[spectre] 11.01.2006 Les Complices Zurich: Critique of Pure Image - Between Fake and Quotation

[Dimitrina Sevova]

*11.01.2006, 18h:* Curatorial presentation by *Dimitrina Sevova* of


  Critique of Pure Image ’Äì Between Fake and Quotation

(International Project for Low and High Technics in Contemporary Media Art)

A project of the Art Today Association, Plovdiv (Bulgaria) in 
collaboration with code flow, Zurich ’Äì 
http://www.code-flow.net/fake and http://www.arttoday.org

*Discussion and bar.*

The project took place from 7 October to 8 November at the Centre for 
Contemporary Art, Plovdiv, Bulgaria. It consisted of an international 
exhibition and a series of performances with 30 participating artists 
and collectives, a theoretical symposium with 18 lectures, and an 
openair screening of a selection of short movies on the main 
pedestrian street in Plovdiv.

A selection from the photo, video and web documentation of *Critique 
of Pure Image ’Äì Between Fake and Quotation* will be exhibited at 
*Les Complices** on *11.-14.01.2006.*

*Special live guest this evening: Sexismus Productions - as an extra, 
their slide show "Ovaries International / Internationale 
Eierstˆcke"**, from Cream's Crˆ®me de la Crˆ®me event in Stuttgart 
(22.09.2005), or: The pre-"Fake" history of flying ovaries.

*

*And here’Äôs what the project has in store for you**: *

We have embarked together on a dangerous adventure in search of the 
projection of the real fake, the real pure image and the truly great 
quotation, and how these pieces fit together to produce reality.

The critical reflections on this process continuously change the 
terminology of art. It is not only the system of concepts that 
changes, but the very object of art, pertaining to a decidedly 
European, humanist tradition in art ’Äì life, or nature. With the 
emergence of digital technics in art, contrary to the initial 
expectation that virtual cyberworlds would be created, it turned out 
that the interest was rather directed towards more nature. Towards 
even more genuineness and authenticity. This changes not only the 
design of the urban space, but fundamentally the concepts related to 
this notion. The ’Äúdesert becomes more desert,’Äù the ’Äúvillage 
more rural,’Äù the ’Äúmountain more mountainous,’Äù the ’Äúwrestlers 
more wrestly,’Äù and the poor become aestheticizedly poor. What does 
this do to our perception of the global and the local, and where do 
we find ourselves on a personal level?

You’Äôll witness the presentation of a strategy with which ’Äì with 
the help of contemporary art practices and a number of artists and 
collectives whose approach does justice to this adventure ’Äì an 
utterly unknown, remote city like Plovdiv with its rudimentary 
pleasures, post-socialist exotics of concrete and other ruins and 
neoliberal political experiments can be turned into just as groovy a 
place for contemporary art as Sofia, Venice or New York.

What are your expectations towards this scene, outside of any dreams 
of great breakthroughs in your career? How does the dynamic of such 
an event unfold? To what extent can it be subversive, and will the 
participants contribute to strengthening the myth of the hegemonic 
white artist and cultural tourism in search of East European 
authenticity, or will they find a way to disfigure and bend the 
stereotypes at hand?

*Participants in the exhibition: *

0100101110101101.ORG, Florian Agalli and Eri Daka (LK47), Ursula 
Biemann, Pauline Boudry/Brigitta Kuster/Renate Lorenz, The Centre of 
Attention, VŸõra Chytilovˆ° and her fans, David Crawford, Alexandra 
Croitoru, Guy-Ernest Debord and his fans, Maria Draghici, Etoy, Nadia 
Genova, Rumen Jekov, Oliver Kielmayer, Athanasia Kyriakakos, Rudi 
Maier, Karin Michalski, Emil Miraztchiev, Monochrom & Georg Paul 
Thomann (Johannes Grenzfurthner & Gˆºnther Friesinger), Oliver 
Musovik, Vlad Nanca, Dorel Naste, Nebudu group (Borjana 
Ventzislavova, Mladen Penev, Miroslav NiŸçiŸá), Veselina Sarieva, 
Sexismus Productions (Gaby Baldinger, Sabina Baumann, Lilian Rˆ§ber), 
selection from the Shedhalle archive, Mirjam Wirz, The Yes Men, Artur 
Zmijewski, Tim Zulauf

*Participants in the Theoretical Symposium: *

Pauline Boudry/Brigitta Kuster/Renate Lorenz, Alice Cantaluppi, David 
Crawford, Maria Draghici, Etoy.ZAI and Etoy.HAEFLIGER, Indymedia 
Sofia, Oliver Kielmayer, LK47 (Florian Agalli, Eri Daka), Rudi Maier, 
Monochrom (Johannes Grenzfurthner & Gˆºnther Friesinger), Karin 
Michalski, A Room Of One’Äôs Own (Nina Stuhldreher & Kristina 
Haider), Dr. Klaus Schˆnberger, Sexismus Productions (Sabina 
Baumann, Gaby Baldinger, Lilian Rˆ§ber), Nina Stuhldreher, Mirjam 
Wirz, Vencislav Zankov, Peter Zorn, Tim Zulauf

*Openair Screening with films by: *

Pauline Boudry, David Crawford, Daniel Lo Iacono, code flow; from a 
selection by Emil Miraztchiev: Yavor Gardev, Plamen Solomonski, Kamen 
Stoyanov; from a selection by Athanasia Kyriakakos: Lina Theodorou, 
Ioanna Myrka, Chi-Jang Yin, Morgan Showalter


*The project was realized with the generous support of: *

SDC / Swiss Cultural Programme Bulgaria; Pro Helvetia; Goethe 
Institut, Sofia; Stiftung ’ÄúBegegnungsstˆ§tte des Landes 
Sachsen-Anhalt’Äù; Austrian Embassy in Sofi a; National Fund 
’ÄúCulture’Äù; Victoria Group Hotels & Resorts; Hotel Maritza; 
Municipality of Plovdiv

*Special thanks to all participants* for their contributions on all 
levels and their confidence in the project, to Lilian Rˆ§ber for her 
special support, to Sabina Baumann for her Superteddy drawing that 
became the mascot of the project, to Alain Kessi for moral and 
all-round support, and to Emil Miraztchiev for having the guts to 
invite me to curate this project.

*Dimitrina Sevova* is an independent curator, theorist and artist, 
born 1971 in Varna, Bulgaria, graduated from the National Academy of 
Arts in Sofia 1997. Based in Zurich, Switzerland since 2002.

-----------------------------------
les complices*///
espace libre & edition///
anwandstrasse 9, 8004 zurich, switzerland///

<http://www.lescomplices.ch>http://www.lescomplices.ch

e-Mail: <mailto:info at lescomplices.ch>info at lescomplices.ch
fon: ++41-(0)43- 243- 8877///

wednesday: 18-22h (bar!!!)///
thursday to saturday: 14-18h///
-----------------------------------------

Critique of Pure Image ’Äì Between Fake and Quotation
Curatorial presentation by Dimitrina Sevova
Opening, presentation, discussion, bar, Wednesday, 11 January 2006, from 18h
The documentation will be exhibited until Saturday, 14 January
<http://www.code-flow.net/>http://www.code-flow.net/