Intellectual marathon Here and Now. How contemporary is contemporary art? addresses the global question: what role does the word “contemporary” play in the term “contemporary art” in 2018? The focus of the discussion will be on the problem of actualisation and assessment of what is usually considered as part of the contemporary culture. The problem brought up in the title of the marathon is one of the central problems in the theory of art and is what concerns both theorists and practitioners.
Throughout history classical and contemporary art were in opposition, where the latter would depart from the canons of the former. Thus, what “contemporary” often means is “revolutionary from the point of view of the classical”. Within the framework of the Marathon leading practitioners and theorists will discuss the connection of today’s society and the processes that are under way in the culture as well as the changing understanding of what is contemporaneity in art.
19.30. Opening of the Marathon. The General Director of the State Hermitage Mikhail Piotrovsky's opening address.
19.40. Lev Manovich (USA). Artificial intelligence (AL) and the future of culture.
Panel discussions. Main Atrium
1. Museum+Contemporary art. Curator/Artist/Designer
In the situation where technologies are changing rapidly and the public demand is changing with them, modern museums must adapt. Through the case study of major institutions the experts will see how the understanding of the term «contemporaneity» is formed; the division between contemporary art and relevant art.
In this context the experts will discuss how economical, political and bureaucratic factors influence the museums work and art actualisation there. Are radical experiments possible in major museums and what are predispositions for that? We will also talk about how the general turn towards interdisciplinarity has influenced the process of creating exhibitions, when not only curators but also artists, exhibition designers and educational departments play an active role in the project.
19.50-20.50 Discussion:
Moderator - Dmitry Ozerkov. Art Historian, Museum curator (Saint-Petersburg)
Nicolas Liucci-Goutnikov, Museum curator(France).
Evgeny Asse. Architect, artist (Moscow)
Yana Klichuk. Curator (Netherlands)
Semyon Mihaylovsky. Art Historian (Saint Petersburg)
Pavel Pepperstein. Artist (Moscow)
Andrei Shelutto. Designer (Saint-Petersburg)
2. Theatre+Performance. Director/Performer/Actor
How close and productive are the connections between contemporary theatre and artistic performance, what is the future of the documentary theatre, what is the nature of the relationship between traditional theatre and the recent theatre productions, is there a «generation gap» in theatre and performance – all these and many other topics will be touched on during the panel discussion.
20.50- 21.50 Discussion:
Moderator – Elena Kolovskaya.Director, PRO ARTE Foundation ( Saint-Petersburg)
Elena Kovylina. Performance artist (Moscow)
Vsevolod Lissovsky. Theatre director (Moscow)
Vera Martynov. Theatre director, artist (Moscow)
Dmitry Volkostrelov. Theatre director (Moscow)
Helgard Haug. Director, Rimini Protokoll (Germany)
3. Cinema+Video art. Director/author/media
Contemporary cinema and video art have a lot in common with the 60s. One cannot imagine contemporary video art without Nam June Paik's and Andy Warhol's experiments. At the same time, the modern cinema language has creative crossovers with video art. What is the present state and the future of those genres of art?
21.50-22.50. Discussion:
Moderator – Vika Smirnova. Cinema critic(Saint-Petersburg).
Tatyana Arzamasova. Artist (AEC+F, Moscow)
Dmitry Venkov. Artist (Moscow)
Roman Volobuev. Critic, director, screenwriter, journalist (Moscow)
Michael Idov. Screenwriter, journalist, writer (Berlin)
Kirill Preobrazhensky. Artist, curator (Moscow)
Olga Shishko. Art theorist (Moscow)
Music Program. White Hall of Contemporary ArtDepartment.
Music. Creating/formatting/performing
Today music is not possible without the use of modern technologies. How multimedia influences the process of music creation and its public performance and how sound art is connected to contemporary music? How pop culture influences music culture as a whole? Today the future of music is more and more defined by its past, what endangers its development. Maybe the danger of the future of our music culture lies in its past?
21.00 - 00.00
Moderator- Dimitry Shubin ( SoundMuseum, Saint-Petersburg)
Lectures: David Stubbs. Music journalist (UK);
Alexander Gorbachev. Journalist (Moscow).
Сoncert: eNsemble & GhostNoir (Ladomir Zelinsky): Different Different Trains (interpretation of Different Trains by Steve Reich).
Installation: Dimitry Shubin. Musician (Saint Petersburg).
Performance: Viktor Vilisov. Theatre critic, director (Saint Petersburg).
Creative projects:
1.Video art:
АЕS+F
Viktor Alimpiev
Marina Alexeeva
Kirill Preobrazhensky
Alexandra Mitlyanskaya
Polina Kanis
2. Film screening “Poor Folk. Kabakovs” (General Staff Lectorium)
3. Performance. Theatre/Contemporary dance
Elena Kovylina. Artist (Moscow)
