikatīvs saturs, vai arī tas ir tikai konkrētā indivīda ego pašpatēriņam un identifikācijai konstruēts skelets un postaments? Izstāde Good Cop / Bad Cop atbildi nesniedza, tā pieļāva plašu klāstu “vai nu – vai”. Iespējams, ka tai vislabāk atbilst tā Black Betty versija, kam YouTube aplūkojams video ar Džoniju Depu – “tūkstošveidi”. Iespējams, ka izstāde bija par vienas daļas t. s. moderno cilvēku problemā tiskajām attiecībām ar savu identitāti. Pietiekami ilgi dažādi liberālo intelektuāļu spriedelējumi ir jaukuši cilvēkiem galvu, lai šajās galvās būtu izveidojies melno caurumu zvaigznājs. Liekas, pirmais, kas šajā zvaigznājā pazudis, ir pats cilvēks kā garīga substance. Pāri palicis tikai bioloģisks ķēms.
sense amongst people today, especially so-called artists, as a theoretical possibility because our (“humanity” of the early 21st century) everyday actions, created artefacts and relationships more often than not do not testify to sense, let alone common sense. Another thing I liked was that the list is concluded with Blixa Bargeld. Hans Christian Emmerich, who hides behind this pseudonym, chimes nicely with another storytelling master – Hans Christian Andersen. And some lines from the Einstürzende Neubauten song ‘Sabrina’ harmonise just as nicely with the Big Bang at the dawn of the Universe. This verse, for instance: It is as black as malevic’s square The cold furnace in which we stare A high pitch on a future scale It is a starless winternight’s tale It suits you well
Here we have, in Malevic’s person, a hint of art as an endless emptiness, a black hole (of hell?), if you like. This is a hole which is the re ceptacle of everything we are accustomed to: everything created by humans and which is considered to be useful, essential, valuable, pro fitable, interesting, inviting, enticing or pleasurable. Does hell currently contain the honorable Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan, who gazes from an image in Gluhovs’ exhibition, as elegantly as Clark Gable himself, or maybe Cary Grant? And where is his children’s nanny to be found? Of course, the elegant murderer leads us to remember the mood and (also) elegance of the book by Bret Easton Ellis, lying open nearby. But not only. The besuited image and posture of another personality in the exhibition – Fred Hughes – working on Andy Warhol’s team, reminds laggards (in the memorial articles in Interview) of Hollywood beauties. Glamorama also appears to be an ever-present book in the labyrinths of Gluhovs’ thoughts, which for me, perhaps paradoxically, has associations with those kitschy frames of the advertising posters. I saw Edgars Gluhovs himself in a LETA news agency photo - also in a suit and tie, also as the ideological heir to Beau Brummel, Alan Flusser and similar. It would be interesting to find out how Leadbelly’s original version of ‘Black Betty’ (also on the list) sounds to him – so actively posing. As a challenge? Or perhaps only as an appropriated readymade? As many exhibitions do today, this one asks questions about the artist. Is creativity an essential part of the human condition? Do the ap proaches adopted by schools to develop a person’s “creative freedom” “develop” or “degenerate” the person? Does that which is understood by the term “art” have a meaningful, broader communicative content, or is it just a skeleton and pedestal constructed for the auto-consumption and identification of a certain individual’s ego? Rather than giving an answer, Good Cop / Bad Cop allows that there is a wide range of “and/or”. Possibly it may best be compared to the version of ‘Black Betty’ available on the YouTube video with Johnny Depp – “a thousand ways”. Possibly the exhibition may be about that part of so-called modern society who have a problematic relationship with their identity. The ramblings of various liberal intellectuals have been confusing people long enough for a constellation of black holes to have formed in their heads. It seems that the first thing to be lost in this constellation is the person as a spiritual substance. All that is left over is merely a biological spectre. 69 / 09
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