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At two different locations \u2013 Tallinas iela 6 and Kim?, Sporta iela 2 k-1<\/p>\n
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Artists: Darja Bajagi\u0107, Wojciech B\u0105kowski, Matei Bejenaru, Piotr Bosacki, Pavel Br\u0103ila, Veronika Bromov\u00e1, Jan Bro\u017e, Ji\u0159\u00ed \u010cernick\u00fd, Romana Drdov\u00e1, Habima Fuchs, Maty\u00e1\u0161 Chochola, Ane\u017eka Ho\u0161kov\u00e1, Atis J\u0101kobsons, Zs\u00f3fia Keresztes, Aurora Kir\u00e1ly, Adrian Kiss, Adam Kokesch, Ji\u0159\u00ed Kovanda, Piotr \u0141akomy, V\u00e1clav Litvan, Pavla Malinov\u00e1, David Maljkovi\u010d, Jimena Mendoza, Gizela Mickiewicz, Marge Monko, Vlad Nanc\u0103, Ioana Neme\u015f, Alice Nikitinova, Richard Nikl, Pakui Hardware, Jasansk\u00fd & Pol\u00e1k, Julius Reichel, Dragana Sapanjo\u0161, Ji\u0159\u00ed Sk\u00e1la, Ad\u00e9la Sou\u010dkov\u00e1, Petr \u0160tembera, A\u0432\u0434e\u0439 Tep-O\u0433a\u043d\u044c\u044f\u043d, Mark Ther, Viktor Timofeev, Jerzy Truszkowski, Anetta Mona Chi\u015fa & Lucia Tk\u00e1\u010dov\u00e1, Em\u00f6ke Vargov\u00e1, Martin Vongrej, Jana \u017delibsk\u00e1<\/p>\n
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\u201cA sprawl of snowy hills and ugly roads\u2026there is no one to see them\u201d<\/em> (0)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The exhibition \u201cOrient\u201d is a meditation on the Eastern European identity. As the unifying aspect of this unclear region, it considers the failure of its own identity. The contradictory longing for pride and patriotism, and the simultaneous shame of where we come from (1), leading to suppression, and the negation of this belonging. The embarrassment growing from the internalisation of the collapse of the surrounding context, once built upon a social and political utopia. The expectation of catching up with the western capitalist standards, for which the integration into Europe, meaning Western Europe, was so often reduced on both sides. The slipping of the Second World from the frame (2), and hence belonging neither to Europe, nor to the West, nor to \u201cnon-Western\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/span>This exhibition chose the projection of an obviously problematic title (3), to constitute the self-ironic identity of the \u201cEast European (br)Other\u201d (4). It claims this contradictory \u201cOedipal relation\u201d(5), by both refusing and craving, as key constituents of the in-between-ness of Eastern (Bloc, Central, post-communist, New etc.) (6) Europe.<\/p>\n<\/span>Stating the suppressed inferiority complex, as a possible reason for the recent upheaval of nationalism and non democratic tendencies in Eastern Europe, it questions whether the acceptance of this failure in constituting and performing Eastern European identities, could not be turned to be its virtue.<\/p>\n<\/span>Built on expectations, desires, stories, experiences and stereotypes, it stages a drama that takes the viewer through five genre scenes following the historical dialectics of the region\u2019s development since the end of 1980s. A muddle of most ironic and most earnest intents for creating the new museum of (in)famous national histories. A therapeutic reenactment of our surprises, victories, traumas and humiliations. A dark satirical comedy of \u201cThe Fateful Adventures\u201d (7) in the non-existent region after The End of History (8).<\/p>\n<\/span>Despite the harsh irony (9), this exhibition believes it will help the \u201cwayward children of Europe\u201d (10) to finally grow and return to the European home once again, but also consider home as being more \u201ccelebratory\u201d than \u201cself-congratulatory\u201d and more \u201cfraternal\u201d than \u201cpatronising\u201d. (11)<\/p>\n<\/span>This exhibition is not a mapping, nor a survey, but a subjective journey seen from a point in space and time, and constructed with artists chosen not according to nationality or language (12) but via a relation. It doesn\u2019t aim for equality, but rather for inclusion.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 0\u2014In LUX: Laura McLean Ferris, New Artist Focus, Laura McLean Ferris on Deimantas Narkevi\u010dius: \u201cThe landscape of their country \u2013 a sprawl of snowy hills and ugly roads, paints a lonely picture, and suggests that there is no one to see them.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\u2014\u201cFarewell, Poland, farewell, empty wasteland, forever covered in snow and ice (\u2026) Barbaric people, arrogant and fickle, Braggarts, blabberers, having nothing but language, Who, day and night shut up in a heated room, Amuse themselves with a glass for every pleasure, Smore at the table and sleep on the ground.\u201d Philippe Desportes: Adieu \u00e0 la Pologne, 1574, translated from French in Philippe Desportes\u2019s \u201cAdieu \u00e0 la Pologne\u201d and Jan Kochanowski\u2019s \u201cGallo Crocitanti\u201d by Rory Finnin in Comparative literature studies, Vol. 44, No.4, 2007.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2\u2014Lucy Steeds in \u201cHow We Talk About East-European Art?\u201d conference by tranzit.sk: \u201cThere was only one Eastern European artist included in Les Magiciens de la Terre <\/em>(\u2026) We\u2019re now gonna shift to Havana, to consider the 3rd Art Biennale of 1989, which as you can see here, was the subject of the first of the two volumes, under the \u201cMaking Art Global\u201d title. And I can tell you right away that no Eastern European Artists were included, but if you look at the catalogue, no Western artists, as strictly, were represented either.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 3\u2014Edward Said in \u201cOrientalism\u201d, compare to \u201cInventing Eastern Europe\u201d by Larry Wolff: \u201cAs late as the eve of World War I, French scholarship still alternated between two seemingly similar terms, l\u2019Europe orientale <\/em>(Eastern Europe) and l\u2019Orient europ\u00e9en <\/em>(the European Orient). (\u2026) The idea of Eastern Europe was entangled with evolving Orientalism, for while Philosophic Geography casually excluded Eastern Europe from Europe, implicitly shifting it into Asia, scientific cartography seemed to contradict such fanciful construction. (\u2026) Such uncertainty encouraged the construction of Eastern Europe as a paradox of simultaneous inclusion and exclusion, Europe, but not Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 4\u2014in The Third Text: Welcome to Slaka, Katarzyna Murawska-Muthesius writes that\u201cthe ideological construction of the racialised colonial Other and the \u2018undeservingly white\u2019 East European (br)Other in the dominant western discourses reveal too many points in common to be ignored.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 5\u2014unknowingly killing his father and marrying his mother, questions of who is who remains.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 6\u2014Katarzyna Murawska Mathesius in \u201cMapping Eastern Europe: Cartography and Art History\u201d adds many different names for this region: Marchlands, shatter zone, the belt of political change, the other Europe, New Europe, Mitteleuropa, Zwischeneuropa and many others.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 7\u2014Jaroslav Ha\u0161ek: The Fateful Adventures of Brave Soldier \u0160vejk.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 8\u2014Francis Fukuyama: The End of History and The Last Man.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 9\u2014\u201cIn November 1956, the director of Hungarian News Agency, shortly before his office was flattened by artillery fire, sent a telex to the entire world with a desperate message announcing that the Russian attack against Budapest had begun. The dispatch ended with these words: We are going to die for Hungary and for Europe.\u201d Milan Kundera in \u201cThe Tragedy of Central Europe\u201d, The New York Reviews of Books, 1984.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 10\u2014this term that V\u00e1clav Havel used in his speech to U.S: Congress on February 22nd 1990, was translated from the original Czech word \u201czbloudil\u00e9\u201d meaning rather \u201cabandoned\u201d, \u201clost\u201d, or \u201cstray children\u201d by the simultaneous interpreter as \u201cwayward children.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 11\u2014in \u201cPolitical Critique: Eastern Europe according to British media\u201d: More likely to go to Italy for cappuccinos than join the ethnic fighting in Kosovo, Anna Azarova further writes\u201d \u201cEastern Europe\u2019s main attraction is, of course, that it\u2019s cheap. (\u2026) \u201cknock-down prices, [\u2026] lured by dirt-cheap flights,\u201d \u201ccheap beer and even cheaper women,\u201d (\u2026) The inhabitants of these cheap countries who lived the painful past and its consequences were similarly hardly mentioned \u2013 except in the context of describing their excitement at the sight of westerners\u2019 purcha$ing power; or as wild, undesirable side-effects.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 12\u2014\u201cWell, dearest friend, dearest Hikkitihoki, that is your name as you must know. We all invented names for ourselves on the journey. They are: I am Punkitititi. My wife is Schabla Pumfa. Hofer is Rozkapumpa. Adler is Notschopikitischibi. My servant Joseph is Sagadarata. My dog Goukeri is Schomanski. Madam Quallenberg is Runzifunzi. Mlle. Krox is Rumborimuri. Freistaetler is Gaulimauli. Be so kind as to tell him his name.\u201d these lines to Gottfried von Jacquin, from January 1787, were written by German speaking Mozart after his journey from Vienna to Prague through Czech speaking lands of \u201cBohemia.\u201d<\/p>\n