Untitled - krinzinger projekte - Galerie Krinzinger

8is what has been done by Kulik,Koshliakov, Gotov, Dubosarsky &Vinogradov, Moukhin and some otherswho should be understood as therealization of the efforts of heart and ofspiritual experience.I’m quite conscious that this lastobservation doesn’t sound credibleenough. This is too personal and couldcause a lot of contradictions. So usingthis quite vague terminology, and thenotion of soul that is very ambiguous forthe modern language, I should at least putabsolutely clear WHAT I DON’T WANTTO SAY. I don’t want to say thatcontemporary art is some chosen area ofthe operation of soul; that soul in someway geographically linked to Russia oreven has some inclinations in it’s direction;that these Russian artists know somethingparticular about soul or in somespecial way work with it, or took letterspatent to its copyright; that only soulaprove all their doings; or that they dosomething especially valuable and good,better than other artists before them andnow around the world. Not at all: they arenot heroes, saints, or genius, and theydon’t reveal any special truth to the world.I speak without doubt about ordinarypeople, but what is important in myobservation is that behind their bestworks stands not skill, artistic excellenceor intellectual superiority, but the particularposition in relation to the world occupiedby them, occupied courageously, andwithout compromise, in spite of all thegood advices of honorable critics andreceipts of common sense; the positionwhich finally marked the system ofcoordinates for all their followers, thanksto what the fruitful situation has beendeveloping in Russian art in these years.And one other thing I DON’T WANT TOSAY that is implied in what was outlinedabove but that I want to make absolutelyclear. The notion of soul that I use doesn’tsuggest absolutely anything national. Thebest examples of the westerncontemporary art (from futurism anddadaism of the beginning of the century,to minimalism, and actionism of the 60ies)also aren’t the outcome of rational laborsbut resulted as the efforts of heart. Nopsychoanalysis explains the spiritualinsight of Andy Warhol or Joseph Beuys.Of course, the subject generates endlessspeculations which means that it is aninexhaustible phenomenon and in thisquality so valuable for the westernrationalism finding in it its other,sometimes not very pleasant for the sightbut which appears to be the cornerstoneof its main values: individuality, liberty andjustice.Another question is how, in what idea thespiritual efforts of Moscow artists revealedthemselves. I would put it that the best ofthem take in the situation of the historicalREGRESS, the only possible definition ofwhat is going on in today’s Russia, theposition of active un-involvement. Again ina not so absolutely obvious way: not all,not at once, not definitely. Also it shouldbe kept in mind that they have thecommonly known examples of the artistsof the 60ies which they could follow. Buttheir art proves, and I think it’s the mainreason why it should be interesting to thewestern viewer, that their position was