[spectre] Endangered Species: A plea for a Red Book of Soviet Modernism @ National Museum of Fine Arts of Republic of Moldova

[stefan rusu]

For those who are in Chisinau or travel to Moldova, the exhibition is open
till 20th of February.

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Endangered Species: A plea for a Red Book of Soviet Modernism
Period: 20 January-20 February, 2022
Location: National Museum of Fine Art of Republic of Moldova
https://www.mnam.md/

The exhibition is the outcome of a research, part of “Insular Modernities”
project, focused on socialist architecture from Central Asia and Eastern
Europe that includes a photo-series of endemic plants juxtaposed with
modernist buildings, a documentary “Return From The Future” and the video
“Frunze”. The research was undertaken by Stefan Rusu during an extensive
stay and several trips in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan between 2013-2019. In
the last few decades, concepts such as rare and endangered species,
biodiversity conservation, protection of flora and fauna, Red Book and
others are used more frequently. One of the forms of biodiversity
conservation in the Soviet Union was the Red Data Books. The "Red Book of
the USSR" was established in 1974 and the first edition was published in
1978, which included species of rare plants. Among them species found on
the territories of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Republic of Moldova were
included. The last edition of Red Book was in 1985. Since then, with few
exceptions, the lists have not been revised and the Red Book has not been
republished. The flora of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is still incompletely
explored. Many plants have never been illustrated. Some of them have narrow
distribution areas, being confined to a few mountain ranges or even small
valleys. Juxtaposing the images of modernist architecture from Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan and Republic of Moldova with the images of rare plants from
those countries, imply a different angle of interpretation of the
architectural heritage, not only as singular buildings, but also as a
context that need similar approach as endangered species and their
protection. Some buildings, like those from “Return From the Future''
documentary, are listed as national heritage of Kyrgyzstan and therefore
protected by the state. However, some buildings are in decay, not
maintained and preserved according to their status due to weak and
inefficient application of the law.
The starting point for the concept of juxtaposing endangered plants versus
modernist architecture comes from the Museum of Mikhail Frunze - a
modernist building designed from Bishkek by G. Kutateladze and Y.Karikh in
1967. Among the museum collection there is an impressive herbarium (about
1200 items) assembled by the soviet revolutionary M. Frunze during his
childhood. The herbarium from the video “Frunze” is a poetical reference to
Frunze’s unfulfilled path to dedicate his life to natural science. The
state of conservation and the need to preserve the modernist architecture
such as the Museum of Mikhail Frunze and a series of other buildings are
the subject of the documentary and the current exhibition.
The cultural heritage of the immediate past in the case of modernist
aesthetics is directly connected with present and future urban
developments. However, the preservation of modernist heritage in the
current socio-economic situation and urban context is problematic, in some
cases even dramatic. In reality, very often there is a lack of social
awareness of its historic significance and value as unique monuments. The
photo-series, the documentary and the video are an attempt to change this
perception. The exhibition traveled to Chisinau from Trieste where it was
produced and presented at Trieste Contemporanea, Italy in 2021.

RETURN FROM THE FUTURE
43’, HD transferred to DVD, 2019
Camera: Azat Ruziev
Image&sound editor: Denis Bartenev
Directed by Stefan Rusu
The title refers to the plot of the science fiction novel "Return from the
Stars" by Stanislav Lem. The pilot Gal Bregg returns from the space
expedition, after 127 years of terrestrial time, during which life on the
Earth has radically changed. The novel discusses the ideas of social
alienation, cultural shock and dystopia, which is synchronized with the
current state of the city. The cosmonaut resembles an architect that
returns to the site he created in another century. The film is a visual
essay on the current state of conservation of soviet modernist architecture
of Bishkek city. The initial idea was to investigate iconic buildings,
discuss with architects and experts about multiple aspects of former use
and future fate of the buildings in the new political and economic
circumstances, when the political agenda shifted from communist ideology to
free market economy and promotion of national values.
A particular aspect of this investigation is the changing status of the
buildings from its former ideologically charged function and position in
the society, as it is the case of the State History Museum (former V. Lenin
Museum) or Gapar Aytiev Fine Art Museum, which suddenly lost their
significance with the collapse of the Soviet Union. During socialist period
the two buildings and collections were the main instruments to shape the
society and the new man – the builder of advanced socialism according to
Marxist thought and principles. In independent Kyrgyzstan the former
collections became obsolete and lost their influence on people; however
 the buildings have the potential to serve the society in the new
circumstances promoting national history and culture. All together the film
is an overview of the state of conservation of the buildings listed as
national heritage, but also an overview on recent urban changes and
transformation occurred in Bishkek after the 90s. The film was produced as
part of “Insular Modernities”, comprising a series of documentaries about
modernist architecture from Central Asian context (Almaty, Ashkhabad,
Tashkent, and Dushanbe).

FRUNZE, HD, 17’, 2018
Image&sound editor: Denis Bartenev
Camera: Azat Ruziev
Directed by Stefan Rusu
The plot of the film is based on the memories of a forester from Chui
region, who visits a museum-memorial house, which he couldn't do for many
years, due to his remote location in the mountains. The house is the
birthplace of Mikhail Frunze (1885–1925) and among his personal items the
forester found a herbarium collected by Frunze himself.
Herbarium is a reminiscence of the history that becomes irrelevant at the
certain curve of human evolution at the times when the things become
obsolete. The motive of herbarium comes from his teenage times when he
drove with his schoolmates about 3000 miles: through 10 Tian Shan passes,
from Verny (current Almaty), through Issyk-Kul, Central Tien Shan, Naryn -
to Fergana and back. At the end of the 6th grade, he and his four
companions (Poyarkov, Ivanov, Aronovich and Novak) made a long excursion
along their native land. On the way an impressive herbarium of 1200 endemic
plants were collected. The herbarium is a reference to Frunze’s unfulfilled
path to dedicate his life to natural science. The memorial house museum was
set up after his imminent death under obscure circumstances in 1925. Frunze
was born in the region and the capital of a new born country Kyrgyzstan got
his name, he was involved in building a socialist state and a new society -
a tribute to his revolutionary and military career. Later the museum was
extended and a modernist building was erected over the thatched cottage of
the Frunze family, designed by architects - Gennady Kutateladze, Yury
Karikh and built in 1967.  The new museum follows the principle used by
Georgian architects in the construction of the Stalin museum erected in
1957 in Gori, Georgia. This modest memorial house was allegedly the
birthplace of Mikhail Frunze (1885–1925), for whom Bishkek - the capital of
Kyrgyzstan was renamed as 'Frunze' shortly after his death.
Frunze’s revolutionarytrajectory is perceived today as a collection of
items that almost lost its significance in the public sphere of Kyrgyz
society. The current state of the museum's collection and the museum’s
personnel resembles a herbarium.

BIO
Stefan RUSU (b. 1964 in Kâietu, Moldova). His artistic/curatorial agenda is
geared towards the social and political changes in East European societies
after the fall of the Berlin Wall and dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Beginning with 2000 he was involved in the development of KSAK - Center for
Contemporary Art, Chisinau where he produced curatorial projects and art
initiatives and following the years 2005-06 completed Curatorial Training
Program at Stichting De Appel in Amsterdam, where he co-curated “Mercury in
Retrograde”.
In between 2014-2015 he developed a regional project in Central Asia, being
the curator and editor of “Spaces on the Run” (2015). Urban transformations
and the changes occurred in the public sphere where the subjects of his
other curatorial endeavour - CHIȘINĂU - Art, Research in the Public Sphere
(a project produced by [KSAK[-Center for Contemporary Art/Chisinau, 2010) –
a cross-disciplinary platform that investigated the dominant institutional
and political discourses that have shaped the society and the urban
landscape of town in the course of its recent history. In 2012 he directed
“Reclaiming the City” commissioned by 7th Berlin Biennial, which reflects
on dramatic socio-economic structural changes, the physical transformation
of the city following the dismantling of the Berlin Wall and the impact of
gentrification processes on public space. In 2018 he participated in TAB
Tbilisi Architecture Biennale – “Buildings are not enough” with site
specific intervention –Block 89. Stefan is a member of IN SITU – European
platform for Artistic Creation on Public Space: http://in-situ.info/en/.
His recent initiative, Insular Modernities, explores how the phenomena of
socialist architecture formed in Eastern Bloc, is maintained, preserved and
perceived in contemporary societies. Aiming at preservation of modernist
heritage from Central Asia and Eastern Europe, it analyses in various
formats (exhibitions, publications, documentaries, social networks, etc.)
the former function and current state of conservation of socialist
architecture, as well as the role and changing status of public space at
the new turn of the history.

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More info: https://www.mnam.md/expozitii-temporare?lang=ro
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