ARISTERIUM BRINGS THE ART WORLD TO GEORGIA
Daily Georgian Times
2009.10.12 16:09
Culture
Art and the act of creating it, the real and the perceived, the
public and the artist, the material and the intangible, coalesce
in a cacophony of paintings, sculptures, videos, installations and
performances at the international exhibition of contemporary art,
Aristerium 2009. Organised by the Aristerium Association and the
Ministry of Culture, Monument Protection and Sport of Georgia, this
second annual event opened in the Karvasla Tbilisi History Museum on
Friday, October 9.
The theme of Aristerium 2009, which will continue to enchant the
public through Sunday, October 18, is "The Manifest of Changes and
the Inner Experience." Art, as a product of reality digested through
an artist’s personal experience, reflects the ever-changing world,
shedding new light on human experience and understanding. "They
[artists] are researching our world and giving it back to us," said
Benjamin Godsill, curator from the United States. "Perhaps it is not
the same kind of research as an economist or a development official
[would do] but they [artists] might still find things, and point at
things in an oblique way, that otherwise wouldn’t be found."
Aristerium 2009 has attracted artists, groups of artists, curators
and critics from 23 countries including Armenia, Azerbaijan, France,
Germany, U.S., U.K., Poland, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, Czech
Republic, South Korea, New Zealand, Lithuania, Ireland, Australia,
Russia and Georgia. This art forum not only allows international
artists to exhibit their work but also provides a venue for them to
exchange ideas and insights on the state of contemporary art.
Thus, Aristerium 2009 began with a conference entitled "Beyond or
Above Civilization" held at the National Museum Auditorium on Thursday,
October 8. "We were trying to determine where we are now in our art,"
said Ana Riaboshenko, a Georgian artist and one of the conference’s
organisers. "Of course we hav we have beautiful things in our culture,
but at the moment we are on a path to somewhere new, we do not know
where we are, so we have to find out."
Aristerium 2009 not only looks at the future of art, but also provides
a creative commentary on contemporary issues. Many artists use their
talent to create unconventional but bold and moving interpretations
of political and economic issues that hold the society captive. Thus,
American artist Sean Raspet has brought to Tbilisi his hanging 3D
work which comments on the current state of the world economy and
its damaging effect on the lives of real people. Combining medieval
symbols, Georgian crosses and heraldic elements with his credit score
reports Raspet combines personal and financial, the ruin of a family
and the financial ruin of an individual. "This, of course, links to
the broader credit crisis, perhaps some [of his] student loan debt
that you see there has been sliced up and diced and turned into a
credit default swap of some sort," said Godsill.
Another American artist, Matthew Chambers from Los Angeles, was "in
life space," silk screen printing t-shirts and pieces of paper. "He
presents a notion of production in a display space or production as
display," said Godsill. Members of the audience could participate in
the process and keep the t-shirts they helped create.
But it was not only the audience which gained something by attending
Aristerium 2009. Park Byoung-Uk, an artist from South Korea, was
participating in the exhibition for a second time. Speaking of the
importance of cultural exchanges between South Korea and Georgia,
Byoung-Uk expressed his fondness for this country. "I am really happy
and really grateful to be participating here," Byong-Uk said.
Stretching well beyond the limits of the eastern hemisphere, Aristerium
2009 highlighted the impact of globalisation on the development of
contemporary art. "To establish a successful contemporary art scene
you really need to establish lots of global connections," Godsill
said. â ich therefore needs to be part of that network, even though
there might be specific local regional things."
And, while geopolitical boundaries collapse under the pressure of art’s
borderless spirit, participants also spoke about the benefits that
Georgia could gain by hosting Aristerium 2009. "We have to find our
own way, especially in art, because art is the face of the nation, the
face of the people," Riaboshenko said. "If you are representing your
country you have to show art everywhere so for this reason we really
need these exchanges and really need the experience of others and to
develop it in our own way so that we can build our cultural policy."
Besides, cultural events similar to Aristerium 2009 could also attract
more visitors to Tbilisi. "When a city becomes known for its art scene,
it becomes a tourist destination," Godsill said. "So contemporary
art has a definite positive economic impact on communities."
By Lizaveta Zhahanina 2009.10.12 16:09
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
