Supermarket Art Magazine #4

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Supermarket Supermarket#4 #4 Cover photo: John Court, “White Out”, chipboard platform 400 x 400 x 10 cm, a 9 litre can of white emulsion paint, 2002.

EDITORIAL TEAM EDITORIAL STAFF PONTUS RAUD (EDITOR & CREATIVE DIRECTOR) ANDREAS RIBBUNG (ART EDITOR) MEGGI SANDELL IZABELLA BORZECKA CONTRIBUTING WRITERS PONTUS RAUD • IZABELLA BORZECKA • ISABEL LÖFGREN • ABIR BOUKHARI • NOEL KELLY • KATARINA LINDQVIST • JOHN W FAIL • GHAYATH ALMADHOUN CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS & PHOTOGRAPHERS JOHN COURT (COVER) • PONTUS RAUD (06–10, 11, 30–32, 56–59, 60–61) • CLARISSE TARRAN (12–13) • PROJETAÇÃO (14–15) • MATS HJELM (17) • FLÁVIA VIANA (18) • TEGEN2 (19) • ANDREAS RIBBUNG (20–26, 28–29, 54–55) • IZABELLA BORZECKA (27) • ABIR BOUKHARI & MUHAMMAD ALI (34–39) • ALLA KOLEGANOVAVA (40–41, 45) • SASHA DOLGIY (42, 44-45) • ALEKSANDR TERLYUK (44) • CARLA BURNS (46–47) • TEMPLE BAR GALLERY (49) • DENIS MORTELL (43) • ORMSTON HOUSE (50–52) • 126 GALLERY (53) • CLAUDIA HAUSFELD (62) GRAPHIC DESIGN JOHANNA LARSON IMAGE PROCESSING JOHANNA LARSON, ANNELIE WALLIN, ANDREAS RIBBUNG TRANSLATION RICHARD GRIFFITH CARLSSON, JAMES BLAKE, JAMES FOOTE FOR WWW.INTE-LAGOM.SE LANGUAGE EDITING STUART MAYES, JAMES FOOTE FOR WWW.INTE-LAGOM.SE PROOFREADING STEPHEN TURNER, BILL RUBINO, STUART MAYES, SHEENA MALONE ADVERTISING SALES NADJA EKMAN, KIM RUNDQVIST ADVERTISING CONTACT AD@SUPERMARKETARTFAIR.COM ECONOMY MEGGI SANDELL, MOLLY CARNESTEDT INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION NEWSTAND DISTRIBUTION AVAILABLE THROUGH PINEAPPLE MEDIA/SH CIRCULATION PINEAPPLE MEDIA LTD., 172 NORTHERN PARADE, HILSEA, PORTSMOUTH, HAMPSHIRE, P02 9LT, UK, WWW.PINEAPPLE-MEDIA.COM/ TEL: +44 (0) 2392787970 PRINTING PRINTON TRUKIKODA LTD PUBLISHER PONTUS RAUD

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JUST NU: LEONOR FINI / KATARINA PIRAK SIKKU /

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Leonor Fini 1948 i Paris. © Estate of André Ostier

THILO FRANK / ANDREAS JOHANSSON

contents

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Stockholm Alternative Art Weekend 05 DIFFERENCES 06 BRAZIL A Boom for Whom? 12 SYRIA Messages from Kafranbel 19 GEORGIA A Wind Through the Caucasus 20 SYRIA Tomorrow will be the beginning of a new life 34 UKRAINE Blow this city up: working independently in Kyiv 40 IRELAND Society’s Dereliction is Our Opportunity 46 INVENTING OUR OWN ECONOMIES: a provocation 54 YOU by Ghayath Almadhoun 60

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M A L —M Ö A R T ACA— D E M Y

Call for Applications

Bachelor ’s Programme in Fine Arts, 180 ECTS credits Application deadline March 1, 2014 Master ’s Programme in Fine Arts, 120 ECTS credits Application deadline April 1, 2014

To Apply For information on submission criteria and how to apply please visit www.khm.lu.se

Supermarket Supermarket#4 #4

Stockholm Alt ernative Art Weekend

by Pontus Raud

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N AN INCREASINGLY globalised world, one would think there would be more similarities than differences, but the value systems of art are in fact more complex today than ever before. Everything in our conceivable world can be hailed as art, and furthermore, all the various players in the art scene have very different opinions regarding the value of said art.

The art market of today is the world’s second largest unregulated (legal) market. We are just as surprised every time astronomical sums exchange hands for a bit of paint on canvas. Research regarding how a value is determined in art is in full swing, a research seemingly worthy of Nobel Prize consideration, at least from the market’s perspective. But this naturally only applies in cases where a market and an infrastructure for contemporary art already exist.

What is the situation for artists on an International level?

In Eastern Europe, artists seek to establish an art market, an infrastructure for contemporary art and long-term institutions such as museums, municipal art galleries and residency programmes. In Western Europe artists witness the demise of numerous culture institutions, residency programmes and various sources of funding due to the bad economy, and from the decaying remains of a failed cultural

policy we see the emergence of artist-run initiatives.

In Northern Africa and the Middle East, the role of the artist has been reduced to that of an observer in an everyday life tainted by war and escalating chaos.

Read for example Abir Boukhari’s account from Damascus of how the gallery became a refuge for fleeing families.

Capitalism for the rich, socialism for the poor, as Isabel Löfgren sums up the new politics in Brazil. Despite the fact that the booming economy has brought with it new audiences, presented opportunities for new collectors and increased artistic exchange, the State itself offers few incentives for autonomous spaces and independent initiatives.

The mobility of artists and their freedom to express themselves is curbed by politicians who seek control over social media and the various functions of culture.

Usefulness has become a key word as art becomes all the more instrumentalised and the artist increasingly profit-driven.

A growing number of voices can be heard today demanding that art must be allowed to function freely without pressure from the government that it be useful to society, but politicians seem to value artists only in their role as entrepreneur. Regardless of the era, there have always been people who have understood the importance of art being “un-useful”, or as Oscar Wilde once said, “All art is quite

useless.” Surely there is a value to these words? We at Supermarket focus on the encounter with the artist-run scene that, until today, has never enjoyed an especially high status.

Alternative networks and thinking outside of the box with regard to ideas, expressions, marketing and project management are some of the areas that the self-organised initiatives have energetically engaged in. And now, as the public funds are on the verge of petering out, the artistrun scene is looking to alternative methods of financing. Consider here John W Fail’s reflections on Crypto Economics, and the new example, Robin Hood Minor Asset Management.

We have a vision of a new platform: AIM, a database/network platform/web portal that takes a broad grip on the artist-run scene on an International scale. Our aim is thus to facilitate access by both artists and other players in the art world as well as the general public to the flexible and exciting laboratories for contemporary art such as artist-run galleries, collective workshops, residency programmes and publications. This year sees the ninth consecutive art fair for artist-run exhibition spaces and similar initiatives. It is the largest of its kind and takes place over the course of one weekend in Stockholm, Sweden. Welcome to the Stockholm Alternative Art Weekend!

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DIFFERENCES What are the differences in the artist-run scene on how contemporary art is valued today? When economic instability, social transition and unrest shake the world and put conditions on art’s existence, we can talk about differences or are there rather more similarities?

Supermarket contacted some artist-run and self-organised initiatives from different parts of the world to hear about the differences there can be.

Which values dominate in different countries’ cultural sectors (art industries)? Which values are ignored? And what do they think about the future?

Here are their voices:

USA What values are given priority in the arts and culture sector in your country?

Money. saleability. investment value. Most schools have cut arts programmes out completely, as they are considered superfluous and a waste of money. Public funding of the arts in the USA is almost non-existent, except if you are a large museum or established cultural venue. They charge around $18 USD entry fees now at most museums, even when publicly funded. Oh, yes, and there is Detroit, where the governorappointed “city manager” plans to sell off the public art museum’s collection to the highest bidders.

They believe every asset should be privately owned. Christie’s Auction House is happily involved in the looting of this public asset. In this climate, we struggle on to make our work, to get it seen, and battle the banality of media and money culture.

Which values do you think should be prioritised?

Accessibility. relevance. education in the arts, for starters.

Do you think it will be changed in the near, or far, future?

I certainly hope so, though I tend to doubt it will be soon.

Questions asked by Izabella Borzecka Project coordinator Supermarket

USA: Mary Ellen Croteau, Art on Armitage & Mnky Bizz Group DENMARK: Indigo Richards, QWERTY GERMANY: Teena Lange, Grüntaler9 JAPAN: Murazumi Tomoya, The Room Below GEORGIA: Nini Palavandishvili, GeoAIR AUSTRALIA: Mel Dare, Kate Koivisto Wheeler, Vyonne Walker, Gothams Studios/Peek-a-Boo Gallery SWEDEN: Erik Berggren, The Museum of Forgetting

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DENMARK What values are given priority in the arts sector in your country?

If you consider the arts sector, as being all arts, music, dance and literature, there is a huge priority in Denmark, which the public appreciates.

The politicians that support art look at what gives best PR, and what

the broader public would like to attend. Politicians mainly prioritise art for kids, and art for the common audience. Experimental art, and art without money, is not put on the agenda.

The government has invested in the interaction between schools and artists. Nice initiatives, but again, in these cases, artists don’t make art, but teach.

The artists that can fund their own art and projects are prioritised.

The artists that support the commercial art scene are prioritised.

Institutions and buildings are prioritised. Paying artists for their work is not prioritised.

Which values do you think should be prioritised?

Artists should be paid for their work.

Society should have a focus on the experimental aspects of art.

Artists generally have a unique way of developing ideas and concepts, and should be given a real chance of working with this. They should be able to make art, instead of being involved in “ordinary” work.

Artists should have real jobs, in real professional firms and business enterprises, and in this environment, be appointed to make their own independent art.

Do you think it will be changed in the near, or far, future?

Not in the near future.

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SECNEREFFID GERMANY

Do you think it will be changed in the near, or far, future?

What values are given priority in I am trying really hard to stay the arts sector in your country? optimistic and hope that the I cannot speak for all of Germany, since it differs from region to region.

At first sight it might seem that all arts sectors are represented well, since the diversity of art events and venues is very rich and numerous.

With a closer look though, one can see the differences quite clearly by looking at the financial politics of a city that gives millions to its three opera houses and practically nothing to independent art spaces.

I have to admit that it is quite astonishing how famous Berlin has become worldwide for being one of the most innovative cities for arts and culture, when little value is given to contemporary and experimental spaces or projects.

Only the big institutions get support, but they only present the few global artists that are famous and established anyway.

Which values do you think should be prioritised?

I’ve been working in the independent film and (performance) art scene for several years now and it´s being more appreciated by the audiences and spectators, but still marginalised by the wider art world, the art market and the financial support system (from the state and commercial sponsors). Much more has to be given to new aesthetics and artists that make a difference to the established so-called global trends.

continuous critical discussion of many bright people will help shift the value system away from the common belief that art that is expensive has a higher value than other. Who decides on the value of an art work or an artist? A very good example of this is Banksy’s recent action in New York where he gave his work to be sold on the street for $60 and hardly anyone bought it, because it was not labeled with his name. He made quite a point with this discount happening.

One positive change though I would like to mention that really made an impact I think: the curator of the German Pavilion of last year’s Venice Biennale made a very important and long overdue step by deciding to curate four non-German artists as well as switching the building with the French Pavilion.

This conscious decision shows a very sensitive and contemporary way of thinking towards a new form of curating (I hope) which is not based on nationalities or representation, but rather asks aesthetic questions and connections within artistic practices and research.

JAPAN Japanese self-confidence has been lost through the earthquake disaster and the NPP accident in 2011. It influenced the culture sector not only in economics but also the social conditions of the nation. A lot of people began to have a more conservative way of thinking. In various parts of Japan, movements have recently been appearing for reappraising the value of a traditional view of Japan. It has an

exclusive atmosphere. We do not think that this tendency is good.

Many artists around us feel a sense of danger in this situation from our historical experience. We think that we need to be exposed to something different from our traditional values.

GEORGIA What values are given priority in the arts sector in your country?

Even though Georgia and its artistic field have faced lots of progressive changes within the past 20 years and especially within the last 4-5 years, we still cannot really talk about a contemporary art field in Georgia. The term “contemporary art” is still only understood within professional circles. Artists, researchers, and organisations dealing with actual issues related to their social and political environment, finding alternative ways and forms of expression, and creating discursive platforms, are still very few.

Generally, visibility, appreciation and priority is given to artworks with aesthetic values: the art taught at state educational institutions, and presented in the majority of the galleries and museums, is very conservative and academic. The state and its institutions such as the Ministry of Culture still does not have a clear cultural policy or priorities, and there is no vision

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IFFERENCES SECNE

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of how to support and develop contemporary art production and distribution in the country or beyond its borders.

AUSTRALIA

Which values do you think should be prioritised?

Creating in the most isolated city in the most isolated country in the world, which is also one of the newest cultures (the immigrant population rather than the indigenous, which is one of the oldest cultures in the world), has its advantages. As one of the most multicultural countries the cultural cross-pollination leads to a broadening of perspectives and contextual understanding. For many it also propels them towards questions and statements about identity. The lack of specific and pervasive historical references is condusive to innovation and freedom of expression.

This freedom of expression is valued highly in Australia; as is the ability of everyone to have a voice. Funding and opportunities within the arts are created for artists of diverse backgrounds and groups, people from minorities, the disadvantaged and disempowered.

Australians have a saying: everyone should have a “fair go”. Diversity, inclusiveness and democracy are encouraged, and artists in Australia have artistic freedom.

Art is increasingly recognised as a positive and proactive force in communities and education.

Nonetheless, the cultural, social and economic benefits derived from arts and creativity are still not fully recognised politically, but this is being addressed by government policy.

The Australian Government’s Creative Policy, established 2013, states these goals: “the centrality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; the diversity of Australia and the right of citizens to shape cultural identity; the central role of the artist; the contribution of culture to national life and the economy; innovation and a digitally enabled creative Australia”.

As a “new culture” in this sense, within this policy, art which promotes national/

The problem we face in Georgia is very complex. The most important for me is to focus on education and the biggest emphasis should be on freedom of expression and developing critical thinking among the young generation. As long as there is no critical thinking in civil society, which initiates bottom-up actions, there is no hope for topdown reforms.

Do you think it will be changed in the near, or far, future?

There are already lots of changes to be observed within the contemporary art field and especially in the young generation. Different private educational schools have opened, some interesting galleries appear, more interest is laid on regions, and so on, thus I remain optimistic that there will be more positive changes in the near future (could take some 10 more years).

And I hope these changes and innovative approaches will not be initiated only by the independent cultural sector, but also supported by the state and its institutions.

USA What values are given priority in the arts and culture sector in your country?

Glamour and commercial appeal.

Which values do you think should be prioritised?

Fresh thinking and boldness.

Do you think it will be changed in the near, or far, future?

Depends on if we hit a dead end.

What values are given priority in the arts sector in your country?

Australian identity is high on the list.

These are also observed: marketability/economic value, entertainment value, prestige, accessibility for / popularity with the broader public.

Commercial viability becomes more and more valued for both artists and art galleries when the ability to exhibit and thereby sustain an art practice is diminished.

Without government (Government of Western Australia Department of Arts and Culture) support in the forms of flights from Australia to Stockholm it would not be possible for us to be part of Supermarket.

Which values do you think should be prioritised?

Diversity: inclusiveness, celebration, recognition and appreciation.

Education is key.

A greater understanding and broader definition of the arts.

The opportunity for all to be involved.

Support for individuals and groups in the arts to grow.

Artistic excellence and support for this.

Recognition not only on paper, but in practice and internally, of art’s integral part in our lives.

Knowledge and understanding of not only art and culture within Australia, but that of the world beyond.

Authenticity, inventiveness, intelligence in all its guises, articulation and expression in all its forms.

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Do you think it will be changed in the near, or far, future?

Education has improved vastly over the last years in terms of the curriculum and learning opportunities, and this is hopeful for the future.

“In 1994, Australia’s first national cultural policy, Creative Nation, argued it was time for government to elevate culture on to the political agenda, to recognise its natural place in the expectations of all Australians” * – because of the perceived lack of such an agenda. Although much has changed, there is still a long way to go.

There is hope that with such values written into Government policies, there will continue to be actual positive change and development.

Support from government and the private sector can enable the arts to thrive, and partnerships are increasingly seen as a mutually beneficial way of facilitating this.** This also involves public institutions and the social sector. This brings the arts and cultural sector further into everyday life and work and the economy.

Cultural policy proposes a ten-year plan to support Australian artistic excellence, diversity, individuals, groups and institutions, and also intends to support risk and experimentation.

Since 2012 five major art galleries from our city (Perth, Australia) have closed. Since 2009 at least seven from Sydney (another Australian capital city) have also closed.

Artists have had to adapt and find new outlets. The latest influx of artist-run initiatives bring new life and diversity to Western Australia’s art world.

As the longest running artistrun initiative in Perth, Gotham Studios and its Peek-a-Boo

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Gallery have weathered the storms for 25 years (many past and current Gotham artists are part of the gallery system). Gotham continues to evolve, explore and reconfigure.

SWEDEN What values are given priority in the arts sector in your country? Which values do you think should be prioritised? Do you think it will be changed in the near, or far, future?

Well, there are parallel values.

The old market and auction houses are still in operation, as always I guess (I don´t know that part of the art world enough to say anything insightful about changes there). And from the right wing Government in this country, there are of course a lot of politics and talk about trying to make the art world more like the business world, promote business-sponsored art projects, build bridges between corporate Sweden and cultural Sweden with the ambition to make art more profitable and to generate growth, etc. This is not only talk, it is also implemented in the systems for funding art and art projects.

So that is one prioritised value in the arts sector today. However, as recently indicated it is likely that not much will come out of all this. The business world is in the aftermath of the crisis and is therefore not so sponsor-happy anymore, and in fact, the major part of cultural activities in this country are and have long been funded by the people through taxes. It will probably remain that way. Of course, there are some highly visible Scrooge McDuck projects where new museums have been set up in striking locations.

That is also good I guess. I just never feel particularly at home in those places… but maybe I am just old fashioned.

My impression is however that there has been a shift towards a stronger emphasis on political art in much contemporary art. Art that engages in social practice, that avoids and questions the economic conditions of the art world as

marketplace, art that addresses several different political issues that also have a more prominent place in general discussions outside of the art world. This I guess has happened in an oscillating movement all the time, between more or less political art. If we are in a socially engaged and political phase in art today, this might of course turn politics in to a desirable pose and a form of kitsch. However, I really do think that the political vitality of many artists today is often genuine, intelligent and very interesting. It is, to summarise, consciousness raising and important, while it can also very well be aesthetically challenging and poetic. I welcome it since my interest in art is as much political as purely aesthetically driven.

I think this reflects a discontent with many developments, things that are of such a nature that if someone had suggested them to us 10 or 15 or 20 years ago, he or she would have been regarded, by many, as crazy or just ridiculously apocalyptic. I mean, it is not just an accident that ours are also the times of the Occupy Movement, the Arabic spring, the financial crisis, the erosion of welfare systems, the return of fascism in European politics, the collapse, or near collapse of many countries in Southern Europe and the serious questioning of the EU project as a beacon of democracy and open borders, the climate issue and other environmental issues…and so forth... It is much as ever, but seems somehow more serious. It seems also that the reactionary and neoliberal forces have lost their mojo a bit. Or maybe it is just me practising some wishful thinking, but I am not alone.

Will it change?

Why of course, it always does.

*Australian Stories – A Vision for Australia’s Cultural Sectors – http://creativeaustralia.arts.gov.au/full-policy/ **Ertech Pty Ltd – Curator Sponsorship, Kate Koivisto Wheeler.

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PROVIDING SWEDEN WITH FINE ART EXCELLENCE SINCE 1944.

- Basic university training in fine arts.

- On-going training for artists and other groups.

- A wide range of additional activities such as exhibitions, concerts, seminars and workshops for all stages in life.

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BRAZIL

As world events such as the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games are approaching, the spotlight is on Brazil – and critically so. The latest wave of protests in mid-2013 expressed a general discontent with the country’s corrupt politicians, involving scandals regarding public spending on world-class football arenas to the detriment of a crumbling public infrastructure at all levels. Brazil’s economic boom and diminished poverty in the 2000s resulted in a more outspoken middle class with a greater voice in society.

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A Boom for Whom?

by Isabel Lรถfgren

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Protests in Rio de Janeiro, June 2013, photo: Clarisse Tarran.

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A Boom for Whom ?

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VEN THOUGH the country’s booming economy has managed to begin shaping new audiences, opened possibilities for new collectors to emerge and provided more international exchange through art fairs and residency programmes, the state still offers very few direct incentives for autonomous spaces and independent initiatives by artists.

And yet this does not deter several artists and collectives from forming their own platforms and pushing their vision beyond market and state in order to criticise them. We must keep in mind, however, that Brazil is a country and a culture of many (productive) contradictions where a combination of formal and informal structures, a spirit of “never take no for an answer,” and a knack for independence is the driving force behind the will to make things happen despite politically, economically or socially adverse conditions.

Of adversity we live In the 1960s, artist Hélio Oiticica, one of the foremost references in Brazilian contemporary art, coined the phrase “of adversity we live,” a symbol of Brazil’s growth as a nation and its insertion into the global economy. As a country ‘in development’ and one of the BRICs, the lack of a classical tradition in the arts is still very important in distinguishing a certain character in Brazilian artistic production. The “adverse” Brazilian situation, far from being illustrated in folkloric or social realist expressions, is reflected as creative drive, invention, irony and a lack of commitment to canons from hegemonic cultures, if not a downright rejection of what it means to be global, but doing so with a Brazilian twist, according to independent curator Daniela Labra1. In this mindset, I would say that art is produced through ‘calculated improvisation’, modus operandi that still perpetuates the experimental legacy first identified by Oiticica.

This form of intentional improvisation as a form of resistance has its own history in the interplay between how the state looks at culture, and how autonomous initiatives and independent artists’ strategies react against state politics and external circumstances. In the 1960s, inde-pendent artists were fighting for freedom of expression

Artesquema, Daniela Labra, Brazilian Art Output Today, 2008, http://www.artesquema.com/escritos/texto-da-producao-de-arte-brasileira-atual/ (2014-01-21).

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under a military dictatorship that silenced some and exiled all those who dared to speak against the repression of culture that was deemed unfavorable to the regime, such as Oiticica himself, the Tropicália movement, and many other influential writers, artists and musicians.

With the move back to democracy and economic stability in the 1980s, this critical political stance in favour of a democratic society evolved into a form of institutional critique concurrent with a boom of artistic production that questioned the models of economic development both within and without the art world.

In the 1990s, this institutional critique intensified alongside the surge of globalisation and the internet, which multiplied access to international platforms and ideas, thus bringing Brazilian artists closer to a what was happening globally and an increased presence on the international art scene. The 1990s also saw the multiplication of numerous art collectives exploring alternative pathways to the 1980s market boom with a renewed focus on the experimental processes set in the 1960s, albeit criticising a new array of economic issues that included the creation of new “laws of incentive” for cultural production established by a neoliberal-inspired government in that decade. This included the Lei Rouanet which offered a tax writeoff for companies, most of them in fact state-owned, which in turn become the sponsors of culture, often as a marketing strategy. As a result of this, Brazilian cultural policy is still relatively young and therefore very much subject to development and change.

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In the 2000s, the election of a more left-leaning government with President Lula (2002-2010) brought aboard Gilberto Gil, a legendary musician and former political prisoner and exile, as Minister of Culture (from 2003 to 2008), bringing about more sensible policies that favoured cultural production through said tax-exemption laws, and at the same time opening pathways for culture that included the recognition of digital production as culture, rethinking intellectual property into the 21st century, and providing, at least temporarily, a cultural politics that was inclusive of cultural development and curtailing the bureaucracy around the access for state funds. Despite Gil’s efforts, five years and a change in administration later, the system still has not developed in a way that has become more embracing of experimental practices in general.

The state’s investment in the resources that facilitate cultural production in the country has always been inconsistent and steered by a series of political transformations that reflect the state’s position on culture. The

creation of autonomous zones of resistance2 achieved historical importance by constantly poking the state structures with ideas and strategies that continuously try to make public resources suit the needs of experimental practices, all the while ensuring artistic freedom.

The development of autonomous zones of resistance reacts to an increasingly instrumentalised cultural scene where the independent artists have less and less access to public resources as individuals, either through stipends and prizes or through companies via tax exemption policies at federal and state level.

As has happened to me several times, as an artist one must collaborate with a cultural producer as a middle person who files the grant applications to the government and lobbies with his or her contacts to get applications through. Where there are resources directly allocated to artists, the applications are so detailed and complex that artists

“Who is the masked power that violates our rights?

Institutional violence,” Projetação, June 2013

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Nunes, Kamilla. Espaços Autônomos de Arte Contemporânea, p.14

need to continuously tweak their projects to suit the application requirements. For Clarisse Tarran, an artist from Rio de Janeiro who ran the gallery Espaço Durex without any form of state or corporate support for ten years, the time taken to adapt projects for each application took away precious time for developing the core activities of her space. She and the Durex group decided to create alternative forms of selfsustenance for every project, not least sustaining the entire initiative with their own incomes from other real-life jobs.

Zones of resistance such as Espaço Durex are hybrid and complex artistic dispositifs that need to shift in shape and character as they continuously respond to changing external conditions.

These occur in parallel to, and/ or are dissonant, in an ever more sophisticated market structure of galleries, collectors and cultural policies while

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“The masks of resistance cause the masks of power to fall,” projection onto the steps of Rio’s Legislative Assembly/Chamber of deputies, Projetação, June 2013. Photo: Projetação 15

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Interior of FĂĄbrica Bhering, home to several artist studios. photo: Mats Hjelm.

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public resources become more scarce especially for independent artists and initiatives.

An independent scene, as in some European models that recognise independent spaces and legitimise them through specific lines of funding, cannot be said to exist as such in Brazil right now, according to Tarran. There are independent initiatives, continuously changing collectives and actions, but Brazil is a country that does not have its own National Gallery with its own collection, only museums.

There are no government incentives encouraging artists to open their own spaces and there are very few stipends for individual artists. Of course, with a new government and a new ministry, the situation may change.

Unlike Sweden where the State is still the main driving force behind financing different kinds of cultural initiatives through a variety of direct or indirect mechanisms, whether they are institutions or independent artists, in Brazil the

A Boom for Whom?

state support has always needed to be complemented by other means, yielding a sort of collaboration between all the forces that structure the cultural scene. Even so, the infrastructure is still lacking, but as the sector professionalises, more knowledge and resources begin to accumulate. We could say that Sweden and other European countries are already leaning towards similar models as the dismantling of the public sphere slowly occurs. In Brazil, despite the State being the largest facilitator of funds for culture, the question rather becomes – how can there be a cultural policy that also responds to the support artists need for their initiatives? Are there other ways for artists to access public funds beyond corporate sponsorship or individual survival tactics? As it looks like right now, there are many cracks to fill, and the most interesting initiatives from the past few years position their actions in these cracks.

In Rio de Janeiro, Capacete,

a Rio de Janeiro-based residency programme started by artist and photographer Helmut Batista in 1998 has been the main international residency programme in Brazil in the last fifteen years.

It has been an important channel between the international art scene and local practitioners and has had significant influence as a support structure and a channel for new ideas within independent contemporary practices locally.

Unfortunately, due to lack of continuous funding to make the organisation grow, including the professionalisation of its management, Capacete ceased to exist in 2013. Unlike in Europe, where in some countries the state has recognised the importance of independent platforms and legitimised sources of funding for their continuity in some cases, in Brazil this is more difficult regardless of the organisation’s successful track record in the field. The activities of Capacete will surely find other means

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of survival and morph into another form in the near future.

In terms of art education, new courses and private investment in the further education of artists and practitioners continue to be established, sometimes in partnership with public or private universities, sometimes as autonomous schools that create models of self-sustainability. One such example is Ateliê da Imagem, run by artist and photographer Patricia Gouvêa, a school and cultural centre that sustains itself by offering basic courses in photography and studio rental, as well as symposia, conferences, short courses with international guests and a small gallery that has created a meeting point for critical photography in Rio. Patricia has continuously applied for public funding during the fourteen years since she founded the space, and has consistently been denied support –simply because the government lacks a more flexible directive where her type of space and activity could be suitably classified. In the meantime, new

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Action on Ipanema beach by Vade Retro, ‘The Circulation of Accumulation’, performance and ‘block action’, 2013, photo: Flávia Viana.

Masters’ courses are popping up quickly inside the universities, strengthening the academic part, but not leaving enough time for artists to make art. In the tough balance between the formal and the informal structures, we see instrumentalisation on the one side, and a continued experimentalism and ‘can do’ attitude on the other.

One of the most surprising events of the past couple of years is the inauguration of ArtRio, Rio’s contemporary art fair, which sold 120 million Reais in its first fair (33 million Euro or 330 million Swedish crowns), four times more than the international art fair in São Paulo. This caused a gold rush of artists to the galleries and the internationalisation of ArtRio, which now counts among big global players such as Gagosian Gallery from New York and others of the same caliber. A few of the artists from the experimental scene in the 1990s have jumped over to the now-profitable gallery scene. Others have remained in the margins in order to continue to have critical freedom.

Performance and Politics In late June 2013, two million people from all over Brazil took to the streets to protest against corruption and government inefficiency one year from the 2014 World Cup. Triggered by a rise in bus tariffs in São Paulo, soon enough, all sorts of repressed dissatisfactions surfaced and spread to major cities. People from all walks of life, but mostly the young from the country’s up-and-coming middle class organised themselves mainly through social media, and created hand-painted posters with slogans denouncing government corruption at all levels. Among the complaints was the excessive spending on the upcoming World Cup – billions spent on world-class arenas in a country with profound social inequalities and fragile infrastructure. Artists and cultural workers were equally eager to voice their concerns, or create actions and interventions in public spaces that reflected the demonstrators’ state of mind.

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‘Messages from Kafranbel’, exhibition at gallery Tegen2, Stockholm 2013.

SYRIA

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The village Kafranbel, often called ‘The Conscience of the Syrian Revolution’, where Christians, Druze and Muslims stand together against the dictatorship, using peaceful means like Art Activism. Each week the best pictorial ideas are voted for to be used at the Friday Demonstration.

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GEORGIA 01 20

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A Wind Through the Caucasus

by Pontus Raud

The new style of futuristic Tbilisi, the Theatre and Exhibition buliding, Rike park, Tbilisi. Architect: M.Fuksas.

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A Wind Through the Caucasus

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Wato Tsereteli

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HE SOVIET UNION, however, is not especially present as we gaze over the glittering city of Tbilisi following a trip up to the old fortress via cable car. The city spreads out below us with all of its fantastic Jugend buildings combined with newer futuristic architectural creations, looking a bit like candles of glass and steel on an ancient historical cake of plaster and bricks. The Russian Futurist poet Kruchenykh referred to Tbilisi as “The Third Cultural City” in the 1910s. Back then the town was brimming over with Futurists and Dadaists as well as proponents of the more generally known European avant-garde movements such as Cubism and Expressionism.

Wato Tsereteli stares fixedly at me for a moment and then, as though he can’t hold back the words, forcefully explains, “There is one thing you must understand.

You are in a country that is, figuratively and metaphorically speaking, after war.”

He then goes on to clarify, “Not the Russian-Georgian war but the mental war of the Soviet … or rather the mental occupation that lasted for seventy years. And now we have to wake up again… and that takes time!”

Georgia has a language family of its own, full of influences from all the various cultures that have passed through over the centuries via the Silk Route. Tbilisi, the “City of Hot Springs”, has been the centre of the Caucasus ever since its foundation in the fifth century. The old Soviet Stalin has always been popular in Georgia, but under Saakashvili (the country’s president since 2003) it has been forbidden to show one’s admiration for the dictator. In 2011 the Georgian parliament voted to entirely prohibit the use of Soviet symbols in the country. Joseph Stalin was born in Georgia under the name Jugashvili, and now, as the Saakashvili era nears its end, several statues of Stalin have been re-erected.

Georgia is a country with one leg in Europe and the other in Russia, and both of the superpowers are constantly pressuring the country to choose sides. Supermarket is here to come into contact with artistrun initiatives in Georgia. Wato Tsereteli is the founder of CCATbilisi (Centre for Contemporary Art in Tbilisi). After studying film in Tbilisi until the school was closed down, he travelled abroad and ended up in Belgium, where he studied for five years at the Art Academy of Photography, after which he eventually returned home.

The years spent away from his homeland offered him an insight into how strongly influenced the people of Georgia were by the Soviet era.

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CCA Tbilisi “damaging public property was cool… it was a way of being a dissident.”

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Wato: We are like children with regard to the ideas of a society… or the context of society…what the Soviet Union did first was to kill the idea of individuality. For the sake of community and collectiveness… but this oppressed collectiveness also killed the true community spirit.

People were detached from their property in Caucasus. Everything in the state belonged to the state.

Nothing belonged to you…which meant that you couldn’t really have a relationship to the ground or to a building. Without a relationship

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one cannot have a responsibility. I remember when I was a kid in the Soviet Union… damaging public property was cool…it was a way of being a dissident.

Today people own their apartments and everything is very nice and clean inside but outside in the public space, everything’s a mess. So this kind of community understanding is gone. We have to learn it again! In that sense we are children. We always look to the state…to the government to organise everything for us…. but it’s not like that…. we should also organise our part.

Pontus: You mean by implementing a do-it-yourself approach (DIY)?

Wato: Yes… I was 23 when I returned to Tbilisi and there was nothing going on here…so I started to organise things to make things happen! I am now in the process of setting up this workshop here in Tbilisi – “Initiative in a Post-Soviet Place.” I use the case study of CCATbilisi, of how I started alone and now have this one-man endeavour as an example of a “do it yourself ” story.

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CCA - Center of Contemporary Art - Tbilisi

“We have to learn it again! In that sense we are children.”

CCA-TBILISI is an artist-run project housed in an old electricity plant. There is a large gallery space on the bottom floor, with an office, two studios and a darkroom for photography on the upper floor. The thirty odd members have spent considerable time and effort refurbishing the premises in exchange for free rent. Now that the work is finally done, the landlord is typically demanding a rent that none of the members can afford to pay! Hence, Wato is now forced to desperately start looking for new premises.

CCA-Tbilisi offers an extensive programme with exhibitions with

participating artists from the entire Caucasus region as well as International events such as the exhibition “Between Miracles” in the spring of 2013 with artists from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. In conjunction with the exhibition a seminar was also held that focused on the Nordic art scene.

CCA-Tbilisi has built up a strong network and a excellent gallery that acts as an important conduit for contemporary art and young artists.

Wato also espouses the long-term strategy of implementing the do-ityourself approach (DIY).

THE ART SCENE in Tbilisi is very small, but despite this, is seems as though far from everyone knows everyone. During our visit, an art festival at the National Gallery organised by a curator from New York had its opening.

None of the artists run galleries or their artists were included and several were apparently not even aware of the ongoing exhibition of contemporary Georgian art. This clearly indicates how segregated the groups are, and it is obvious that the institutions have no interest whatsoever in engaging in a dialogue with other players in the art scene.

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Old jugend house 25

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Gallery Nectar

An opening at Gallery Nectar

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GeoAir

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HAT EVENING we witness the start of a new artist-run gallery, Gallery Nectar, situated on a commercial street with large store windows.

The founder of Gallery Nectar, Nino Sekhniashvili, was a student of Rosemarie Trockel at the Art Academy of D端sseldorf.

The opening night attracts hordes of people. We are treated to the local wine and learn that the Caucasus was the first region in history to engage in domesticated wine-making. The curator of the exhibition, Irena Popiashvili, held the position as principal of the art academy but was fired after a mere eight months when she insisted

GeoAir that the school should focus on contemporary art. A huge problem for the young artists seems to be the complete lack of interest for contemporary art in the art academy.

RIGHT NEXT TO the art academy lies the residency programme GeoAir. Located in a house with a surrealistic entrance worthy of a Harry Potter film, they provide a forum for encounters between East and West. They produce temporary exhibitions with guest artists that often take place in the public space. The state funds are almost non-existent, and they are forced to depend on financial support from International

institutions and embassies.

GeoAir have also issued criticism towards the short-term thinking with regard to Georgian culture.

The old Jugend houses are quickly and carelessly renovated and repainted without the slightest concern for actually preserving their history, but simply to achieve a tidy appearance. The rebuilding of old houses into new ones is also taking place in other Georgian towns as a superficial way of cleaning up. The political instability in the country leads to a complete lack of longterm plans. People must constantly be prepared for unexpected change, and this has a strong influence on their daily lives. One has no choice but to struggle on as best one can!

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I

N A MAGNIFICENT natural setting full of fruit trees and grape vines winding their way along lush green hills, an International festival of contemporary art is being set up in honour of the Zdanevich brothers.

Despite the relatively inaccessible location of the site, the festival attracts upwards of 4000 visitors.

The two brothers Ilia and Kiril Zdanevich were two artists active in the early 1900s who represented the avant-garde art scene in Georgia.

Ilia Zdanevich moved to Paris and was involved in the Dada scene.

We are told somewhat brazenly how extremely boring artists in Paris were when he first arrived on the scene, and that it was in fact this Georgian that initiated all the antics and masquerades that were typically associated with the famous Parisian avant-garde. The brothers constitute a link between the high point of Orthodox Catholic art in Georgia and the contemporary art that is now writing new additional chapters of its own in Art Villa Garikula and Tbilisi.

THE ARTIST GROUP in Garikula shares a dream: to create a self-supporting infrastructure for contemporary art in Akhalkalaki.

Karaman Kutateladze, the initiator and artistic leader of the group was born in Tbilisi. As a young art 01 28

Art Villa Garikula

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On our last day of our stay in Georgia, we find ourselves on the roads leading out from Tbilisi. The further we get from the city the worse the quality of the road, and the final stretch to Art Villa Garikula consists of pothole-ridden dirt roads.

Art Villa Garikula

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“We first came to this government owned historical building as squatters.

* student, he would stay in a house in the area while on field trips with his art school. The students would often visit Art Villa Garikula, that back then stood forlorn and abandoned. After Georgia claimed independence in 1991, he moved to Paris, and after the end of the war with Russia in 2008, he returned home. The abandoned house among the grape vines remained

fresh in his memory and close to his heart. Karaman Kutateladze explains, “We first came to this government owned historical building as squatters. That was when I came up with the idea to create an art village and to offer artists a residency here. We now have an organisation that takes care of the house, the land is privately owned and fifteen artists have

bought land next to this house – it’s an art village, you see.”

As an artist or group one is welcome to apply for a residency or participate in a workshop here.

Participating is free of charge, but each artist must provide for themselves. Many of the guests have likened the experience to being part of a family, and as we stand amongst the participants we can Dining room in Art Villa Garikula

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Karaman Kutateladze

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* immediately relate to that analogy.

Time slows down, and we feel a strong relaxed affinity with all the group members around us. There is a wonderful collective feel to the group, the likes of which I have seldom come across.

THE FACT THAT Karaman is the grandson of Kiril Zdanevich gives him a certain cult status in Georgia.

“We have a good relationship with the government who help finance the festival. With some Polish collaboration we have also started a restoration school,” he informs us. But Karaman then wrinkles his nose a little, rubs his face with his broad hands, and goes on to say, “This is a complicated country nowadays. Everything is constantly changing! Georgians need to study the political situation.”

The festival gives a mixed impression, and the artworks 32

Invisible Streams, French Pavilion by Aurélien Cornut Gentille and Paul Le Bras

are placed seemingly a little haphazardly throughout in the expansive land area. Artworks from previous festivals form the framework for new pieces.

Imaginative solutions in the nature and the laid-back rhythm make finding our way to the artworks a truly enjoyable experience. Here we find artists from a variety of countries, but I detect a certain French touch to it all. I am drawn to an artwork by two French guys who have dug up a tree and placed it in an enormous pot with a rounded base. When the wind blows through the tree crown the pot starts slowly tottering about. An image of a piece of nature put out of play in a human aesthetic puzzle.

Also an apt image of a country that anxiously moves in sync with the wind, and its pretty gusty right now.

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When the wind blows through the crown the pot starts slowly tottering about.

Avesta Art 2014 Samtidskonst i samspel med industriarvets slagg och suggestiva arkitektur

24 maj - 7 september Ă–ppet alla dagar 11-18

www.verket.se Tel. 0226-64 51 62 verket@avesta.se Verket, Kanalvägen 1, Avesta

Bild: Alessandro Lupi

Midsommarafton stängt

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SYRIA 01 34

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Tomorrow will be the beginning of a new life

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by Abir Boukhari

The idea for AllArtNow started in 2005. We were three people – myself, my sister and my brother.

One of us an artist, the other someone who adores art and my brother who believed in his two sisters’ concept.

Photos: ©allartnow

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* Many friends thought that we are crazy to buy the place. “It is so old and needs so much money and effort to renovate!” I was just thinking that we needed a space where we could show art and realise our dream.

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HEN THE ORGANISERS of Supermarket art fair invited me to write a piece about the AllArtNow space, I was so enthusiastic. I thought it would be wonderful to share with others the story of this place that has inspired us since we opened it in 2008. But when I started to write the article I found it really difficult to explain what it means for us and how much of a big role it has played – at least in our life, as a group.

I wrote many drafts and I was never satisfied. I was always asking myself, do I really have the right to write about the space? Do I really know what AllArtNow meant for the artists or anyone else?

After a month of asking myself these questions, I decided to write about AllArtNow from my own point of view and how I have 01 36

considered the space from the beginning, and what I think about it now.

The idea for AllArtNow started in 2005. We were three people – myself, my sister and my brother.

One of us an artist, the other someone who adores art and my brother who believed in his two sisters’ concept. We thought that if we believe hard enough in art and work for it, we could perhaps take the first step towards creating a new model for artistic activity.

I started to communicate “virtually” with the world to find opportunities to show Syrian arts outside of the country and my sister started to share the idea with different Syrian artists.

Thanks to our first supporters our independent initiative succeeded in presenting its inaugural show.

I have to admit that the first experience was not at all perfect.

It was full of disappointments, however, since that beginning we have learned a huge amount from different situations, different partners, through training, and by observing others working around the world. We believe that we always have to learn more and to keep developing our work.

IN 2007 WE DECIDED that if we really wanted to make changes on the art scene then we had to do three things: create an audience.

Create meeting points for the artists, where they can produce and see artworks and meet artists from different countries. Create an appreciation for contemporary art and a venue with particular focus on it. So it became very clear that we needed an actual physical space.

After much searching we found it, an old Damascene house in the old town, in an area where many

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artists had bought or were renting studios. The house itself was perfect for collective exhibitions; it had six rooms of different sizes, two courtyards, of which one was big enough to host talks and screenings. We could invite artists for discussions and to gather together people during exhibitions and projects. The house also included two other ‘unsafe’ rooms on the second floor (because they were too derelict) but it would be possible to use them when we were able to restore the building.

Many friends thought that we are crazy to buy the place. “It is so old and needs so much money and effort to renovate!” I was just thinking that we needed a space where we could show art and realise our dream.

After we purchased the building, I found out from neighbors that the house was previously a residence

for different Palestinian families who had lived there from the 1950s until 2007 when we bought it and turned it into a refuge for our artistic dreams. “Refuge” – I could say that this space has a long history as a refuge – it started with the Palestinian refugees, who lived there, then it became our art refuge in 2008, and it returned to being a domestic refuge in 2012 – this time for Syrian families.

BUT LET ME COME BACK to the years from 2008 to 2010 when the space generated a lot of debate, interest and controversy in the art scene – more than we ever expected. Consequently our openings were always full of people, even though we did not have the name AllArtNow on the door. This was because the space itself was registered as workshop space and not a gallery – officially AllArtNow

did not exist, it was only a workshop space. Some people came to visit out of curiosity, some of them admired our work, others to criticise us, some laughed at us for doing art in this ramshackled space, and some of them thought that we were crazy to think that we could create change in the art scene in this way.

I think what really helped us was that the space was unique. It was the only non-profit space that welcomed artists and their creativity who worked with contemporary art, and invited in foreign artists to work, talk, and meet Syrian artists – to discover the art scene in the city.

It was a place with opportunities to continue developing as an artist, to communicate with the others, to see what the rest of the world was doing, to enable artistic processes and production, and

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A lot of people have asked, how could you give away the space, so lightly that you have worked so hard for?

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to keep our desire for the new alive.

But I have to say that the space was not so acceptable to many of the old Syrian artists and I still remember when one of the professors from the Fine Art school who had heard a lot about the space decided to visit. When he saw the show he was so angry he told me that this was garbage, not art. He then proceeded to insulted one of the young artists who was in the exhibition, she was one of his students! He refused to stop or to leave the space until we asked some of our mutual friends to come and they convinced him to leave.

In contrast to this I received a lot of admiration from young artists and young people as we got attention from international partners, organisations and institutions and our network started to grow. We succeeded in organising two international festivals of contemporary art shown in different public venues, built exchanges of artworks, events with different organisations and festivals around the world. We started an exchange residency program, as well as presenting many artistic events, projects and activities at AllArtNow. We even established a new space to create a permanent Artist-inresidence programme (the space was unable to launch because of the increasing unrest), and finally we organised a programme of informal schooling in contemporary art 38

to help younger Syrian artists fill the gap in their art studies after the 1950s. One of the tasks at the school was that the artists put together two installation exhibitions to help them to start their careers.

HOWEVER, I HAVE TO SAY that since 2011 I have experienced various difficulties because of the turbulent situation in my home country Syria. Because I believe that art plays a special role and that it has to exist even in the hardest of times, I’ve worked to find ways of helping artists continue their practices despite the circumstances. I tried to continue

inviting international artists to be in residence with us.

I found a new alternative space, “Maktab: Creative Zone” to use as a space for lectures and discussions as well as a gallery, and I tried to integrate people in the area (it is a commercial and conservative area).

I faced a lot of difficulties and hard times at different levels but I kept working to find ways to make and present art until July of 2012, when Haitham (a colleague who was working at AllArtNow) came to me and asked if was possible for him – along with his family, his parents and his brothers’ families – to stay in AllArtNow as residents,

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It was a place with opportunities to continue developing as an artist, to communicate with the others, to see what the rest of the world was doing, to enable artistic processes and production, and to keep our desire for the new alive. especially, as he pointed out, as we did not have activities during the summer.

In the beginning I tried to explain to him that living in AllArtNow wasn’t a good idea; it was a neglected space and it was dangerous even to work in. So how could anyone think about living in this kind of space? There was minute of silence, then he answered with such a sad voice; telling me that they had tried desperately for two months to find a place, they were four families and that renting was so expensive, that they did not have many options, maybe they would have to stay in their village.

This meant that they might die with their children or possibly they would wind up in a refugee camp.

Of course it didn’t take a long time for me to say yes; of course they could stay at AllArtNow. They were very welcome to use it and whatever they found there.

A LOT OF PEOPLE have asked, how could you give away the space, so lightly that you have worked so hard for? People warned me that if these families lose their houses in their village, maybe they are not going to leave the space. How are you going to work? Are you going to ask them to leave or you will stop working?

Of course all these questions were passing through my mind and I was sure that the war was not going to stop any time soon and that I was not going to be able to get back my space in the coming months. But I have to say that during times of war all people suffer and face the idea of loss and death. In war zones people share their pain, they know what loss means and that destiny sometimes is just absurd. In my case, I have to say that at the same time this colleague was asking me to stay in

AllArtNow, I was preparing myself, with my brother who has children, and my sister, to leave our own houses. We were facing almost the same situation.

We took the decision to stay in the artist’s residence that was supposed to be launched in 2011 but was postponed because of the war. We decided to be the first residents in the space because of the war.

In August 2012 Haitham moved into AllArtNow, and my sister, my brother’s family and I moved to the Boukhari house which is also in the old town.

Haitham is working in my brother’s office now and we are always discussing the difficulties of living away from home in a house that was meant to be an exhibition space. Haithams’ brothers decided to move away from Syria in order to find work and my sister also decided to leave Syria to study and continue her artistic future. I, my husband, my brother, Haitham and his parents, decided to stay in the country, to help each other and keep the faith that tomorrow will be the beginning of a new life.

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Blow this city up: working independently in Kyiv

by Katarina Lindqvist

During the past decade, Kyiv’s contemporary art scene has experienced an upswing. Several major projects have introduced the Ukrainian public to a visual world beyond the national museums’ framed canvases.

Photo: Alla Koleganova

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UCH AN EXAMPLE is the Pinchuk Art Centre, supported by local billionaire Viktor Pinchuk.

Centrally located next to the busy Bezarabka market and with free admission, the gallery has made works by international celebrities such as Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons accessible to a wide range of spectators. Another example is Mystetskyi Arsenal, a former military arsenal transformed into a spacious art centre that has hosted large-scale shows such as the city’s first biennale in 2012. But beyond the spectacular, sponsored projects, a struggling, yet vivid, generation of independent artists is to be found.

Kyiv-based artist Sasha Dolgiy divides the Ukrainian art scene into four categories: “the big institutions”, commercial galleries, art festivals and independent art spaces. The ties between the commercial and the independent art worlds are almost non-existing, he says. – They are two different poles.

The larger galleries are considered helpful in popularising contemporary art, and are important in spreading influences from the West to Ukraine, but the interest tends to stop at famous safe-bets, rather than exploring the avant-garde.

– None of the big curators are interested in searching for the new and unseen, nobody will come and put a spotlight on you if you’re not part of the small, already acknowledged clique, adds artist

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colleague Marta Vashchuk. It’s all up to you to make things happen.

So what is the situation like for those involved in the Ukrainian art world without access to – or wish to work within – the big institutions and the commercial art world?

– Simply put, you’ll have to finance your artistic life all by yourself, says Yan Golub, coproducer at the independent BeTV, an online television project that broadcasts cultural events, art news “and anything else we find interesting”. The team behind Be-TV is in the same situation, supporting themselves and the production with other jobs.

Practically everyone needs to find other ways to finance their artistry, Dolgiy agrees. – One friend installs iron gates in private houses; another renovates apartments.

Others have found a side business more closely related to their main occupation, such has making jewelry, or printing t-shirts.

Photo: Sasha Dolgiy

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Blow this city up: working independently in Kyiv

Scholarships are rare, and the few art awards that exist are seldom won by unestablished artists. Instead, most art students form careers within fields such as advertising and PR when faced with the harsh, post-graduate life.

If at least one student out of a whole art school class becomes an active artist, than that’s something to be happy about, according to Vashchuk. Overall, the general understanding of art forms outside the traditional oil on canvas is poor, says Vashchuk, who works

mainly with video projects and installations. Art schools teach classical painting, galleries accept paintings that are easy to sell.

The scarcity of galleries or institutions interested in showing experimental art is not an entirely negative thing, in Dolgiy’s view: It forces you to find your own ways of showing your art, and creating underground spaces that are open to expressions which would not fit in the institutionalised or commercial spheres, he says. He himself is involved

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Photo: Aleksandr Terlyuk.

Photo: Sasha Dolgiy.

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Photo: Alla Koleganovava.

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Blow this city up: working independently in Kyiv

Photo: Sasha Dolgiy.

Photo: Alla Koleganovava.

in such a project in the vivid Kyiv district of Podil, where Dolgiy and some fellow artists have their studios in a former sewing factory.

The collective space goes by the name Efir, nicknamed “the little art-courtyard”. In Efir’s rough but welcoming rooms, which include a bar, they arrange festivals, concerts and happenings on a regular basis. There are no juries examining the contributions in advance – people come and do a performance, show some of their work or play music, and afterwards, discussions take place in a relaxed atmosphere. Dolgiy points to other independent initiatives in Ukraine working in similar ways: Lab Garage, Nizhneyurkovskaya 31 and Otkrytaya Gruppa (“The Open Group”) all let different genres meet or interact.

For those without a physical space to use, the Internet has provided significant possibilities.

Vashchuk mentions yet another method: arranging pop-up shows in apartments. She herself is currently looking for a suitable apartment for her next video installation.

Even though the non-traditional independent art spaces are growing, they are still quite few, says Dolgiy.

But they exist and they lead the way forward, like icebreakers in the Arctic.

– What we need to do now is to collaborate, to help each other and use the strength that comes from working together rather than aiming for individual fame and glory, says Vashchuk. Careful to point out that it is just a Russian figure of speech, she finishes: Together, we’re gonna blow this city up!

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HE 60S, 70S AND EARLY 80S saw a rise in interest in Ireland as a place with a forwardlooking visual identity. After many years, during which visual culture was equated to a backward idea of Ireland as a land of Aran sweaters and red haired girls standing in front of white-washed stone cottages made complete by a turf carrying donkey, Irish artists, living in yet another series of economic recessions combined with the ongoing culture of emigration, took it upon themselves to find solutions to the difficulties of making contemporary work and finding places to show it whilst remaining in Ireland.

The 80s saw one of the many gentrification projects in the centre of the city of Dublin. The area of Temple Bar was proposed to become a bus park for the city bus company. This rundown area was one of the centres for artistic

practice as it contained artist-run galleries, studios, and flats in which artists lived. Often operating on a hand to mouth basis, groups of artists found semi-derelict spaces that a willing landlord handed over with terms that appeared to be favourable. This led to organisations such as Project Art Centre I, Temple Bar Gallery & Studios II , and The Gallery of Photography III being founded. A government intervention sought to save the area for the arts, and turn it into what was termed in the media as ‘Dublin’s Left Bank’.

What appeared to be a panacea soon became a difficulty. The promise of newly renovated or purpose built buildings gave way to organisations giving up ownership and

autonomy of their buildings to a central agency. Artists were forced to move from the area due to high rents. The reality of having to pay rents to the central agency meant that

IRELAND Society’s Dereliction Noel Kelly looks back on how Irish artists, living in yet another series of economic recessions combined with the on-going culture of emigration, takes it upon themselves to find solutions to the difficulties of making contemporary work and finding places to show it whilst remaining in Ireland.

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Carla Burns, Installation of ‘Dream of Healing’,Occupy Space, Limerick.

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organisations increased their dependence on Arts Council IV funding. Developing other forms of income generation became key for survival. Autonomy came with a price, and some organisations went through a series of challenges as new forms of governance were implemented and a constant selfassessment about their identity, relevance, and also their role in the city became a condition of funding.

Taking this example of the 80s into the 90s, we saw a strong resistance from the artistic population who felt ignored, mistrusted, or at the very least disillusioned with ‘the system’. A rise in population was accompanied by a growing artistic community looking for places to live, work, and exhibit their art. The limited

resources soon became symbols to be attacked as artists found they were being rejected by the organisations that they had helped to found. This rejection was accompanied in the late 90s by a trend that centered on dialogical practice. At a slightly later stage the new direction exalted socially engaged practice. Statements that ‘artists no longer need spaces’ became prevalent. Though in the stark reality of day to day living and the making of work, it was soon apparent that this was academic rhetoric and that both work and exhibition spaces were greatly needed across the country.

With the increase of graduates from colleges, and with the arrival of cheap international flights, more and more artists found themselves

able to travel to cities in Europe.

Although not a totally new phenomenon, it brought with it the experience of other cities and the challenge of implementing new ideas in Ireland. For the older generation it felt like a return to the early heady days of optimism and for the younger generation it gave them a new sense of courage to take on the established thought of the time. Although these were economic boom times, it felt Likethe bug-eyed monster of centralised funding would always be the barrier to change. To engage with this, both Arts Councils V started to look for other means of interacting with the community and promoted the need for more self-reliance and broadening of innovation. The movement away from subsidies was promoted as the use of the word “investment” became more and more popular. Centralised funding could no longer be seen as a right.

Instead it was to be seen as a positive investment in the sector and to be used to build capacity.

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by Noel Kelly

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Society’s Derelict

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Although resistance was to be found everywhere, the new reality soon became more and more obvious as Ireland’s hyper inflated economy crashed almost overnight. Established organisations soon found that the money was no longer there, and the years of large scale investment were soon replaced by years of on-going budget cuts that led to organisations disappearing, or at best, having to do a lot more with a lot less money.

Another direct effect of this crash was the floundering by government officials for a cure that would bring Ireland back to the “resplendent days of overabundance”. A conference of the Irish diaspora was called to look at ideas for saving the country. The surprising outcome was that almost everybody claimed that the arts were the only way forward. Richard Florida’s theories vi became unassailable facts. The art world cheered and signed up over night. Then the reality came…

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This wasn’t a return to increased investment at the grass roots level.

Instead it was the support of the marketing of Ireland as a place for culture. For most organisations nothing changed except an increase in terms of what they were expected to deliver.

It is hard to say exactly when the critical reaction came, but around the same time, the nascent occupy movement took hold in the arts sector. The newly confident generation were the first to see the opportunities to take over derelict spaces in towns across Ireland. In particular the occupy movement in Limerick gained much local support. The troubled social history of Limerick combined with the building of housing estates and shopping areas outside of the centre of the city meant that the city was dying. The term doughnut city was much used. With the positive history of events such as EVA VII and the quality of programming that had been undertaken by

Starting Over, Alan Brooks (UK), Gerard Byrne (IE), Tacita Dean (UK), Scott Myles (UK) Curated by Mark O’ Kelly, 21 June - 24 August 2013.

Works left to right: Scott Myles, The Lecture, 2010 - 2013, ink on reverse of Felix Gonzalez-Torres poster, perspex, powder coated aluminium, mirror screenprinting ink, 122.6 cm x 84.5 cm x 96.3 cm, photo: courtesy of the artist and The Modern Institute/Toby Webster Ltd, Glasgow.

Gerard Byrne, An allegory of the transfer of the Imperial Gallery to the Belvedere, 2013, selenium toned silver geletin photographic print, 89 cm x 78.5 cm, photo: courtesy of the artist, Lisson Gallery, London and Green on Red Gallery, Dublin.

Alan Brooks, Crack-ed, 2006-7, acrylic and oil on copper, 21 cm x 29.8 cm, photo: courtesy of the artist and MOT International, London.

The newly confident generation, were the first to see the opportunities now available to take over derelict spaces in towns across Ireland.

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Temple Bar Gallery & Studios, photo: Denis Mortell

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* the Limerick City Gallery of Art VIII, there was openness to the providing the new occupy moment with credible support for infrastructure and business advice.

Creative Limerick IX was born.

Organisations such as Occupy Space Limerick X (now H-Q), Ormston House XI, and Faber Studios XII are a direct result of this positive atmosphere. Nobody was getting paid, but the drive to make and show work was stronger than the need to eat.

The continuance of the Florida model meant that this system would soon be under attack. ‘Creative’ was no longer strictly to do with the arts. Architects, designers, and even software engineers were seen to be the creative community, and it soon became apparent that once the idea of a vibrant visual arts community was in place, the marketing could

Society’s Dereliction take over and the arts would be replaced with more commercial creative entities.

But all was not bleak. The legacy of this period is still alive and well.

Continuing in the west of Ireland, Galway always had a reputation as our city for the arts. Unfortunately, through bad decision making over a long period, the provision of gallery spaces diminished. The local artist community met calls for self-organisation with much enthusiasm. Groups such as 126 XIII and venues such as The Shed XIV were founded and were quickly established as core for the city. They are also recognised as the spaces that allow artists to experiment and take risks with their practice outside of the more established Galway Art Centre XV. The change permeated around the country, and independent Ormston House, Limerick

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is Our Opportunity

Ormston House, Limerick

groups who may have run offsite projects have now found greater supports and acceptance. In Cork the Black Mariah XVI group are now responsible for the visual arts programming of one of the city’s oldest arts centres, The Triskel, with a challenging programme of contemporary artists who may not otherwise have the opportunity to experiment in the city. Towns such as Waterford, with the SOMA group and Hive Emerging XVII sought to develop opportunities so that artists can stay living and working in the town rather than moving to Dublin or abroad; therein bringing vitality to the town centre by opening up spaces in otherwise empty buildings. The Greenway Artists Initiative XVIII has galleries in both the towns of Newport and Westport and represents over 90 of Mayo’s artists with a mandate to encourage an active dialogue and creative exchange between the visual arts and new audiences,

Although it is impossible to go through each and every group, several spring to mind when considering the rest of the country.

VOID XIX in Derry, based in the basement of a former shirt factory, can be seen as bringing the local and international together and their work has been recognised taking a key role during the Derry/ Londonderry UK City of Culture.

Similarly maintaining a strong link with their past as artist led are Belfast based Catalyst and Golden Thread Gallery. Catalyst XX has become the incubator for arts administrators and organisations in Northern Ireland. It is Belfast’s primary artist-led organisation and is run by unpaid volunteers.

Golden Thread Gallery is a contemporary space showing both artists from inside and outside of Ireland. As well as the gallery programme, Golden Thread Gallery attends art fairs internationally with a view to introducing Irish artists to the

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* international market, maintaining a uniqueness as it aims to have artists that they represent taken on by other galleries internationally.

Also worth noting in Northern Ireland are Satis House and PS2.

PS² XXI = (Paragon Studios/project space), is a small artist collective, with a studio space in the centre of Belfast. Alongside the studio space, PS² uses a former shop, project space, on the ground floor of the building as a platform for art projects and cultural activities that often include fringe sites in the city and further afield. Satis House XXII is placed in the non-traditional setting – the upstairs master bedroom of a terraced house in South Belfast. Satis work with both emerging and established artists, inviting them to respond directly to this unique environment.

Located in a part of Belfast not usually associated with the visual arts that is, and was, politically sensitive both during and after The Troubles, The Engine Room Gallery XXIII has earned recognition for its important role in the development of contemporary art in Belfast. Run by the East Belfast Arts Collective, the Gallery acts as an accessible site for the presentation of work by contemporary artists to the public.

It is not surprising that the majority of spaces are based in Dublin. As a direct result of the recession the number of organisations popping up has increased. The early development has now given way to a rationalisation process as these organisations move from being projects into being a fully-fledged businesses. Most carry with them studio spaces or other businesses so as to bring in money to fund their building and the programme.

Some examples of the many organisations include Basic Space XXIV , a Contemporary Art Practice Group that have a core group of studio artists who make 52

use of the space on a permanent basis as an open plan communal workspace. They make the space available to artists as short-term work/exhibition space, and have an exhibitions programme curated and developed by the Basic Space team.

Pallas Projects/Studios XXV is a not-for-profit organisation, which provides studios for professional visual artists, as well as delivering a programme of contemporary art projects. In existence for seventeen years, they have recently relocated to a previously unused primary school in the inner city.

Block T XXVI, based in Smithfield, was founded in 2009 and has grown to incorporate over 70 artist studios. They are located in a former probation office (2,000 sqM) and a former tile factory (800 sqM) and warehouse with a gallery programme that is a combination of self-curated and partnerships.

NO MATTER WHERE they are in the country artist-led organisations all share the need to fund themselves as they look to develop. The conditions of having or not having a lease on their buildings are of daily concern.

Putting in place the correct legal and corporate governance structures remain a challenge. Each strives to find ways to work with volunteers, internships, and other government sponsored employment programmes. Some have chosen to

Ormston House, Limerick.

The conditions of having or not having a lease on their buildings are of daily concern.

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make their buildings available to commercial entities working in the creative sector. These rents become critical for them to survive if they cannot find access to funding from the Arts Councils.

The current thought is to avoid taking on a building unless studio, exhibition rental, or other existing forms of income can cover administration and legal costs. The idea of whether or not organisations are sustainable has become a full discussion. The question is asked if sustainability is necessary. Though this argument brings with it the problems of accessing government funding that is reticent about funding non-sustainable projects. Recent events have shown a restraint in offering funding to organisations that do not have a written lease or agreement as the reality of

ction is Our Opportunity

landlords taking back properties at short notice has come to the fore.

All of these are problematic, but one thing is very clear. The visual arts in Ireland have become even more vibrant and resourceful since the recession. The challenge now is for us to adapt the dependency of the large organisations on centralised funding, and look at what can be learned from the grass roots approach, and discover ways to change attitudes about funding of independent spaces.

Noel Kelly is President of AICA Ireland XXVII, Chief Executive Officer of Visual Artists Ireland XXVIII, and a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce XXIX.

h FOOTNOTES

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projectartscentre.ie www.templebargallery.com www.galleryofphotography.ie www.artscouncil.ie ibid and www.artscouncil-ni.org VI www.idaireland.com/news-media/ publications/library-publications/ innovation-ireland/IIR_web.pdf VII hwww.eva.ie VIII gallery.limerick.ie IX www.limerickcity.ie/CreativeLimerick/ X www.occupyspace.com XI www.ormstonhouse.com/ XII faberstudioslimerick.blogspot.ie/ XIII www.126.ie/ XIV theshedgalway.blogspot.ie/ XV www.galwayartscentre.ie/ XVI triskelartscentre.ie/the-black-mariah/ XVII https://www.facebook.com/hivegallery XVIII www.greenwayartists.com XIX www.derryvoid.com XX www.catalystarts.org.uk XXI www.pssquared.org XXII www.satis-house.com XXIII engineroomgallery.blogspot.com XXIV basicspace.ie/ XXV www.pallasprojects.org XXVI www.blockt.ie XXVII aica.ie XXVIII visualartists.ie and visualartists-ni.org XXIX thersa.org I

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Here we stand, facing the apocalypse. Or at least something resembling it, if you go by the worried shrieks of artists, culture producers and other souls whose years of reliance on public arts funding are now threatened by the failure of the system which they have for so long critiqued.

by John W. Fail

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* Inventing our own economies: a provocation

H

ERE WE STAND, facing the apocalypse.

Or at least something resembling it, if you go by the worried shrieks of artists, culture producers and other souls whose years of reliance on public arts funding are now threatened by the failure of the system which they have for so long critiqued. The cynical demon might utter: “So you were right – it couldn’t sustain itself – now what?”

Reports of the demise of state funding may be greatly exaggerated.

Certainly, for those of us in Europe, the centuries old traditions of art and patronage will remain in some form, regardless of what Europe might resemble after the chaotic bailout dust of the so-called “economic crisis” settles. Different countries and even different localities within those countries, all have varying levels of commitment to the well-being of artists. While the fringiest right-wing parties may dream of eliminating art subsidies entirely (or at least only supporting art which reinforces their nationalist goals), this isn’t going to happen overnight. People need culture, and even the most hardened philistine will acknowledge this.

Nonetheless, it seems more likely that we’ll be running into the brick wall of austerity soon. At least, no one seems to think that state 56

support is going to expand, just maybe not contract. We’re all worried about holding onto what we already have, and finding ways to justify our output against the metrics of neoliberalism. Even new programmes, such as the EU’s ‘Creative Europe’ initiative, are written to please this agenda: ‘the programme will provide a boost for the cultural and creative sectors, which are a major source of jobs and growth’.

This line of thinking – of casting the value of art as merely a boost for jobs and economic expansion – is not new. But it’s not likely to recede, especially as the shift towards the ‘creative industries’ comes to dominate public funding ideologies. In my view, contemporary art has been exemplary in critiquing these ideologies, and the technologies that fostered them, especially through the emergence of social practice and more experimental

cultural forms. But can art keep up with the changing world? And should it? Can we try to insulate ourselves from this push towards profit, or do we need to compromise?

Everything is blurry now. The line between public and private or the boundary between fine art and entertainment. The delineations of medium, genre, field. Most contemporary artists must be their own managers, deftly navigating funding applications, one’s own online presence, and the wispy passageways between collaborators, collectives, and Things Which Actually Pay the Rent.

How can artists take control of these factors, instead of being victimised by them? If I have learned anything from a couple years of moderating meetings at Supermarket, money is the one

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thing that every organisation and individual has in common. As bleak as that may sound, there’s a unifying reality to the unfortunate necessity of struggling to stay alive and relevant; for those of us in the ‘artist-run’ sphere of Supermarket, probably more-so.

Right now, there’s much buzz about Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. This virtual currency recently skyrocketed in ‘value’, though debates rage about Bitcoin’s actual worth – among other things, about whether the illicit goods frequently bought and sold with it represent the only real appeal of the project, about its legality and taxation issues, and about whether it is an actual ‘economy’ after adjusting goods for deflation. But it’s gone mainstream, migrating a concept that was once only in the wheelhouse of anarchists and hackers to an international, popular dialogue.

There’s a long history of art engaging with the concept of money, both aesthetically

and philosophically. What I am curious about is how we can build upon decades of research, not only in art but in the social sciences, to design structures that can generate a sustainable system for culture production. Can artists, hackers, and other social provocateurs crate something that can stand up against the machinations of neoliberal cultural policy changes? And can we do this without reinforcing the values which we may be opposed to?

Full disclosure: I have been involved with a project called Robin Hood Minor Asset Management (www.robinhoodcoop.org) for over a year, which takes money from members and invests it in a portfolio of stocks, chosen by our own computer programme (called the ‘parasite’, for it rides the coattails of successful big-time

investors). Profit is split between the individual member and the cooperative, with the cooperative profit intended to become a source of funding for members’ own projects. For example, if you invest 100€ of your own money and a year later you sell those shares for 120€, then you keep 110€ and the other 10€ goes to the cooperative, to which you can apply for support for your own work. It’s the second year now, and the portfolio is making money, though we have not yet established a procedure for the shared profit projects.

The Robin Hood project is built on the idea that the global financial system should support the precariat; that the massive imbalance between the amount of money in the world, and the amount of actual economic production from real labour and goods should not only benefit elites. There is such a ludicrous amount of money being made every day without any actual labour – through the cynical manipulation of derivatives, credit default swaps, and all of the other shenanigans that created this economic mess in the first place – that we should be able to enjoy the same luxuries.

Robin Hood is not based in crypto-currency, but through actual bank transfers of so-called “real” money. Yet I can’t help but wonder how some sort of system might be devised that combines something like Robin Hood (a ruthless attempt to profit from Wall Street’s absurdity) with something like a crypto-currency (where value is generated by a computer’s

*

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* “mining”, creating the currency using only time and electricity).

It seems to me like the discourse of crypto-currency is focused on the efforts of individuals to maximise profit, though there’s a necessary sense of collaboration involved to make the whole thing work. Bitcoin is not alone; Litecoin, Feathercoin and other crypto-currencies are constantly being designed, each one designed to improve upon the perceived flaws of its predecessors.

None of these systems work until people are willing to exchange “real” money for the virtual, which of course illustrates the inherently abstract nature of “real” money as well.

I wonder though – could we counter the libertarian, individualistic motivations of many crypto-currency hackers and design a new crypto-currency that

would support the cultural world?

Could we build into the algorithms and checksums a system where 1 ArtCoin (or whatever) may be worth 1.5x its regular value when used in the artistic/cultural realm?

Could we create a currency that rewards collaboration and joint projects by being somehow more valuable when used in for collective projects (or less valuable when used to benefit the individual)? And could this currency somehow grow by manipulating the by-products of capitalist expansion (a la Robin Hood), therefore creating a selfregenerating source for our creative explorations?

Perhaps this is pure fantasy.

But the conditions appear to be aligning for such a breakthrough to occur. But by its nature, a true alternative economy of culture will only work if many of us take a

Olli Lyytikäinen / Självporträtt / 1978

2.3 - 4.5 OLLI LYYTIKÄINEN 18.5 - 14.9 LARS LERIN 28.9 - 8.2 2015 TUSCHMÅLERI I KINESISK SAMTIDSKONST

nordiska akvarellmuseet

akvarellmuseet.org / restaurangvatten.com

chance on it (just like some early adopters of Bitcoin are now millionaires) and be willing to experiment, share, and possibly fail.

b

Utställningar

Apply to take part in Supermarket 2015 straight after this year’s fair!

The application process is done in two steps. After qualifying, your invitation from Supermarket can be used to apply for individual Arts funding. Final Deadline for applications is 15th September 2014.

More info at: www.supermarketartfair.com

8 mars - 6 april Slowmo - Tommy Andersson Måleri och objekt 12 april - 11 maj Faeries don´t exist - Magnus Wassborg Installation och film 15 maj - 8 juni Color can be found even in the dark Njudungsgymnasiets elevutställning 14 juni - 17 augusti Bortom nejden - Sara Möller Keramik, måleri och objekt Kyrkogatan 31, 574 31 VETLANDA Telefon: 0383-97352 @: vetlanda.museum@vetlanda.se

Reservation för ändringar.

pipilotti rist, Tyngdkraft, var min vän, 2007

I’m StIll Here tHe Dr awIng room otHerworlDly SIobHán HapaSk a 15 februarI – 8 junI 2014 Sa mlIng m agaSIn 3 StockHolm konStHall

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You You; women who have trampled grapes with bare feet since the beginning of history who were locked in chastity belts in Europe who were burnt to death in the Middle Ages who wrote novels under male pseudonyms in order to get published who harvested tea in Ceylon who rebuilt Berlin after the war who grew the cotton in Egypt who covered your bodies with excrement to avoid rape by French soldiers in Algeria virgins in Cuba who rolled cigars on their naked thighs members of the Black Diamond guerillas in Liberia samba dancers in Brazil women who have had faces destroyed by acid in Afghanistan my mother ‌ Forgive me.

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Ghayath Almadhoun was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Al Yarmouk, Syria in 1979. An author and journalist, while living in Syria he studied Arabic Literature at Damascus University and published two collections of poetry, including Poems That Fell Down By Mistake’

(Arab Writers’ Union, 2004), which won the Mazra’a Prize.

He emigrated to Sweden in 2008, and was granted permanent residency there in 2011.

‘Asylansökan’ – a collection of his poems translated into Swedish, and published by Ersatz in 2010, won the

Klas de Vylders Award in 2012.

The poem ‘You’ is part of the poetry collection ‘Till Damaskus’ which is written in cooperation with the Swedish poet Marie Silkeberg, and will be published by Albert Bonniers Förlag in Sweden in February 2014.

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Supermarket #4 Claudia Hausfeld, “The Artist”, digital collage, 28 x 21 cm, 2013. Kunstschlager, Reykjavík, Iceland.

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