"Reverse Joy" by Slavs and Tatars. Courtesy of the artists
The enigmatic international collective rooted in Polish and Persian history is part of a new public art festival organised within the framework of the Jerusalem Season of Culture initiative
Under the Mountain 2012 presents a week of art, life, and action, brining together artists, activists and scholars together in the city of Jerusalem to participate in a variety of events and experiments geared at creating unique cultural experiences that cross between visual arts, dance, music, performance, literature, philosophy and more. The initiative also aims to bring the realms of art and society closer, promoting works of art that engage the public actively, spurring on civic involvement in diverse aspects of everyday life.
According to festival organisers, the concept of new public art 'proposes thinking of art beyond the object, focusing on the human body and public space. It broadens the field of artistic action beyond the confines of the museum and into social, political and public institutions."
Among the participants this year is the Slavs and Tatars collective, presenting their work Reverse Joy at Safra Square. The fountain spouting bright red liquid is a metaphysical reference to the role of mysticism as an agent for change in the world and how the bloody results of that change are effectively the opposite of joy when it leads to casualty. The playful colour of the fountain represents the somber symbol of the blood spilled in armed conflict. It is both a commemoration of the fallen martyrs of the past, while addressing the revolutionary role of criticism amongst all three Abrahamic faiths and calling for "one world or none". It is an attempt to take on the ideals and beliefs of another along one's own path for self-discovery.
The installation is also accompanied by a lecture performance led by Slavs and Tatars, as well as a lecture led by curator Joanna Warszawa (co-curator at the recent 7th Berlin Biennale) on artistic strategies in politics and political strategies in art. Performative Democracy, Citizen Art and Political Beauty takes place on the 2nd of August between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Slavs & Tatars is "a faction of polemics and intimacies devoted to an area east of the former Berlin Wall and west of the Great Wall of China known as Eurasia". Founded in 2006, the group is made up of members across the region from Poland to Iran. The group conducts interdisciplinary research on the history, culture and politics of the Eurasian borderland and attempts to revive the culture of the region through various works, happenings and lectures. By breathing life back into the vast, misunderstood and often forgotten region, the artist collective aims to "resuscitate" Eurasia. Using nothing but characteristic bits and pieces from its nature, with the sole agenda of drawing attention to it, the exhibition artistically weaves together the story of the intersection between Slav, Caucasian, and Central Asian influences. Their most recent exhibitions at Vienna's Secession and Art Basel 2012 carry the intellectual weight of the two grand narratives of Central Asia - Communism and Islam. "We want to be both happy and intellectual, cheerful and critical", say the artists of Slavs and Tatars.
Slavs and Tatars are also part of the Experiments in the Techniques of Awakening exhibition at Jerusalem's Bezalel Yaffo 23/Jerusalem Gallery (15 July - 4 August), joining an international group of artists conducting performances and workshops on themes of physical, spiritual and social awakening. The project takes "non-knowing" as a platform for creative activity and finding out through experimentation, reflection and creation within the public forum. In September 2012 they will show their works at New York's Museum of Modern Art.
- Slavs and Tatars in Jerusalem - Summer of 2012
30 July - 4 August
Under the Mountain Festival
Artistic Director: Omer Krieger, Production: Yael Cohen
Jerusalem Season of Culture Artistic Director: Itay Mautner
City of Jerusalem
15 July - 4 August
Experiments in Techniques of Awakening
Director and Chief Curator; Sagit Mezamer, Curator and Program Director; Eyal Vexler, Gallery and Production Manager
Bezalel Yaffo 23/Jerusalem Gallery
Editor: Agnieszka Le Nart
Source: Polish Institute in Tel Aviv
See more on Slavs and Tatars at www.slavsandtatars.com
See more on the Under the Mountain Festival in Jerusalem at jerusalemseason.com