Moje obećanje da ću svake nedelje da objavim po jedan blog se malo
odužilo, ali evo najzad i trećeg u nizu :)
My promise that I'll write a blog entry every week has been diluted a
bit, however here's the third one :)
Gledajući fotografije sa putovanja, imam osećaj da jedan deo njih
nedostaje. Da li zbog toga što sam mislio da „ima vremena“, pa
sam na kraju ostao bez njih, ili što sam ih slučajno obrisao,
misleći da sam ih sačuvao? Snalaženje sa novim (pametnim)
telefonom (za njegovog ne toliko pametnog vlasnika) je sigurno imalo
svog udela u celoj priči.
Verovatno ste već iskusili poriv da fotografišete da bi ste
zapamtili, posebno ako se tip koji vizuelno pamti, kao i ja. Što
može da ima svoju krajnjost u putovanju radi fotografisanja, a sa
malo doživljaja, tj. iskustva onoga što fotografišemo. Sa druge
strane, gledajući neke fotke iz detinjstva, sećam se pojedinih
životnih situacija baš i samo zahvaljujući fotografijama, jer ne
mogu drugačije da ih zamislim nego što se nalaze na slici. Mogu da
zamislim dotičnu situaciju kao gif, ali ne i kontekst, osećaj,
mirise, i bilo koje druge događaje pored onoga koji je prikazan.
Going through my travel photos, I have a strong feeling that a part
of them is missing. Because I was thinking that “there's still
time” to make them, which resulted in not having them at all, or
because I had accidentally erased them, while thinking they are
uploaded?
You have probably been many times in a situation to take photos to
remember smth, specially if you are a visual type, like me. Which can
be a pretext to obsessively take photos during travel, at the expense
of experiences – living what we are photographing. On the contrary,
seeing some of my childhood photos, I do remember some situations
just and thanks to photos, because I cannot imagine them in any other
way than as they are represented. I can try to imagine a specific
situation as a gif, but not the context, feelings, smells, and any
other details apart from the picture.
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| Ako ne vidite zeca, vama trebaju naočari / If you don't see the rabbit, you are the ones who need spectacles |
Posle ovog razmišljanja sa ciljem opravdanja zašto neke fotografije
nećete videti, idemo u drugu virtuelnu turu po muzejima i galerijama
u Vašingtonu (aka WDC).
After this reflexion, with a single aim to justify why some of the
photos are not there, let's take another virtual tour of museums and
galleries in Washington DC.
Jedna od kustoskinja Oakland Museum of California (OMCA), o
kome sam ranije pisao, mi je rekla da su u koncipiranju
istorijske postavke radili sa dizajnerima iz Diznilenda. Na prvu
pomisao, muzeji i zabavni parkovi nemaju puno toga zajedničkog, ali
sam se i sam uverio koliko je njihova postavka bila vizuelno
dopadljiva, razrađena i interaktivna. Možda je pravo pitanje ovde
to da se iskoriste pogodnosti nekog drugog polja, a u skladu sa
sopstvenim načelima. Smitsonijanov prirodnjački muzej prati sličnu
liniju u dizajniranju postavke, što možete da vidite u
fotografijama ispod.
One of the curators of Oakland Museum of California (OMCA), I
wrote about last year, told me in a conversation that they were
developing the new permanent historical exhibition with Disneyland
designers. Sounded strange at the beginning – what is connecting
museums and theme parks, but I got to realize that their setting was
visually appealing, elaborated and interactive. Maybe the right
question to ask here is how we can use achievements from other
fields, all in line with our own principles. Smithsonian's natural
history museum is following a similar thread in the design of the
exhibition setting, which you could notice on the photos below.
Da, bilo je skučenih, rekonstruisanih staništa pojedinih životinja
sa živim primercima. I da, bilo je i buba – iza stakla i u rukama
volontera, za „upoznavanje“. Od ogromne bubašvabe do bube-list.
Sreća, sreća, radost :)
Yup, there were cramped, reconstructed habitats of certain animal
species with live examples. And yes, there were bugs – behind the
glass and in the hands of volunteers, to touch. From a giant
cockroach to leaf-beetle :D
Prema broju ljudi koje sam video – ispred i unutar muzeja – čini
mi se da je jedan od najposećenijih. Zamislite broj dece koju dovode
na Beogradski sajam knjiga, samo umesto knjiga imate dinosauruse i
preparirane životinje u pozadini.
According to the number of visitors – in and out of the museum –
it seems to be one of the most visited ones. Imagine all the kids
coming to Belgrade's Book Fair, just swap books with dinosaurs, live
and stuffed animals.
Zanimljivo mi je bilo da posle dinosaurusa – jedne od definitivno
najposećenijih postavki – vidim nešto što je možda bilo manje
spektakularno, ali važno iz pozicije struke i ekologije. Prvo, mogli
ste da vidite panele sa ilustracijama, koji su govorili o životinjama
koje su: a) izumrle davno, b) u izumiranju i c) za sada, bezbedne.
Posle toga, negde na razmeđi kustoskog odeljenja i postavke koja je
bila zatvorena zbog rekonstrukcije, nalazila se tabla gde su kustosi
i dizajneri okačili svoje planove, nacrte i ideje kako će ta nova
postavka izgledati 2019. Radi se, a i zna se šta se radi!
After the dinosaurs – definitely one of the most popular exhibits –
I saw smth that was maybe less spectacular, but important from a
professional and ecological viewpoint. First, you could see
illustrated panels, talking about animals which were: a) long gone
from the planet, b) in extinction and c) for now, safe. Afterwards,
somewhere between the curatorial department and a hall in
reconstruction, one could find a board with plans, drafts and ideas
by museum curators and designers, showing how the new setting would
look like in 2019. Transparent work in progress!
Za kraj, muzej je imao i jednu privremenupostavku posvećenu Africi,
sa istorijsko-društvenim fokusom, koja nas vodi na narednom muzeju.
For the very end, the museum had a temporary exhibition dedicated to
Africa, with a historical-social focus, which is a perfect intro to
the next museum on my list.
Dok sam pisao kustoski
rad 2012, naišao sam na ovaj muzej i radovala me je činjenica
da ću najzad imati prilike da ga vidim uživo, tj. van publikacija i
sajta. Ugrabio sam priliku da odem ne znajući da se to popodne
održavao razgovor sa nigerijskim umetnikom Bruce
Onobrakpeya, čiji radovi su zastupljeni u kolekciji. Poradovalo
me je što, pored tradicionalne umetnosti, imaju jedan deo posvećen
i savremenoj. Posle me je jedna od kustoskinja pozvala da dođem na
predstojeću izložbu, čije su postavka i otvaranje bili u punoj
pripremi.
While I was writing my curatorial
thesis in 2012, I found this museum in references, and was happy
to finally see it in person, apart from books and Internet. I took my
chance for a visit, not knowing that the same afternoon it had a talk
with a Nigerian artist Bruce Onobrakpeya, present in their
collection. It was a refreshment to see that, apart from traditional
art, they had some contemporary too. Later on, one of the curators
invited me to the next opening.
Izložba „Conversations:
African and African American Artworks in Dialogue“ iz mešane
kolekcije Vilijema (Bila) Kozbija Juniora i Kamile Kozbi (koja je
bila prvi put javno izložbena) i dela muzejske zbirke, predstavila
je tradicionalnu i savremenu afroameričku i afričku umetnosti. Iako
je u to vreme Bil Kozbi bio na veoma lošem glasu zbog aktuelnih
optužbi za silovanja u SAD medijima, izložba je privukla dosta
posetilaca i bila usmerena ka umetnosti samoj koja nije dugovala svoj
značaj javnim skandalima. Takođe, time je muzej obeležavao 50.
godina postojanja.
Exhibition “Conversations:
African and African American Artworks in Dialogue” from a
joined collection of William H. Cosby Jr and Camille O. Cosby
(exhibited for the first time) and the museum's collection, showcased
traditional and contemporary Afro American and African art. Although
in that time Bill Cosby was widely present in the US media due to
rape accusations, the exhibition draw a lot of visitors and was
dedicated to art alone, not owing its significance to public
scandals. Important to note is that the museum was celebrating it's
50th anniversary.
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| NMAfA, Franko Khoury |
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| NMAfA, Franko Khoury |
Kasnije, intervjuisao sam kustoskinju izložbe i glavnu kustoskinju
muzeja, Kristinu Mulen Krimer (Christine Mullen Kreamer) za
predstojeći broj časopisa AFRIKA: Studije umetnosti i kulture, gde
ćete iduće godine moći da pročitate više o samoj izložbi.
Later on, I interviewed the exhibition's curator, and the chief
curator of the museum, Christine Mullen Kreamer, for the forthcoming
journal AFRIKA:
Studies in art and culture, where next year you could read more
about it.
Muzej je nastao 1964. godine, kao privatna zbirka, koja je u
kontekstu borbe za civilna prava kraja '60-tih imala cilj da
podstakne razgovor između kultura. Iako muzej nema aktivistički ili
oštar post/dekolonijalni pristup, mislim da je njihov angažman
primetan u širenju znanja i razumevanja prema afričkom kontinentu,
kroz umetnost, gde se itekako mogu razbijati predrasude i stereotipi.
Kako je Kristina napomenula u intervjuu, „To su ti mali 'aha'
momenti, kako ih zovemo, koji možda mogu da ohrabre dalji proces
učenja, da promene mišljenje posetilaca kroz davanje izazova onome
što već znaju – ili misle da znaju – o Africi. Takođe je važno
da posetioci razumeju da se Afrika stalno menja...“.
The museum was founded in 1964, as a private collection, with a
visible emphasis on a dialogue between cultures in the context of
civil rights movement in the 1960s. Although the museum doesn't have
an activist or a sharp post/decolonial approach, I think their work
is notable in the dissemination of knowledge and understanding
towards the African continent, through arts, where you could surely
fight prejudices and stereotypes. As Christine mentioned in the
interview, “These are little “aha” moment we called it that
maybe encourage ongoing learning, change visitors' perspectives
through challenging them about what they know – or think they know
– about Africa. And it's also important for visitors to understand
that Africa is continually is changing...”.
Na širem društvenom planu, mislim da je važno spomenuti da su ti
meseci (druga polovina 2014.) bili obeleženi u medijima kroz
incidente policijskog nasilja prema crncima, propraćenog kroz
(re)akciju #BlackLivesMatter. Cela situacija je povukla kako pitanja
(još uvek) prisutnog (institucionalnog) rasizma, kao i upotrebu sile
i oružja policajaca. Što je najstrašnije, par nedavnih incidenata
koji su dobili medijsku „popularnost“, otvorili su javnu
diskusiju o svim ostalim sličnim situacijama, koje su isplivale na
površinu... Više o samoj akciji možete pročitati na Wikipediji
i preko Huffington
Post-a koji sam najviše pratio u to vreme.
On a wider social plane, important to mention is that those months
(second half of 2014) were marked in the media through police
brutality towards black people, and the reaction #BlackLivesMatter.
The whole situation triggered questions of (still) present
(institutional) racism, as well as the use of force and weapons by
the police. The horrible thing was that, after those recent incidents
received media “popularity”, the discussion was opened about all
other similar incidents, which surfaces out... more about it you
could read on Wikipedia
and Huffington
post, which I was reading a lot during those days.
Stekao sam utisak da su dinosaurusi i avioni+svemirske letilice
vodili „mrtvu trku“ u broju posetilaca i dece. Posvećen istoriji
avijacije i „osvajanju neba“, mogli ste da vidite unutrašnjost
putničkih aviona, cele avione i jednu sobu posvećenu braći Rajt
(Wright) sa njihovim originalnim
avionom koji je 1903. napravio prvi uspešan let.
My impression was that dinosaurs and planes+spacecrafts were having a
dead heat, regarding the number of visitors and children. Dedicated
to the history of aviation and “conquering the sky”, you could
see many planes from the inside, whole planes and a hall dedicated
to Wright brothers with their original 1903 plane.
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| It is a phenomenal place to be... to glance right and see the world, glance left and see the universe, and realise for a moment that you're holding to your known existence with one hand (Chris Hardfield) |
 |
| We never should really call spacewalks around the Space Shuttle or space station "a walk", because you don't actually walk. It's a lot more like swimming. "Kathryn Sullivan) |
Drugi deo je bio posvećen
svemirskim istraživanjima – od rekonstrukcija istraživanja i
nalaza sa drugih planeta, preko edukativnih filmova, do iskorišćene
opreme i letilica poput Sojuza i Command
Module Apollo 11 (ono u čemu
su sletali na zemlju). Meni zanimljiva je bila i izložba savremene
umetnosti „Outside
the Spacecraft: 50 Years of Extra-Vehicular Activity“ posvećena
svemirskim „šetnjama“,
čiji su autori bili i sami astronauti, sa dosta inspirativnim
citatima. U to vreme sam i „otkrio“ obradu Bouvijeve Space
Oddity, kanadskog
astronauta Krisa Hadfilda (btw, čekirajte i njegov Ted
Talk).
The second part was focused on
space explorations – from reconstructed researches and findings
from other planets, educative films, to original equipment and
spacecrafts like Soyuz and Command Module Apollo 11 (the landing
thing). For me, there was an interesting exhibition “Outside
the Spacecraft: 50 Years of Extra-Vehicular Activity” dedicated
to spacewalks, whose authors were also the astronauts themselves,
with many inspiring quotes. Somewhere in that time I also
“discovered” a cover of David Bowie's Space
Oddity, by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield (btw, check his Ted
talk too).
Za kraj o Smitsonijanu, posetite njihov online časopis / to conclude
with the Smithsonian, see their online magazine:
Da baš ne bi ispalo da su sve izložbene institucije = Smitsonijan,
evo nekoliko i drugih mesta koje sam obišao.
Avoiding to equalize my visit to art institutions with Smithsonian,
here are a couple of other spaces I visited.
Jedini kulturni centar sam posetio
u samom mestu gde sam živeo, u Arlingtonu, bio je nažalost pred
zatvaranjem, iako mi se činio kao jako zanimljiv i aktivan umetnički
prostor. Formirana od strane Arlington public arts, ova kupolasta
građevina je u sebi imala par izložbenih prostora, prostor za
izlaganje air (artist in residence) umetnika,
lobi sa besplatnim internetom, višenamensku salu.
The only cultural center I visited
in the very place I was living in, in Arlington, was near its
closure, although it seemed as a very interesting and active art
space. Formed by Arlington public arts, this dome-shaped building had
a couple of exhibition spaces, artist in residence (air), lobby with
free wifi and a multipurpose hall.
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| Znao bih ko je umetnik da im nisu totalno skinuli i sajt... I don't know who the artist is, since their website was shut down... |
U galeriji gostujućeg umetnika sam
upoznao umetnicu Elsabé Dixon, poreklom iz Južnoafričke republike,
sa projektom „LIVE
/ LIFE: Discussions on
Living Environments“
posvećenom životnom ciklusu svilenih buba. Drugim rečima, tokom
jesenjih
i zimskih meseci,
mogli ste da vidite jajašca,
gusenice, čaure,
bube i ponovo jajašca,
koji su poslužili kao baza (ili „saradnici“) za formiranje
instalacija na zidovima i podu. Od recikliranih materijala – iz
domaćinstava, kao i nus-produkta transformacija svilenih buba,
Elsabé je postepeno razvijala postavku, zajedno sa susretima i
saradnji sa posetiocima, umetnicima i naučnicima, koji su dolazili
na izložbu i na takozvane tea talks. Izložba je bila istinski rad u
toku, zasnovana na dostupnim
mogućnostima i spontanim
interakcijama. I ja sam bio gost na par „čajanki“, gde sam i
upoznao gosta Kustosiranja
#32, Donalda Rasela (Donald
Russel).
In the air space, I met the artist
Elsabé Dixon, born in South Africa, which was developing her project
“LIVE / LIFE: Discussions
on Living Environments”
dedicated to the life cycle of silk bugs. On other words, during
autumn and winter months, you could see eggies, worms, cocoons, moths
and eggies again, which served as a basis (or “collaborators”) in
forming wall and floor installations. From recycled materials –
domestic, as well as by-products of silk bugs' transformation, Elsabé
was gradually developing the setting, together with meetings and
collaboration with visitors, artists and scientists, who were invited
to the exposition and “tea talks”. This truly work in progress
exhibition, was grounded on available posibitlities and spontaneous
interactions. I was also one of the tea talks guests, where I met
About
and Around Curating #32 guest, Donald Russel.
Učeći španski jezik, skenirao sam mogućnosti da se malo više
približim (acercarme) umetnosti i kulturi Latinske Amerike. Na
sasvim drugom delu grada, nalazi se Meksički kulturni institut, koji
sam obišao u par navrata, uključujući i za Dan mrtvih, o kome će
biti reči u sledećem blogu.
Learning Spanish, I was scanning possibilities to get closer
(acercarme) to the arts and culture of Latin America. On the opposite
part of the city, there's the Mexican Cultural Institute which I
visited a couple of times, including for the Day of the Dead, which
will be the topic of my next entry.
 |
| Budućnost je prostor, prostor boja zemlja, boja oblaka, boja vode, vazduha, crni prostor za puno snova, beli prostor za sav sneg, za svu muziku... / The future is space, space color earth, color of clouds, color of water, air, black space for many dreams, white space for all snow, for all music... (Pablo Neruda) |
U skladu sa prvo revolucionarnom, a zatim i zvaničnom državnom
umetnošću koja je obeležila prvu polovinu XX veka u Meksiku
(muralismo),
institut je iznutra ukrašen muralima koji govore o istoriji, kulturi
i običajima, prateći stepenice. Istinski uvod u ono što vas čeka
u Meksiko sitiju. Takođe, dobro mesto da pokupite brošure o
studijama i pojedine časopise na španskom jeziku.
Ovde sam bio na razgovoru sa meksičkim umetnikom Alejandrom
Pintadom, gde sam upoznao koleginicu Veselu Sretenović, zahvaljujući
kojoj sam otkrio još jedan zanimljiv muzej koji sledi.
According to initially revolutionary, and later official state art
which marked the first half of the 20th century in Mexico
(muralism),
the institute is decorated from the inside by murals telling the
story of history, culture and customs, following the stairways. It is
a good introduction to what awaits you in Mexico City. Also, it is a
good spot to find brochures on studies and some magazines in Spanish
language.
Here I attended a talk with Mexican artist Alexandro
Pintado, where I also met a colleague Vesela Sretenović, thanks
to whom I discovered another interesting museum, which follows.
Par mesta koje sam obišao, ali za koje više nažalost nemam
fotografije, a zaslužuju da se spomenu, su:
A couple of places I visited, but lacking photos, deserving to be
mentioned, are:
Prvi muzej moderne umetnosti u SAD, pri tome privatan, osnovan od
strane kolekcionara Dankana Filipsa, nalazi se blizu Dupont circle,
na severu WDC. Ukoliko vas zanima ovaj umetnički period, pored
Nacionalne galerije umetnosti i delimično Muzeja američke umetnosti
(SI), ovo je prava adresa za vas.
The first museum of modern art in the US, and a private one, was
founded by the collector Duncan Phillips, located near Dupont circle,
on the northern part of DC. If you are interested in this art period,
apart from the National Gallery of Art and partially American Art
Museum (SI), this is the best address for you.
Spolja i iznutra, podeljen je u dve zgrade – staru i novu, koje su
međusobno povezane. Stari deo je privatna kuća Filipsa, u kojoj se
nalazi deo kolekcije, koji ponajviše odiše kolekcionarskim šmekom
privatnog (i bogatog) doma, s mirisom starine i drvenarije. U novoj
zgradi se nalazi knjižara/prodavnica i nekoliko galerija; okolo
zgrade se ponekad nalaze instalacije, a u bašti i Centar za
proučavanje moderne umetnosti. Bio sam na otvaranju obimne izložbe
“Human
Equations” o Man Ray, koja je imala naglašeni matematički
aspekt i šekspirovski njegovog stvaralaštva, a opet u konverzaciji
sa manjom izložbom do, namenjenom savremenim umetnicima, u kojoj se
nalazila izložba umetnika Hiroshi-ja Sugimoto-a.
Outside and inside, it is divided inti two buildings – old and new
one. The old building was the collectors' private house, where a part
of the original collection is located, which for the most part has a
feeling of a private (and rich) home, with the smell of antiquity and
woodwork. The new building has a (book)store and several exhibition
spaces; around the building one can sometimes find installations,
while the garden is the location of the Center for the Study of
Modern Art. I attended a vast exhibition “Human Equations” on Man
Ray's art, with a mathematic and Shakespearian focus, which was also
in a conversation with a small nearby exhibition, dedicated to
contemporary artist, by artist Hiroshi Sugimoto.
Moja otkrića / my discoveries in this museum:
Rothko
Room (meditativna, koja skoro da ima utisak kapele / meditative,
almost a chapel-feeling)
Laib
Wax Room (napravljena od voska sa neverovatno jakim mirisom /
made from way, with a great smell)
Migration
series – Jacob Lawrence (više nego aktuelna tema i posle
70-tak godina / an urging theme, even after 70 years)
Dalje na severo-zapadu, na putu ka Američkom univerzitetu, obišao
sam vašingtonsku katedralu, koja se izgleda nalazi u oblasti crkava
i hramova.
Further on the north-western part of the city, toward the American
University, I saw the Washington cathedral, which is located in a
seemingly church-and-temple area.
Dotični univerzitet poseduje sopstveni muzej, koji prati umetničko
odeljenje univerziteta, kao i Katzen arts center koji izlaže dosta
savremenih umetnika. Bio sam na izložbi „Gods
of War!“ i prezentaciji rada umetnice Filis Pletner (Phyllis
Plattner), istovremeno i profesorke fakulteta, čiji me je rad
podsetio malo na pseudo-ikone Aleksandra
Todorovića. Preuzimajući pojedine vizuelne kodove, stil i
detalje srednjevekovnih, renesansnih i baroknih sekularnih i
religioznih slika, komentariše savremeno društvo i propituje
religiozni fanatizam, odnosno opravdanost i vezanost religije i
nasilja. Opet u kontekstu Meksika, deo rada čine lutkice
koje prikazuju revolucionarne Zapatiste inkorporirane u hrišćanskim
predstavama.
The mentioned uni has a museum of its own, which accompanies the
department of art, as well as the Katzen Arts Center focused mainly
on contemporary arts. I visited „Gods
of War!“ exhibition and the presentation of artist Phyllis
Plattner, also uni's professor, whose work reminded me a bit on the
pseudo-icons of Aleksandar
Todorović. Appropriating several visual codes, style and details
of religious Christian paintings (Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque),
she comments the contemporary society and questions religious
fanaticism, ie justification and connectedness of religion and
violence. Again in the context of Mexico, a part of her ouevre are
revolutionary Zapatista dolls (some
info here), incorporated into Christian vidsual vocabulary.
Idući blog završava WDC i načinje Meksiko :)
Next blog is both a closing of WDC and introducing Mexico :)
Za kraj, moja prijateljica Jax (nisam je spominjao ranije?), sekcija
„razno“ i Thievery Corporation kao muzička pozadina.
At the end, my friend Jax, “miscellaneous” section and another
local band – Thievery Corporation.
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| Jax |
 |
| Jax |
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| Lokalna vatrogasna stanica / Local fire station (?) |
 |
| RIP Lou Reed (1942-2013) |
 |
| Moj Japan / My Japan |
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| Slika Lazara Vujaklije u Srpskoj ambasadi / Lazar Vujaklija's painting in the Serbian embassy |
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| Opet vatrogasci / Firefighters again |
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| Porasla mi je kosa / My hair was long... or high |
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| Ne šišati... |
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| ...Ili šišati? |
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| Diskusija na španskom - za ili protiv abortusa / Spanish discussion - abortion or prolife |
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| Arlington park |
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| Ovo me je podsetilo na Senjak - ne pitajte zašto, ne znam! |
I, da, pokušavao sam da kuvam! Da vam napravim malo zazubice ;P
Oh, yes, forgot to mention that I was trying to cook! Is your saliva already working? ;)
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