© 2012 ARTMargins and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology© 2012ARTMargins andthe MassachusettsInstitute of special section/introduction friendships, and findingoutaboutdevelopments abroad.Alternative lists ofglobaladdressesbecame themeansforinitiatingdialogues and able tomeetandsharetheirideas directly. Inothers, carefullycompiled logic ofidentitytothe identification.Insomecases,artistswere the sortthatpeakedin1970s wasconceivedofasapassagefromthe Western accountofartisticindividualism andsubjectivity. Networkingof sion thatalsosoughttocircumventthetriumphalismof official networking wasanalternativetolocalformsofstateandmilitary repres- text of“actually existingsocialism.”Inbothcases,artists’ investmentin sons, despitethegeneralerosionofideacollective inthecon- it alsoappealedtomanyEastern“bloc” artists, if often fordifferent rea collective actionwithclearappealtoleft-leaning artistsinLatinAmerica, and analternativesenseofbelonging.Ifnetworkingoffered amodelof intelligentsiasoughtcreativewaystoinhabitcountercartographies cultural in inverseproportion.From theperipheriesofColdWar, amarginal wascontrolledfromabove,itssignificance,below,exchange increased ment tofreeculturalexchangeandnetworking.To theextentthatdirect in latesocialistEasternEuropewereoften characterizedbytheircommit scenes thatdevelopedunderLatinAmericanmilitarydictatorshipsand pendent artists’ initiativessincethe1950s.Thedynamicmarginalart Latin AmericaandEasternEuropehaveyieldedanabundanceofinde- and Ea Artists’ Networks inLa stern Klara Kemp-Welch andCristina Freire tin America - -

3 kemp-welch and freire | special section introduction 4 artmargins 1:2–3 exchange, and dialogue. Whatisperhapsmost extraordinaryaboutthe about them,despitetheirshared commitmenttoartisticfreedom, by therhetoricofculturalpolarization. But thereislittle thatisunivocal languages thatscramble“top-down” approachestohistorycharacterized ritory ofartisticpracticeserved asasiteforthedevelopmentofcommon and EasternEuropeanartistsintheColdWar periodrevealsthattheter contexts indiversepoliticalsituations.Thetraffic betweenLatinAmerican the needtofosterasenseofsubtledifferences atplayinarangeof tasks wefacetoday, as adelayedaudienceoftheseartisticinitiatives,is constructing anyartificiallyuniform,heroicnarrative.One oftheurgent version—a “tacticforthrivingonadversity”—but weshouldbewaryof home andabroad.Networkingtendstobeclassedasastrategy ofsub- tics, andeconomics,byestablishingcontactswithlike-minded artistsat the provincialismtowhichtheyhadbeenconsignedbyhistory, geopoli- American andEasternEuropeanartistswenttogreatlengths toescape intermedial practices,localdialogues,andtransnationalnetworks.Latin level, examiningartists’ complexmotivationsforengaginginephemeral East andWest intheofficial arenaoftheCold War. ries thathinderedproductiveculturalexchangesbetween the so-called propositions andviewsthatoften flewinthefaceof thepoliticalbina- colleaguesintheSovietsatellitecountriesexchanged artistic communist artists inLatinAmericaandtheirdisaffected anticommunistorreform- farfrom limiting dialogue,often hadtheoppositeeffect: left-leaning tion, revealed, however, thatthispoliticallymotivatedexperienceofmarginaliza tion totheframeworksdictatedbyColdWar. Recentresearchhas todominatehistoriesoftwentieth-centuryart—constructed inrela came the NorthAmericanandWestern Europeanarthistoricalnarrativesthat and working inthecountriesunitedbeneathumbrellatermsLatinAmerica cal relationshipstocapitalism,communism,andcolonialism,artists boundtogetherbysharedexperiences.Despitetheirdistinct histori- gies, rhetorically unitecountrieswithdistinctpoliticalandculturalchronolo- both historicallydystopianandutopiancartographicalprojections that sionally interceptedandconfiscatedbycensorsofvariouspersuasions. postal systeminvastquantitiesandacrossdistances,albeitocca- artistic proposalswerecirculateddirectlyamongproducersthroughthe experienced similar degrees of marginalization from Eastern Europeexperiencedsimilardegreesofmarginalizationfrom This specialsectionisdevotedto“networking” atthegrassroots “Latin America” and“EasternEurope” are,eachintheirownway, - - -

a map of connectedness that ran counter to official narratives of isolation, a mapofconnectedness thatrancountertoofficial narrativesofisolation, limitations imposedbypolitical oreconomicalrestrictions.Itproposed early exampleofthisnewframework forartisticexchange,beyondthe from Poznan´ inPoland toover350artistsworldwidein1972,isan terized thenetworksweseektoforegroundinoursection. of copyrightisastarknegationtheethosfreeexchange thatcharac- ment requiredbythepressforpublicationofhertext.For her, theidea our contributors,whocategoricallyrefusedtosignthecopyright agree- struct thisalternativehistory, today, wasbroughtintosharpfocusbyoneof neoliberal societies.Thepotentialambivalenceofourdesire torecon histories, wearecomplicitinfeedingtheeternaldesirefor the“new” in cial narratives” ofinternational,and,insome cases,alsoevenlocal,art topointoutwardlesswell-knownartists,absentfromthe“officontinue only thosenamesrecognizedbythemarketalready, wefeeltheneedto themselves. Thus,if,inviewofcanonicalhistory’s tendencyto include ingly irreversible,often runscountertothehistoricalaimsofartists increas theresponsibilityforfactthatthistrend,whichnowappears ate negoti European artandarchivessincethe1990s.We havetocontinually siasm hasbeentherapidcommodificationofLatinAmericanandEastern artistic practices,wedowelltorememberthatasideeffect ofthisenthu the exponentialthirst,worldwide,forrecuperatingformerlyinvisible ence become apowerfulalternativezoneofcontact.Aswecontinuetoexperi absence of amarketframeworkthatpavedthe way forartistic practice to Paradoxically, fromtoday’s perspective,itmaypreciselyhavebeenthe was theiremergenceandoperationoutsideofanymarketstructures. acrossLatinAmericanandEasternEuropeanexperimentalartscenes oped characteristic ofthealternativeeconomiesculturalexchangethatdevel many alternativeartistsoverthecourseofseveraldecades.Acrucialshared part, theproductofpainstakingandoften dangerousendeavorsof artistic fieldisnotsolelyatriumphofthe“freemarket,”butwasalso,in But itisworthpausingtoreflectonhowtheemergenceofaninternational art fieldasafaitaccompli,sulliedbytheambivalenceofglobalization. to anticommunism. communism,toreform revolutionary fervent less or more of political persuasions that thenetworkswereabletoembrace—from experimental artists’ networksofthe1960sand1970sisspectrum Andrzej KostołowskiandJarosław Kozłowski’s NETManifesto, sent Nowadays, weincreasinglyviewthedevelopmentofaninternational ------

5 kemp-welch and freire | special section introduction 6 artmargins 1:2–3 the exchangeofartisticinformationwasCreación/Creation, organized friends, or, inthosecases wherethiswaspossible,awideraudience. accumulating substantialarchives,whichtheysoonbegan to sharewith production. Artistsengagedinthesenetworkssoonfound themselves clipped orspiral-bound—conveyedtheprecariousnessofthese typesof these works,consistingofloosesheetsinenvelopesorplastic bags— tity previouslyarranged—inresponsetoaletterofinvitation. Many of number ofparticipantswhosentintheirwork—inaformat andquan- artist-editors orgroupsofartists,whoseprintrunwasdetermined bythe thanks tothemailartnetwork.Thesewerepublicationsorganizedby assembling magazineswereanotherinnovativeformthatproliferated visual poetry, andotherexperimentaldocumentsproposals.So-called exchange ofaddresslists,alongwithphotographs,recordsactions, culated throughtheever-expanding networksdevelopedviaaconstant artists’ books,,stamps,andotherlow-techreproductionscir strategy ofmultiplicationasanactsolidarity. Precariousperiodicals, saw sharingtheirideasasakeyaspectofwork,anddeployedthe The artists’ networksdiscussedinthissectionconsistedofindividualswho exchange thathasbeenlikenedtoFoucault’s ideasofheterotopy. drawing togetherartistsindistantplaceswithinasystemofartistic Kozłowski’s words,theNETcametogether 2 1 One earlyexampleofanexhibitiondevotedtocommunication and freedom andcreativediscourse. onward, theywerefocusedonart,conceivedastherealmofcognitive ities. Theseartistsprofessedothervalues,andgoalsledthem listing onthemarket,orhighestlevelofapprovalfromauthor ings, whethertherankinginquestionwasbasedonhighest artistic, andthereforeethical,stancethantotheirpositionintherank tion: artistswhodevotedmoreattentiontotheissueoftheirown not interestedincareers,commercialsuccess,popularityorrecogni- in semi-shadow, therewereotherartistsatwork,who Luggage, ed.LiamGillick andMaria Lindt(Frankfurt: RevolverBooks,2005), 44. Jarosław Kozłowski,“Art betweentheRedandGoldenFrames,” inCuratingwithLight Künstlerhaus Bethanien,2007),111–25. Networks inCentral (exhibitioncatalogue),ed.Petra Stegmann (Berlin: See Luiza Nader, “Heterotopy: TheNETandGaleria Akumulatory2,”inFluxusEast: 2 1 In - - - Robert Rehfeldt.TogetherRobert with RuthWolf-Rehfeldt, hedevelopedtheidea with LatinAmericanartistswas German Democratic Republic–based women participatinginthisalternative circuit. testimonyisincludedinthis section,standsoutasoneofthefew personal with EdgardoAntonioVigo underthepseudonymG.E. MarxVigo, and whose Pazos, andJuan Carlos Romero.Graciela Gutierrez-Marx, who worked network inArgentinawereEdgardoAntonioVigo, HoracioZabala, Carlos artists persecutedbythedictatorships.Key participantsinthemailart public pressureand,insomecases,eventhereviewof lawsuitsagainst American countries,conveyedthroughthemailnetwork,caused strong of informationaboutabusecommittedbythemilitaryregimes inLatin Argentine artistEdgardoAntonioVigo, tonamejust afew. Therelease Clemente Padín; aswellthedisappearanceofPalomo Vigo, sonofthe the tortureandimprisonmentofUruguayansJorgeCaraballo and exile ofChileanartistGuillermo Deisler, followingPinochet’s coupd’état; ties circulatedinthemailartnetworkthroughout1970s:forced marked byalarmingeventsandviolentclashes.Informationaboutatroci del Sur (2000).Padín’s archivebearswitnesstoaperiodinhistory (1969–72) andOVUM(1973–76),Participación(1984–86), and Correo edited andcirculatedwereLosHuevos delPlata(1965–69),OVUM10 continent intheyears1960–70.Amongcollaborativemagazineshe imposed bythemilitarydictatorshipsthatdevastatedLatinAmerican come canonicalformsofartisticcreationandcirculation,thelimits threshold ofartandactivismforthepastfortyyearsinaneffort toover Silva, ReginaSilveira, Gabriel Borba,andMario Ishikawa,amongothers. contributions fromPaulo Bruscky, DanielSantiago,J.Medeiros, Falves stances. artandvisualpoetryflourishedinBrazil,withimportant than escapingfrom,socialreality, often underthemostdifficult circum- artwereseenasuniqueopportunitiesforanimating,rather contemporary museum intoalaboratoryforparticipation.Itsexhibitions/statementson artistic elitism.AsDirector, Zanini collaboratedwithartiststoturnthe Westernand Europeanmuseumswereconsideredsitesofeconomicand became alivelyenclaveoffreedomattimewhenmanyNorthAmerican Contemporary ArtoftheUniversitySãoPaulo, apublicmuseumthat was togooncollaboratewithWalter Zanini, attheMuseum of by Julio PlazaattheUniversityofPuerto RicoinMayaguez in1972.Plaza Among thoseintheEasternbloc todevelopthestrongestdialogue Clemente Padín, fromUruguay, hasoperatedinvariousguisesonthe - -

7 kemp-welch and freire | special section introduction 8 artmargins 1:2–3 and theUnitedKingdomwere amongthemanyvitalexternalstaging European artists.Throughtheirefforts, andthoseofothers,theNetherlands Carrión andtheBeauGeste PressdevelopedlivelyexchangeswithEastern created theBeauGeste Press,discussedinZanna Gilbert’s essay. Both Mexican artistsFelipe EhrenbergandMartha Hellion, exiledinEngland, lery, archive,andeditorialhouse, inordertodisseminateartisticprojects. Ulises Carrión createdapersonalandartistic enterprise,amixtureofgal- living inexile.WhilelivingAmsterdamthe1970s, theMexican modes ofsolidaritythatwereoften particularlypreciousforthoseartists nections thatwentbeyond“translation” toexploredeeper, subjective since the1960s,servingasauniversalplatformofsortsfor forgingcon- network. Visual poetryhasalsofeaturedstronglyinmailartexchanges his magazineUNI/vers, aretestimonyoftherolegraphicartistsin ,in beforemovingto theGDR.His editorial projects, particularly European mailartexchange.After leavingChile,Deislerlivedinexile Guillermo Deisler’s uniquecontributiontoLatinAmericanandEastern editorial projects.Paulina Varas’s essayforthisissueisdevotedto 3 another’s parallelactivities. projects, manyofwhomhad,untilthen,beenlargelyunawareone European experimentalartistswithintheframeworkofsamebook ing publicationsbringingtogetherforthefirsttimeworkofEastern across theEasternbloc,andusedhisliststoauthoranumberofpioneer bulletin. Working inOldenburg,hesoondevelopedextensivecontacts after 1969,andwasauthoroftheinternationallydistributedIAC-INFO headed anorganizationcalledtheInternationalArtists’ Cooperation Klaus wasalsoextremelyactiveinthenetwork,asGroh, who who soughttomeetRehfeldtwhentravelingEurope.Carl Friedrich letters.” ClementePadín andBrazilianPaulo Brusckywereamongthose Cold War informationblockade,becametheprinciplepoweringhis“art help myideas,”printedinthegraphicpiecesthatcirculatedbeyond the GDRinlatesocialistperiod.RobertRehfeldt’s motto“Your ideas mail artists’ network,thusovercomingtherelativeculturalisolationof of “contact culture,”andthepairbecamecentralfiguresinglobal Schauberg, 1972). Osteuropa—CˇSSR, Jugoslawien, Polen, Rumänien, UdSSR,Ungarn(Cologne:DuMont Art, Project-Art(Cologne:DuMontSchauberg,1971),and KlausGroh, AktuelleKunst in artists inEasternEurope.SeeKlausGroh, IfIHad aMind .(ichstellemirvor)Concept- His earliestpublications,inparticular, werecentraltothedevelopment ofcontactsamong Political exilealsofrequentlyprovidedanimpulseforalternative 3 - to theBeauGeste Press’s invitationtoeditanissue of Schmuckbypresent tional networkers in1960sand1970sHungary, meanwhile, responded artists suchasValoch andKocmanforthefirsttime,in theearly1980s. network thatsawanumberof keyMoscowconceptualistsvisitandmeet in turn,pavedthewayforan, asyetlittlestudied,Czechoslovak/USSR chinksinthearmorofpre-perestroikaSovietisolationism.This, invisible to becomeanexileinCzechoslovakia,puttingpressureon thealmost whose marriagetoViktor Pivovarovenabledthe Moscow conceptualist colleagues asofthelate1970s,withsupportMaria Slavecka, exchange betweenartistsfromtheSovietUnionandtheir Czechoslovak these sortsoflinks,althoughheplayedauniqueroleinfostering direct alegendaryDuchampexhibitionin1969,wasunable tomake hosted the Directorofimportantavant-gardeVáclav Špálagallery, which theirpeers inotherpartsofCzecho­ with such artiststendedtobebetterconnectedinternationallythan theywere conceptualart,andconcrete-poetry networksoftheperiod.Paradoxically art, contactsandfeaturedveryprominentlyintheperformance international Stano Filko, amongothers,inBratislava,allofwhomactivelypursued in Prague,Jirˇí Valoch andJirˇí KocmaninBrno,andAlexMlynárcik and woulddoubtlesshaveincludedkeyfiguressuchas Petr Štembera continuing throughoutthe1970s. Prague in1968,andtheintensiveculturalrepressionsthatfollowed, normalization followingtheWarsawso-called Pact troops’ invasionof tomatic of the abnormality oftheCzechoslovakartsceneinera ented engagementwiththenetwork.But thisinitselfmayalsobesymp- ori 1974 maytosomeextentbesymptomaticofanindividualistic,locally did notoptforanoverviewofthecontemporaryCzechoslovakscenein Knížák aleadingfiguresinceitsfoundinginthe1960s.Thefactthat been audience, theactivitiesofexperimentalgroupAktual,whichhehad invitationtoeditanissueofSchmuck the 1970s artisticscene.MilanKnížák,inCzechoslovakia,tookadvantageof diverse approachestonetworkingthatcharacterizedtheEasternEuropean magazine Schmuck,publishedbytheBeauGeste Press,illustratesthe with one’s neighborswascloselymonitoredbythesecretpoliceandcensors. tries suchasCzechoslovakiaandHungary, whereforgingdirectlinks posts fortherelayofinformationinternationallyonbehalfartistsincoun- László BekeandDoraMaurer, arguablythemostimportantinterna- An overviewunitingtheexperimentalscenesinformerCzecho­ An examinationoftheHungarian andCzechoslovakissuesofthe slovakia. Even Jindrˇich Chalupecký, to present, to an international to present,aninternational - -

9 kemp-welch and freire | special section introduction 10 artmargins 1:2–3 also remainsacrucialpointin theglobalnet,andoperatestothisdayas independentspaceArtpoolinBudapest, foundedin1979, apartment-based justice toalltheiractivitieshere. György Galántai andJulia Klaniczay’s Manifesto, “pointsoftheNET”becamesonumerousthatwecannotdo of spacesthatmightbecalled,after thedefinitionoffered intheNET throughout thelatesocialistperiod,and,by1970s, thenumber undoubtedly servedasahubforEasternEuropeaninternational exchanges tions to exchange artistic thoughtsandpropositionsinperson. met onlythroughsharingthepagesofinternational publica- hitherto had others. Such meetingswerelivelyandrareopportunitiesforartistswho Prague, andYugoslav artistsTomislav GotovacandGoranTrbuljak, among PDDiU), playedhosttoartistssuchasJirˇí KovandaandPetr Štemberafrom for Activities, DocumentationandPropagation,astheycalledit(the alternative art and its documentation from the 1970s onward. The Studio KwieKulik, whoseapartment,likePartum’s, wasakeymeetingplacefor all overtheworld.ItwasatPartum’s thatGlusbergmettheartistduo walls werecoveredwithmailedpoemsandartisticpropositionsfrom called theBureau delaPoésie, hisnarrowone-roomapartmentwhosedrab and poetAndrzejPartum, whowelcomedforeignvisitorstowhat he in Warsaw tobegracedbyavisitfromGlusbergwastheself-taught artist source ofinformationaboutartisticdevelopmentsabroad.Amongthose print runofmostcontemporarypublicationsitssort,wasaprecious edented quantities,particularlyinviewoftheprecariousnessandsmall for whomthecolorfulCAYC bulletin,publishedanddistributedinunprec a markedimpressionongenerationofartistsemerginginthe1970s, Polishmented exhibitionatCAYC. TheArgentinean’s visittoPoland made addition totheHungarian Festival, histripsborefruitinalittle-docu- extensively inEasternEuropetheearly1970s,developingcontacts.In 4 tions ofthedocumentationdisplayedaspartexhibition. festival ofHungarian art,accompaniedbyafoldercontainingreproduc- based Centro deArteyComunicación(CAYC), whichhostedamajor 1974, ontheinvitationofJorjeGlusberg,directorBuenos Aires– oftheirwork.TheexercisewasonethatBekerepeatedin documentation inviting awiderangeofartists,workingindifferent ways,tocontribute ing aninclusiveoverviewoftheHungarian unofficial artsceneasawhole, (Stuttgart: Hatje Cantz, 2010),121–79. Practices: ArtunderConditions ofPolitical Repression,ed.Hans D.ChristandIris Dressler See AnnamáriaSzökeandMiklósPeternák, “Tomorrow IsEvidence!” inSubversive Glusberg was a global networker of considerable means and traveled Glusberg wasaglobalnetworkerofconsiderablemeansandtraveled 4 - tutional spacesthathad,especially intheeightiesSlovenia,developed Igor Zabel learnedfrom“theexperiencesofartistsandsmallnon-insti - artmuseumafter thedisintegration ofYugoslavia,porary Badovinac and any planetarynegotiations.” any genealogies oflocalavant-gardes” are“a preconditionforestablishing ers ofourownknowledge.” ers times bordersonservilitytotheWest” hasentailedbecoming“produc- againstEasternEurope’sback ofself-confidence whichat historical“lack porary artworkerstoday. AsZdenkaBadovinachasobserved,fighting munity ofArtists,activeinZagreb intheperiod1978–80. in1972byIdaBiardParis,founded andPodroom–The Working Com­ with referencetotwoartist-runinitiatives:theGalerie desLocataires, analyzes thepeculiaritiesofYugoslav experimentalartists’ predicament Republic ofYugoslavia inaninternationalarena.IvanaBago’s essay late intoanopenticketforexperimentalartiststorepresenttheFederal and Yugoslavopenness, citizens’ relativefreedomtotravel,didnottrans- uniquely isolateduntilthe1980s,state’s successfulperformanceof of thesatellitecountries,nottomentionSovietUnion,whichwas ism far greaterdegreeofopennesstotheWest thantheSoviet-stylesocial- with marginalizedgroups.IfYugoslav socialismwascharacterizedbya in seekingtonavigateavarietyoflocalscenesandestablishcontacts cratic obstaclesforeignersoften confronted,inthelatesocialistcontext, unofficialbureau artisticspheresinsomesituations,aswell the and nals theimpossibilityofestablishingclear-cut distinctionsbetweenofficial dered bystateinterventionininternationalartists’ networking,andsig- This anom­ the internationalfieldafter thecollapseof Yugoslav “self-management.” colleagueswhowentontoachieveconsiderablerecognitionin mental artists whose names,today, arelessfamiliarthanthoseoftheir experi- context, Yugoslavia wasrepresentedinArgentinabyofficially sanctioned prisingly, butperhapssymptomaticallyofthespecificity Yugoslav Aires alsohostedanexhibitionofworkbyartistsfromYugoslavia. Sur Jasmina Tumbas’s contributiontothissection). a livingarchiveforexperimentalandmailartnetworks(discussed in 6 5 Ibid., 5–7. 2009): 5–7. Zdenka Badovinac,“Contemporaneityas Points ofConnection,”e-fluxJournal11(December Artists’ networksofthe1960sand1970s continue toinspirecontem- In additiontotheHungarian andPolish exhibitions,CAYC inBuenos alous episode is indicative of the powerful vicissitudes engen- 5 For “local bodies of knowledge, including the Forbodiesofknowledge,includingthe “local 6 Seekingtoredefinetheaimsofcontem- ­ - 11 kemp-welch and freire | special section introduction 12 artmargins 1:2–3 of otherpioneeringresearchprojects,includingVivid [Radical]Mem­ Networking theBloc ontheother. AlternativeNetworks,ontheonehand,andKlaraKemp-Welch’sect project between Cristina Freire’s exhibitionandmuseum-basedresearchproj- LatinAmericanart,andbetweenthetwo.Therearestrongresonances and editors’ sharedinterestinartisticexchangeswithinEasternEuropean of thisambivalenceinsomethepracticesdiscussedissue. sibility ofInternet-basedactivism.Arguably, wecantracethegermination hand, wehavetheglobalizationofartmarket;onother, thepos- asacompetitivetoolinthetechnocraticenvironment:onone network of the“network” standsinmarkedoppositiontotheneoliberalideaof of today’s -basedsocialnetworks,forthe1960sand1970sidea solidarity, weought,perhaps,tobewaryofclaimingthemasantecedents networks discussedinthisissuerepresentpowerfulinstancesofcultural 9 8 7 doing thisthantheofficial culturalpolicywas.” operating internationally, andthatweresignificantlymoresuccessfulat parti­ video, attheUniversidaddelaRepublica. video, inLatinAmerica,including thatofClementePadín, inMonte archives actionstosecurepublicaccessaseriesofimportantartists’includes of thepoliticalissuesinvolvedinfield.Oneitsconcrete projects America, andconcernedaboutthecurrentneutralization obliteration form createdbyresearchersinvolvedwithconceptualisminLatin Rede ConceitualismosdoSul, aninternationalnetworkandthinkingplat- of thisissue:theinternationalarchive-sharingprojectInternationale, and international collaborativeinitiativesthatrhymestronglywiththeaims framework sinceitsinceptionin1999.Additionally, of thereareanumber site forforminglinksbetweennationalarthistorieswithinatranslocal

and archives,exiled and soldtomuseumsmetropolitan collections. do Sul initiatives.Arecentalarmingphenomenon hasbeenthemigrationofsuchcollections isimportantto note MuseoIt ReinaSofia’s (Madrid) sustainedsupportofRedeConceitualismos (Recife: CEPE, 2007); among others. Utopia (Recife:CEPE,2007);amongothers. the Museum] (SãoPaulo: Iluminuras,1999); Cristina Freire, Paulo Bruscky: ArtArchiveand Freire, Contemporary ArtoftheUniversitySão Paulo sincethemid-1990s.SeealsoCristina term researchprojectConceptualArtand ConceptualismsdevelopedattheMuseum of Museum ofContemporaryArttheUniversitySãoPaulo aspartialresultsofthelong- Cristina Freire’s AlternativeNetworkswasoneofaseriesexhibitionscuratedatthe Ibid., 5–7. The specialsectioninthisissueofARTMargins emergedfromthe cular strategiesforself-organization, alternativenetworking,and Poeticas doprocesso.Arteconceitualnomuseu [Poetics oftheProcess.ConceptualArtin 8 AndARTMargins Onlinehasbeenakey 9 We alsoacknowledgeanumber 7 But whiletheartists’ ory ­ international exchange. tocontinue thiswork,signalingpast,present,andfuturefieldsof need Eastern Europe,proposingnewmethodologies.We highlightthe approaches tothenetworkspursuedbyartistsinLatinAmericaand gathered hereareintendedasameanstoexpandthediversityof Margins (United Kingdom), on whose initiatives we seek to build. to seek Marginswe (UnitedKingdom), onwhoseinitiatives (Barcelona), theexhibitionSubversive Practices(Stuttgart), and Meeting 10

Rather thandefiningaclosednetwork,thetestimoniesandtexts www.essex.ac.uk/arthistory/meeting_margins/Default.htm. 2009/exhibitions/subversive/; Meeting andMargins, accessedApril 4,2012, http:// Subversive Practices,accessedMay 14,2012, http://www.wkv-stuttgart.de/en/programme/ accessed April 4,2012, http://www.vividradicalmemory.org/htm/project/project.html; Conceptual ArtRevisited:ASocialandPolitical Perspective fromtheEastandSouth,” Further information ontheseprojectscanbefoundonline:Vivid [Radical]Memory, “Radical 10 13 kemp-welch and freire | special section introduction 14 artmargins 1:2–3 the otherexhibitionspacesinPoland atthattime werecontrolledbya spaces—the pointisthattheyfunctionedoutsidetheofficial circuit.All speak ofindependent,alternative,underground,oranti-institutional different termsforthesegalleries—“authors’ galleries” isone,orwecan Galeria podMona˛ Liza˛, andGerard Kwiatkowski’s Galeria EL.Thereare Krzysztofory, Andrzej Matuszewski’s Galeria odNowa,Jerzy Ludwin´ski’s galleries thatappearedinthe1960ssuchasGaleria Foksal, Galeria Bogusz’s KrzyweKołoinWarsaw, andtheirvaluesweresharedbythe faced inthewakeofevents“October” 1956,suchasMarian son toothercountriesinCentral andEasternEurope.Afewgalleriessur 1 Kozłowski: Klara Kemp-Welch: involvement withAndrzejMatuszewski’s Galeria odNowa? youtellmesomethingaboutthesespaces,inparticular aboutyour Could network ofauthor’s galleriesinthePolish People’s Republicinthe1960s. Klara Kemp- in Conversa NET, Jarosław Kozłowski © 2012 ARTMargins and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology© 2012ARTMargins andthe MassachusettsInstitute of series ofartists’ meetings inPawłowice, Dłusko,and Jankowice (1975–78). exhibitionpractices;authorofParallelnew Actions after 1972;organizerofagroundbreaking Club inPoznan´ devotedtochallengingtraditional definitionsofartworkandtodeveloping of Galeria odNOWA(1964–69)—a keyspaceforyounginnovativeartistsintheStudents’ realismasamodeofoppositiontoPolishpropriating postimpressionisttendencies; director environments andspectacles;cofounder ofGrupa R-55in1955—agroupdevotedtoreap- Andrzej Matuszewski (b.Poznan´, 1924,d.2008): painter; sculptor; arttheorist;authorof TherewasaveryparticularsituationinPoland, incompari- I’d liketobeginbyaskingyouabouttheunique tion wih Wel ch 1 - commissioned work. life, suchasthepossibilityof getting astudio,scholarships,undertaking museums; ithadabearingon variousexistentialaspectsofanartist’s have abearingonthepossibilityofexhibitinginofficial galleriesor Union hadnobearingonanything. .Well, otherthanthat,itdid Union. Thiswastheonlykeytomembership.But membershipinthe tus ofthesegalleries. member oftheUnion,butthishadnobearingonindependent sta a whocompletedanartdegreeatthattimeautomaticallybecame Anyone theUnion;itwaslinkedtocompletingone’sjoin studiesatanartschool. JK: KKW: JK: KKW: Lisa, orbyartistsrealizingtheirownprogram,artutopia. by eithertheorists,asinthecaseofFoksal Gallery andGallery Mona these galleriescompletelyignoredthissortofobligation.Theywereled institutions, andenforcedthroughprovincialcentralcommittees, Although theculturalprogramatthattimewasofficially definedby Party wasalsounderverystrictcontrolandrealizedtheofficial program. which coordinated bytheMinistryofCultureandArtorUnionArtists, thatbuilttheirownprogramandidentityweren’tgalleries inanyway exhibition spaces,andthosefew(andtherewerestillinthe1960s) tion betweentheseentirelystate­ of time,thearrivalGierek, andsoon.Whatmatteredwasthedistinc before October1956anddifferent after October, changingwiththeflow policy ofthatperiod,thoughthisvariedcourse,andwasdifferent appointedtodothis,andrealizedprogramsthatreflectedcultural system KKW: of thisprofessionalbody? “bloc” itwasimpossibletofunctionasanartistwithoutbeingamember Polish Artists?Iwasundertheimpressionthatincountriesof Eastern bloc. because theydid notexistinthesameway othercountriesinthe into theUnion? ent formsofart?Were thereinstances ofpeoplewhowerenotaccepted academy, doesn’t thatmeantheUnionwasrelativelyopentodiffer Anyonewhohadahighereducationartdegreewasaccepted intothe Membership intheUnionwasn’t theresultofexpressingawishto DidthepeoplewhoranthesegalleriesbelongtoUnionof Were theauthors’ galleriesallowedbytheauthorities,then?Iask Inpracticalterms,ifthesolecriterionwastohavefinished the -controlled networkswiththeirofficial - - - 15 kozŁ owsky and kemp-welch | in conversation 16 artmargins 1:2–3 be amongtheaddressees, whichledthemto besuspicious.To beonthe one ofthembecause thenameofsomehigh-up politicianhappenedto and ofcoursetherewasn’t areturnaddress.Thepostalservicedestroyed from thephonebook. topeopleIknewanddidn’tsent know, whoseaddressesItook nature. Isentaroundthreehundredofeachthesepieces. Theywere name formyself—toescapeattributingwhateverexistsinart tothesig- desire toavoidauthorshipandnotconstructanartisticidentity ora ent ways.Theanonymityofthecorrespondencepieces cameout of a collaborating withAndrzejMatuszewski, whichwasimportantindiffer gallery, suchasmeetingWłodzimierzBorowskiandJerzy Ludwin´ski, and inPolishjust art—andIhadsomeimportantexperiences atodNowa and 1970.Iwasbecomingmoreawareofwhathappening inart—not of thesecorrespondencepiecesthatImailedanonymouslybetween1968 Group ofArtists. Gallery.Lisa Galeria KrzysztoforyinCracow wassponsoredbytheCracow was theInternationalBookandPressClubthatsponsoredMona also goontosponsorAkumulatory2laterinthe1970s.InWrocław, it Club,andsponsoredbytheUnionofPolishStudent Students,whowould rials, banners,andotherofficial artforms. PSP, aninstitutionconcernedwithcommissioninganddesigningmemo of official artinstitutions. For example, Galeria Foksal’s sponsorwasthe Who didyousendtheseinstructionsto? Could you tellmewhythestrategyofanonymity wasimportant to you? Werethem. youinspiredbythestructureofGeorge Brecht’s eventscores? containing grainsofsandwithinstructionstotherecipientscount lope first sentoutanonymousinstructionsinthemail,amongothersanenve art seemstohaveshifted dramatically. Itwasduringthatperiodyou half ofthe1960s,initiallyasanassistantingallery, yourapproachto JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: Notnecessarilyartists.People selectedcompletelybychancetoo, I stilldidn’t knowanythingaboutBrechtatthattime.Therewerefive The Union ofPolish Students.Galeria odNowawaslocatedbesidethe They weren’t prohibited.Above all,theyfunctionedoutsidetheframe Notnecessarilyartists? AndwhosponsoredMatuszewski’s activities? At thetimeofyourcollaborationwithMatuszewski inthesecond - - - just inthenetwork ofalternativegalleriesthat werefunctioningatthe atthattime.That istosay—theydidn’tmarginal takepartinofficial trends, I wasabletogetacquaintedwith otherinterestingartistswhowererather lectually. At odNowathough,thankstoAndrzej Matuszewski’s program, compulsory program.Theydidn’t provideanyparticularadventuresintel time—academic inthemostrepulsive senseoftheword—followinga years Ispentatartschool.Artschoolswereveryconservative atthat circle wasproduced. the possessionofMr. Y, andMr. Y’swith Mr. Z,andinthiswayahuge information thattherestofphotograph,whichwasn’t there, was in each halfsenttoadifferent person,soifIsentittoMr. X,therewas “sphere ofimagination.” name andsurnameofthepersonIwassendingitto,withcaption artist. But aparticipant,yes.Anotherpropositionwaspostcardwiththe fly itout. . the receivershouldsigntheirnameandsurname,openawindow and therewasaninstructionsayingthatafter foldingthepieceofpaper of paperwithinstructionsonhowtofoldthepageintoaairplane, KKW: had carelesslysentfromjustonepostoffice. safe side,theydestroyedtheentirebatchofcorrespondence,whichI JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: an artist? odNowawasfarmoreimportanttomeasanexperiencethan thesix No,no.Just thename. Yes, itwasearlier. Whatelsewasthere .halfaphotograph, Maybe itwasn’t quitesoconsciousaboutturningeveryoneintoan Thereceiverbecomesaparticipant,countingthegrainsandsoon. . One oftheminvolvedcountinggrainssand,thesecondwasapiece CouldyoutellmemoreaboutodNowaGallery? But youdidn’t include theaddressofwhereotherhalfwas? Was thisbeforeyourimportant“ImaginationZone” actionin1970? Didthereceiveralsobecomeanartist?Can everyonebecome Sothereceiverisonewhorealizesproposition? Whatwereyourfivepropositions? - 17 kozŁ owsky and kemp-welch | in conversation 18 artmargins 1:2–3 art werecreated [bytheauthorities],orrather fabricated.Thesewere across thewhole country. Thismeant thatenclavesofofficial avant-garde ties ofunofficial galleries were neutralizedbytheirrapidmultiplication rials andsoon.But itistruethatsometimeinthemid-1970s theactivi- thesecurityservicesinvaded my apartmentandseizedallthemate then IhadalltheproblemswithNET.period Itbeganwithadenunciation, and sidered appropriateatthetime. ism ofthesetwoactionswhichdecidedlywentbeyondwhat was con Proceeding. The otherwasAndrzejMatuszewski’stitled provocativehappening inaPoznan´critic newspaper, theorganofParty RegionalCommittee. art an by Show, whichhappenedshortlybeforeMarch 1968,wasattacked exhibition andperformancebyWłodzimierzBorowski,VIIISyncretic lectures, discussions. from abroad. artistswas madeverydifficult. But therewereafewartists international JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: Chwałczyk, Fijałkowski, andmanyothers. time. IalreadymentionedBorowski,Ludwin´ski, butalsoRosołowicz, game? Didthesituationimproveforartists? change inthisway?Would you agreethatthiswasGierek’s cultural “enclaves.” To whatdegreedoyouthinkit’s possibletocharacterizethe creating whatTurowski, followingFoucault, hascalled“ghettos” or in the1970s,outwardlyallowingmorefreedom,butatsametime bothargued,indifferent ways,thatGierekhave begantoplayanewgame ofGierekpolitics bring,after 1970?AndrzejTurowski andPiotrPiotrowski the changesinculturalpoliticsafter theeventsofMarch 1968? space? It didn’t forme,justtheopposite.At thebeginningofGierek Yes. Itsclosurewasconnectedtotwoeventsthattookplacethere.The Mainly anexhibitionspace,butalso,fromtimetotherewere Not many, becauseofthepoliticalrestrictionsmovement What changesdidtheshift fromthepoliticsofGomułkato odNowawasclosedin1969,isthatright?Was thispartlydueto Were therealsointernationalartists? Was odNowaadiscursiveenvironmentormainlyanexhibition TheclosureofodNowaGallery hadtodowiththeradical- - - to ,MilanKnížák.Isigned perhapsthreeoftheseletters. ing againsttheimprisonment, inCzechoslovakia,ofanartistconnected years later, in1974.Therewerealsosomeletters circulationprotest- installed theexhibitioninhisname.Jirˇí Valoch visited,butthiswastwo exhibit atAkumulatory2.He couldn’t come,buthesentmaterialsandI slovakia, toinviteanyonefromthere.In1972IinvitedPetr Štemberato possibility, inthefirst twoorthreeyearsafter theinvasionofCzecho­ inpeople’sdiscussions homes,andinunofficial places. But therewasno in whichthiskindofattitudecouldbemanifested.Ofcourse, therewere KKW: their activities. were designedtoneutralizeandmarginalizeunofficial galleriesand then sponsored—generouslysponsored—andthesesortsofinitiatives KKW: JK: artistic circlesinPoland? Czechoslovakia. HowwasthisinvasionofCzechoslovakia processed in actions intheHungarian artscenedesignedtoshowsolidaritywith registered inPolish unofficial artoftheperiod,incontrasttoaseries in theshortterm,post-1968?Theshockdoesnotseemtohavebeen ity as farI’maware,therewasn’t anysignificantevidence ofartisticsolidar Czechoslovak artistswhovisitedPoland inthe1970s,forexample,but make internationalcontacts?Therewereanumberofexperimental give themahandtomakesomeexhibitionspossible,tryhelp neighbors intheEasternbloc?Was thereafeelingthatoneshouldtryto To whatextentdidartistsinPoland feelasenseofdutytowardtheir inCzechoslovakia,withtheonsetofso-callednormalization. particularly Warsaw Pact troopsinAugust: repressionintensifiedacrosstheboard, they hadsignedup. able todemandthattheauthoritiesbeginrespectrightsforwhich back ofthesecommitmentsthatdissidentsinCzechoslovakiawerethen suchastherighttofreedomofintellectualexchange.Itwason rights, agreed inaninternationalforum,writing,torespectbasic human of theHelsinki process,accordingtowhichthecommunistauthorities inpolicythemid1970s.1975,aftershift all,sawthesettinginmotion The invasionwascertainlynoted,buttherewasn’t anypracticalforum Returning to 1968, though, and the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Returning to1968,though,andtheinvasionofCzechoslovakiaby Was KnížákalreadyincontactwithPoland before? It’s interestingthattherewasaproliferationofnewgalleriesand - 19 kozŁ owsky and kemp-welch | in conversation 20 artmargins 1:2–3 Andrzej [Kostołowski]andIwere awareofhowtheartmarketfunc- of art. tutions, thewholecommercializationofart,andinstitutionalization to thetotalitariansystem,whileoverthereitwasaboutcommerce,insti- were contestingaslightlydifferent ideology. Here, ideologywasreallyrelated iron curtainattitudesanalogoustothosewehadhere,exceptthatthey theworld—andfindingamongartistsonother sideofthe around as wastheideaofusingposttogetincontactwithvariousartists riers andborderswhichlimitedcontactswasborninaverynaturalway, art, swappingbooks,andsoon.Theideaofignoringallthephysicalbar the end1971.KostołowskiandImetveryfrequentlytalkedabout tributed. Ihadalreadyreceivedacopy. shredded, withtheexceptionofthosecopiesthathadalreadybeendis- presentedinthebook.Quitealargepartofeditionwasdestroyed, were and West becausetwoorthreeEastGerman unofficial artists totakeitoutofcirculationinviewapoliticaldealbetweenEast ordered from Groh manyyearslaterthattheDuMontpublishinghousewas of copiesbecausethebookwaswithdrawnfromcirculation.Ifoundout in 1971or1972.But Groh’s bookwasonlydistributedinasmallnumber of thefirstsourcesinformationonEasternEuropeannonofficial art is that“a NETisopenanduncommercial. ..” 2 JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: envious ofWestern artists’ commercialpossibilities? idealistic viewoftheWest. To whatextentdoyouthinkartistsherewere After all,manypeopleinPoland inthe1960sand’70sheldasomewhat limitationsexperiencedbyartistsoperatingwithinamarket system? the ization ofconceptualisttendencies.Were youawarefromtheoutset of have mentionedthattheyfeltbetrayedbytheWest’s swift institutional 1971 togetherwithAndrzejKostołowski. The marketdidn’t playanykind ofroleoverhereatall—itdidn’t exist. We wroteitin1971andwassentoff atthebeginningof1972,or I don’t thinkso.KlausGroh’s bookAktuelleKunst inOsteuropawasone Cracow 1981. with Maria Pinin´ska-Beres´, ofthe10thInternationalCracow Meetings, BMA Galeria, Polish artfestivals,suchastheMiastkomeetings inS´wieszyn (1971–81)and, Andrzej Kostołowski,coauthoroftheNET manifesto,artcritic,andcuratorofseveralmajor OtherconceptualartistsinCentral EuropewhomI’veinterviewed IwouldliketoturnnowtheNETmanifestothatyouwrotein 2 ThefirstpointraisedinNET - - analyzing thelanguage andthefunctionofart. Leftist tendencies,and its implications, mostnotablyagainstGreenberg. Itwasconcernedwith ceptual artwasverymuchaimed againsttheideaofmodernismwithall the secondhalfofthe1970s perhaps,orevenlater. To begin with,con ism atfirstthough—thishappened significantlylater, somewhere in WesternThe marketdidn’t swallowupartistsassociated withconceptual corruptionandthemajorroleofgallerymuseumdealers. tioned—its with rubberstamp.ImagecourtesyofJarosławKozowski. Andrzej KostołowskiandJarosawKozowski.NETmanifesto,1970.Typescript - - 21 kozŁ owsky and kemp-welch | in conversation 22 artmargins 1:2–3 from erasers. important value.Ofcoursethe letters“NET”onthestampwerejustcut worked. Theassumptionwas ifsomethingwasstampedthenithad wouldn’t becleartothe censorsandcontrollersatthepostalservice.It para-institutional activity. But wealsowantedtomakesurethattheform in Poland atthattime.Inpart,westampedasaway ofridiculingthis pressure andcontrol. to thefunctionofart,camouflagedverycleverandinsidious forms of ownership, andthestandardconceptoffreedomthatWest attached tation. Inawayitwassimplemindedsystem.But theperversityof suspicion; ofcourse,itcouldhavedone,butwasamatterinterpre- anything provideditwaspresentedinsuchawaythatdidn’t arouse thecensors,itallseemedabitpuerile.Theywerereadytobuyoraccept to every exhibitioninvitationcardweproposedtoprintatAkumulatory2 primitivehere;theiractivitiesmoretransparent.WhenIhadtotake rather prompted cynicism. pleasure itguaranteed.But therewasalsoadegreeofawarenessthat some, maybe,theWest seemedtobeagoodthing,withtheperverted text “1975”inTheFox, aswellwritingsbyArtandLanguageinBritain. JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: Western conceptualism. an interestintheinterpretationofMarxism, werealsoafeatureof bullet points,andsignatures. rian BenjaminBuchloh’s term.It’s somehowpara-legal,withitslogo, took. Itconveysan“aesthetic ofitsadministration,”toborrowarthisto- of controlwasmoresordid. of theparallelsystemscontrolimposedbyColdWar framework. This is because bureaucratic stamps played a crucially important role This isbecausebureaucraticstampsplayedacruciallyimportantrole Itwascleverer, moreintelligent.Theauthorities’ pragmatism was It’s hardformetosayifthisawarenesswasverywidespread.To EmergingfromMinimalismthroughKosuth.Therewashisfamous I’mveryinterestedinthespecificformthatNETmanifesto Inanotherinterview, youevensaidthatfelttheWest’s system Sopeopleoneithersideoftheironcurtainwerebecomingaware EmergingfromMinimalism? longer theneedtoinformpeople aboutit.Ithinkthisisstillhappening! because thewholethingbecameinternallygenerativeandthere wasno weretwoorthreeappendices.But there laterIstoppedsendingappendices list. Isentoutafewbatchesofthemanifestowithfirst list,andthen wasn’t socoordinatedanymore.At somepointIstoppedsendingthe paper. Itwasquiteajob forsomegoodweeks. passed itover. bolism oftheinstitution.That’s whythebeadyeyesofcontrollers rootedanywhereandisn’tinstitutionally aninstitutionbutusesthesym official document.Anofficial documentsentbysomethingthatisn’t ofmockery,aspect but NET wasalsostrategicallydesignedtolooklikean this coordination ofit,controloverthatitcannotbesteered.Therewas the mailbuttheydidn’t destroytheNETmailings. postal servicebyitsverynaturedealswithexchange.Sotheycheckedall office.” Itwassomesortofacontradictionintermsbecausethe exchange a peculiarinstitutionthatwasratherhumorouslycalledthe“postal pass throughthepostalservice’s control.InPoland atthattimetherewas JK: KKW: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: prints, tapes,slides, photographs,books,films, handbills,letters,manu- that these“propositions maybeaccompanied byeditionsintheformof “propositionsarepresented topersonsinterestedinthem,”and wherever studios andanyotherplaces, whereartpropositionsarearticulated,” invited toparticipate,andtheirnamesaddresses. . it wasanenormouslylaborioustasktotypealltheselettersbyhand? oped andcopied.”You invoketheissueofcopyrightinordertorejectit. an authorizedidea,”andthen,finally, that“NETcanbearbitrarilydevel- that “theideaoftheNETisnotnewandinthismomentitstopsbeing Yes, ofcourse.Or atleasteveryonegotthelisttobeginwith.Laterit Itypedalltheselettersonanoldtypewriterusingsheetsofcarbon Yes. We saidthattherewouldbenocopyright.That Itlooksveryofficial, andthatkindofofficial emblemalloweditto The manifestostates that“pointsoftheNETare:privatehomes, TheNETmanifestowasalwaysaccompaniedbyalistofthose You sentoutmorethan350copiesoftheNETmanifesto.Presumably The manifestoisinmanywaysanabsurddocument.You announced Itlooksveryofficial. - 23 kozŁ owsky and kemp-welch | in conversation 24 24 artmargins 1:2–3 List ofpersonsinvitedtobecocreatorsNET, 1970.Typescript. ImagecourtesyofJarosławKozowski. to people. KKW: JK: than people.But thenthereisalsothelistofnamesand addresses. scripts etc.”Sothe“pointsofNET”connectplacesandobjects rather omy tocirculate here?Arethesepointspart of theNET, too? ThepointsoftheNETarepeople—that’s tosay—placesconnected Andalsoobjects? Aren’t objectsalso grantedasortofnewauton- in Poland wasnotaresultofsome kindofosmosisbutwasrather con NET—we wouldhavebeenmillionairesnow! NET. He saidwhatamistakeit was thatwedidn’t copyrightthename not abletocontrolNET’sdevelopment. tempted totry. Asamatteroffactitwouldnotbepossible,becauseIwas KKW: JK: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: exchanged ideasinsomanyconcrete ways. Zeitgeist. Itseemstomebeamentalshortcut.After all,people developed strongnetworks. types oftotalisolationnow. Ofcoursepeoplefeltisolated,buttheyalso Eastern bloc.Thereisnothingtobegainedfromrepeatingthe oldstereo as justanisolatedindividual.Especiallywhentalkingabout theformer And ofcourseIthinkitiscrucialtomoveawayfromtheidea oftheartist likethisideabecauseitseemstoexpand,justastheNETitselfhasdone. I tions thatlinktooneanotherincomplex,butultimately traceable ways. person isalreadyanetwork—astaramongotherstarsandconstella- mentation oneday. BrunoLatourarguesthatinactornetworktheoryevery a morecompletemaplikethiscouldbemadebasedontheNETdocu- inisolation—withoutlineslinkingyoutoanyoneelse.Still,perhaps about I noticedthatyournetworkismisrepresentedthere.You appeartofloat contact withalltheotherpoints? other formsofarticulation.”Howwouldyoushowthatallpointsarein themselves andexchangeconcepts, propositions,projectsand among of constellations? environment, whatwoulditlooklike?Would itconsistofpoints?Or drawing ordiagrammingNET?Ifthenetworkexistedinsomesortof Yes, itisfalse.Itwasn’t Zeitgeist. Theappearance ofconceptualart Well, inasense,yes.ImetLászló Beke,muchlater, thirtyyearsafter Itwouldbeverydifficult tocreatesuchamap.Ihaveneverbeen Theywouldenvelopthewholeworld. . But theyareonesthatbegin tomove. .  Inaway, EastArtMap’s bigblackposterisanattempt,isn’t it?But The manifestostatesthat“all points oftheNETareincontact I knowyouareinterestedindrawing.Dideverthinkabout My currentresearchispartially fueledbymydislikeoftheterm Of course! - - 25 kozŁ owsky and kemp-welch | in conversation 26 artmargins 1:2–3 most ofthematerial, butnoteverything. Security Services,bytheway. countries sentresponses. pieces wehadreceivedbythattime.Twenty-four artistsfromdifferent ten closefriends,artists,arthistorians,andwriters.Iincludedallthe very diverse.People sentworksandlettersprintedmaterials. Iinvited apartment at7p.m.,onMonday22ndMay 1972.Themailingswere based onthecontactsthatdevelopedthroughNET. Seventytoeightypercentofthegallery’sreticians. exhibitionprogramwas tions, andthirtylectureswithPolish andinternationalartiststheo- years ofitsactivity, weorganized172soloexhibitions,fivegroupexhibi- partially supportedbytheStudents’ Union.Duringthealmosttwenty Poznan´from University. Thegallerywaslocatedinthestudents’ club,and 2, whichIfoundedin1972withthehelpoffourarthistorystudents later thesematerialsservedasabasisforinvitingartiststoAkumulatory I organized“receptions” whereIdisplayedthematerialsreceived.Then JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: artists. Thiswasalsoanetworkinsense. tivism traditionandthecontactsofStrzemin´ski andKobrowithRussian nected, amongotherthings,withthepresenceofPolish Construc­ minutes? “exhibitions?” your listtosendyouanything. But NETwasnotaboutcollecting—youdidaskthoseyouaddedto building personalcollectionsoftheworkreceivedthroughnetwork. thatparticipantsinthemailartnetworkweretosomeextentalso seems Yes. Theytookitalldownand itaway. After ayear, theyreturned Yes therewasnomore space.Thephotographsweredevelopedbythe Yes, receptions. ThefirstsuchreceptionofNETmaterialswasinmy Of course, after amonthortwoallsortsofmailarrived.To beginwith No.Itwasaboutexchangeandgettingtoknowpeople. The secretpolice enteredyourapartmentafter justforty-five Iseethatthematerialswerealsoonfloor. You referredtotheseearlymeetingsas“receptions” ratherthan You announcedthattheNETexisted,andcouldbeused. Yes—a networkthatwentontobecomethebasisofacollection.It that theyhadabandonedtheidea. and adaybeforethecourthearing wasduetotakeplaceIinformed organization directedagainstthe state[laughs].Later, theycalmeddown but nocertainty. people Iinvitedreportedittothesecurityagents.havemy suspicions, KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: anarchism? they ask? The leitmotiv was that we were in the process of founding an anarchist The leitmotivwasthatwewereinthe processoffoundingananarchist Yes. Yes, itdiddrag on forsometime.Idon’t knowwhooutoftheseten Andhowdidyou defendyourselfagainstthe accusationof WhatdidtheSecurityServiceswanttoknow?questions did Andtheotherswerealsointerrogated? AndIunderstandthatyouweresummonedtobeinterrogated? Invitation toNET Typescript withrubberstamp.ImagecourtesyofJarosławKozowski. 1 receptionatMatejki68/3z,Poznan ´ , May22,1972. 27 27 kozŁ owsky and kemp-welch | in conversation Installation ofmaterialsreceivedatthefirstNET NET Image courtesyofJarosławKozowski.Photographby Ludwin Photograph byJarosławKozowski. 28 artmargins 1:2–3 1 receptionMatejki68/3z,Poznan ´ ski, andAndrzejBerezian ´ ski—from lefttoright).ImagecourtesyofJarosławKozowski. ´ , May22,1972(Tadeusz Brzozowski,JacekZagajewski,Jerzy 1 reception,Matejki68/3z,Poznan ´ , May22,1972. almost ayear. with anypoliticalmanifestation.Itwasquitetiresome.went onfor they couldtalk and drinkcoffee orbeer, nottheGallery of the Artists’ JK: KKW: JK: of theprotectionanofficial institution? intheWest.art . Isn’t itsignificantthat youdecidedtotakeadvantage Union Clubsomehowresonates withtheinstitutionalizationofconceptual context acriticalgameofsorts? Themovefromyourapartmenttothe this timeintheClubofUnionPolish Artists. Was thischangeof Well, Itriedtoexplainthatitwasallaboutartandhadnoconnection Well, itwasonly theclub,ameetingplacefor localartistswhere But inspiteofallthisyoudecidedtoorganizeasecondreception, List ofartists’propositionsreceivedatNET Image courtesyofJarosławKozowski. 1 , Matejki68/3z,Poznan ´ , May22,1972. 29 kozŁ owsky and kemp-welch | in conversation 30 Invitation toNET artmargins 1:2–3 courtesy ofJarosławKozowski. 2 receptionofmaterialsfromart&project,atKlubZ.P.A.P.,Poznan 3 than sixtyexhibitions. than a fewyearsofthegallery’s activity, presentingwhatwasshownatmore JK: KKW: hours. up after the firstraid—todosomethingonceagain,evenjustfortwo umbrella anassociation.Butof themostimportantthingwasnot togive hadtobefound.Inthissense,yes,wewereunderthe place alternative previous“reception”the way therehadencroachedonmyprivacy. An show and not togiveup.We couldn’t usetheapartmentbecause ofthe gaveitadifferent meaning.Thepointwastodoanother Union—this from wireswasthequickestand easiestway, andthe leastdamagingto Itconsistedofprintedmaterialssentbyart&project,documenting van Beijeren. and akeyplatformfor conceptualart,foundedin1968byAdriaan vanRavesteijnandGeert Art &project—theleadingcontemporary artgalleryinAmsterdamofthe1970sand’80s Whatwasincludedinthesecondreception? 3 They were also on the NET list. Hanging the pages TheywerealsoontheNETlist. Hanging thepages ´ , October1972.Image ´ NET2 reception of materials from art & project, at Klub Z.P.A.P., Poznan, October 1972 (Anna Kozłowska, Andrzej Jur, unknown). Image courtesy of Jarosław Kozłowski. Photograph by Jarosław Kozłowski. the documents. It was a very quick and spontaneous action. The aim was to organize a second reception quickly.

KKW: Looking at the photographs of the event it is clear that this was all about reception and the recipients’ experience. . . .

JK: Yes, they are very important.

KKW: Was there any trouble this time?

JK: Well, they [the Security Services] boasted they had seen the exhibition and that they had commented on it.

31 32 artmargins 1:2–3 not contradictory. ity—they didnot likethefactthatitseemedblurry. But, inaway itwas During our“conversations” Iwasoften accused ofavoidingresponsibil- seven different spaces. space. Ithappenedseveraltimes.Altogether,in weorganizedexhibitions of theexhibition.Insuchcaseswehadtoquicklylookforan alternative they didn’t letusintothegalleryspacejustbeforeannounced date silly andprovocativegamesagainsttheGallery. For instance,sometimes ties (censorship,SecurityService,administrationofthebuilding)played individuals. KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: framework for relationships thatcanbereplicated inanysituation. suggested tome theidealofself-management. Thecreation ofanew will continue? and copied.”Isthisnotanabdicationofresponsibilityforhowtheidea responsibility? censoring theminanyway. which yousetupin1972.You invitedartiststotakeoverthespace,without with trust.TheelementoftrustwasalsoimportantatAkumulatory2, in motion.Ifindthisinterestingbecauseitseemstomethathasdo recommendationandexpansion.Themanifestosetsthe structure nent such asNET. privateattitudesandthedesiretoproduceanexpandedcollective vidual, around theutopiaofprivacy. I’minterestedinthetensionbetweenindi my place.Therewasnostatesponsorship. ers tomeandwhentheycamehavetheirshow, theywouldallliveat tain responsibilityasamatterofprinciple.After all,theywereallstrang- This was something that the Security Services found very provocative. This wassomethingthattheSecurityServicesfoundveryprovocative. Responsibilitywasenormouslyimportant.Alsobecausetheauthori- Yes. Therewasnothingformalorwritten,butartistsstillhadacer Itwasneveragroup.NETconcernedwithdialoguesbetween The statementthat“NEThasno centralpointandnocoordination” In themanifesto,youwritethat“NETcanbearbitrarilydeveloped SoAkumulatory2wasademocraticspace,basedonfreedomand You havesaidthattheNETworkedaccordingtoasystemofperma Insomeofhertextsonyourwork,Luiza Naderhasdevelopedideas - - - the ideaofuniversality. would beasortofdeclaration andadefinitionthatwouldbecontraryto was ourideaasauthors—authorshipwouldhaveinterfered. own way. onlypossiblewayofdistributingtheidea.Therestdeveloped inits the I didn’t thinkofNETasamailartactivity. Itwasjustthatthemail determines thelackofcontrol. KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: NET? Was it notthissenseofresponsibility andsolidarity? of theglobe. as toofferso analternativetothesuperpowersandCold War division military society. He arguedthatEasternandWestern Europeshouldunify, tal humanrelationshipsinoppositiontothevertical of the NETisnotnew”? sent. WhatistherelationshipbetweenNETandmailart? communication itselfwaswhatmattered,notsomuchbeing more a sociological than an artisticphenomenon.Ithinkhemeantthat GézaPerneczky hasarguedthatmailartis everyone. with correspond There werealotofpeoplewhowere,andremain,absolutelyreadyto tem. and foundthemtobeincontradictionwiththestructureofanopensys be somehowvettedforquality. Others,ofcourse,laughedatsuchattempts anyone shouldbeallowedtojointhe“network,”orwhetherentry more controlovertheirexchanges—forexampletheissueofwhether We didn’t wanttolimitNETsomeEuropeanstructure, becausethis Becausewewantedtoactresponsibly. We wantedtobepragmatic.So wedidn’t wanttoemphasizethatit Yes, propositions.Ideasmattermorethantherealizationsofideas. I treated myfirstfivecorrespondencepiecesasaformofmailart,but Trust andresponsibilityareinscribedintheproposition,this Ultimately then, what was it that was shared by individuals through Ultimately then,what wasitthatsharedbyindividuals through Inthe1980sGyörgy Konrádwroteoftheneedtodevelophorizon - Sowhydidyoubothsignthemanifesto? Andwhatdidyouhaveinmindwhenwrotethat“theideaof Inthemanifestoyoureferto“propositions” ratherthanartworks. Yes. Itseemstomethatsomemailartistshavetendedtryexert - 33 kozŁ owsky and kemp-welch | in conversation 34 artmargins 1:2–3 similar totalitarian systems. similar experiences andproblems—facingpolitically different butquite sharing deAquinoAngelo andClementePadín,were perhapsbecause we such as good contactandexchangeofideas withSouthAmericanartists, Canada, Mieko Shiomi fromJapan, and many others.Therewas very Andre, LawrenceWeiner,Vazan JohnBlake fromtheStates,Bill from Darboven, ReinerRuthenbeckfromWest Germany, OnKawara, Carl Claus fromEastGermany, ReneBloch, Franz Erhard Walther, Hanne PeterBritain, Mandrup and Lone Arendal from Denmark, Carlfriedrich Greatwould bealonglist:RobinKlassnikandRichardLongfrom JohnMatthewsartist whom I’venevermet,butwestillcorrespond. at Akumulatory2.Itwasthelastfestivalbeforehisdeath.Also New York although wenevermet—hewastheonewhoproposedFluxus festival Geoffrey Hendricks, Ken Friedman. IwasintouchwithGeorge Maciunas, excellent contactswiththeFluxusartistsEmmettWilliams, EricAndersen, of exchange. the registrationofanidea—theproposition—becomesthelanguage that student. Therewasnohierarchy. student nightclub.Thefollowingweekwehadashowbyfourth-yearart for fourdaysmaximum,duetothefactthatwesharedspacewitha had anexhibitionofworkbyRichardLong.Exhibitionsalwayslasted established andalsowithveryyoung,unknownartists.For example,we came tobethecontinuationofideaNET, andweworkedwith JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: KKW: JK: important foryou,asanartistandpersonally? start. Was italwayssoexclusive? howmanyimportantartistswereincludedinthecircle fromthe striking objects? accumulation. AreyousayingthatNETwasaboutideasratherthan because thedesiretopossessworksorobjectsisaformofprimitive saying: “BecomeamailartistandeverydaywillbelikeChristmas!” To answerthatwould betoestablishahierarchy!Icertainlydeveloped Inasensetheobjectsandworksareperipheral.But itisonlynatural Yes. We weresharingattitudes. Less important artists also appeared! As I mentioned, Akumulatory 2 Less importantartistsalsoappeared!AsImentioned,Akumulatory2 WhichacquaintancesmadethroughtheNETbecamemost LookingatthelistofnamesfirstNETmailingtoday, itis GézaPerneczky hasrecalledhisconcernatreadingamailartcall

.

.

. It It . KKW: Does this alternative international network correspond to your idea of the “third ring,” which Luiza Nader describes as “the realm of freedom” or “sovereignty”?4

JK: What I call the “third ring” is located between reality and art understood as a kind of mirror of reality.

KKW: A mirror of reality? Do you mean reflection theory?

JK: No, not only. The “third ring” concerns the whole art scene, both the functioning of art and the understanding of art as a kind of Jarosław Kozłowski (b. Srem, Poland, 1945). sovereign, parallel reality. The third circle is like a ball that bounces off the wall of reality and hits the wall of art and comes back to the wall of reality, and takes on elements from both these defined spheres.

KKW: A form of dialogue then?

JK: It’s rather a kind of permanent dialectics between reality and art, with- out entering categorically into the sphere of so-called reality or the sphere of so-called art!

Poznan´´, February 1, 2012.

Translated by Hannah Kemp-Welch

4 Luiza Nader, “Exercises in Sovereignty: On the Works of Jarosław Kozłowski from the owsky and kemp-welch | in conversation and kemp-welch owsky

. Ł Sixties and Seventies,” in Question Marks: Jarosław Kozłowski, ed. Bozena Czubak (Warsaw:

Profile Foundation, 2010), 68. koz

35 36 artmargins 1:2–3 dictatorships. The militaryanddictatorialregimes weredecisivefactors those LatinAmerican countriesandotherparts oftheworldthatfaced conceptual art’s emergencenortheartisticpracticesofconceptualism in especially museums,isunable tocriticallyestablishthefoundationsof imposed onofficialinstitutions, historiography andembeddedinartistic democratic andhostiletohumanrights. and mostofLatinAmerica,whichtodaywedonothesitate tocallanti ical formationsofthe1960s,1970s,and1980s,inbothEastern Europe social, economic,andpoliticallife.Ireferhereespeciallytothe socialpolit those artisticformationsproducedoutofparticularcircumstances of permanent denialofthereal-lifeconditions,oftentimes foundational,of ventions thatconstrictdialogue.Mostsignificantly, theycontestthe tices, andthatchallengethebarrierslimitcriticalthinking andcon- uniformity intheirconsiderationofthevaluesthatgenerated suchprac- produced duringthoseyears,thereremaincriticaldivisions thatavoid doing everythinginitsmeanstoperpetuateandappropriateallthatwas to theconsolidationofnewarttrends.Whilecontemporarycriticismis outoftechnologyinthe1960sand1970swereindispensable emerging Artistic modelsbornfromnewexpressivepossibilitiesandmedianewly A Bridgeto Freedom © 2012 ARTMargins and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology© 2012ARTMargins andthe MassachusettsInstitute of The Anglo-Saxoncriticalmodel ofconceptualism,forcefully Clemente Padín Robert Rehfeldt,1987.ClementePadín'sarchive. We arefightinginartforthefuture.Postcardby - - ter theformalconsideration ofJosephKosuth’s “art as ideaasidea,”and where themovement wasoriginallyborn.On theonehand,weencoun- countries,categoricallydifferentthese fromthosemetropolitancountries capacity todivulgemeaning. which wasjudgedonlyonthe basisofitsexpressivefunctionality, its artistic trends,butratherthequalityofproductcommunication, tered mostwasnotproducingmeaningfulformulations orfollowing nication betweendifferent artistswithindistinctfields,sincewhatmat- was oneofthemanycharacteristicsmailartthatallowed forcommu- over themerelyaesthetic—becameprincipalartisticmedium. This which necessarilyvaluesthedevelopmentofcommunication systems distinct politicalandeconomicalconditions.Asaresult,mail art— of theonlypossiblemeanscommunicationbetweenartists livingunder bybothdemocraciesanddictatorships,thusbecameone respected mate. Official mailwasprotectedbyinternationaltreatiesthathadtobe artistic devicesthatwerebeingelaboratedinresponsetothepoliticalcli- denounce anddocumentthesituationtocommunicatediffuse neous falloftheseregimes. Castro ideology. Here wemightconsiderthefactofalmostsimulta- dictatorsbackedbytheUnitedStatestochallengeexpansionof by Russian CommunismandinthoseLatinAmericancountriesoppressed art tendenciesinEasternEuropeancountriesundertheauthorityof of thepossible. approaching acertainsenseofutopiastillcapablenurturingthehorizon the conceptualproductionofthe1960sand1970s, we aimtoward oftoday’stures world.Onecouldgosofarastoclaimthatbyreconsidering tion andneoliberalstrategiesthatcollectivelydevastatethepoliticalcul- museums, galleries,exhibitions,andarchives,inthefaceofglobaliza- very relevantwhenreconsideringthemovementsofinstitutionssuchas instrumentsofanalysis.Inthissense,conceptualstrategiesbecome other placed oncertainstrategiesandtacticsthroughwhichwecanidentify circulation,greatlyimportantduringthoseyears,suggestsanemphasis tic collectives, andmovementsthatarenowbeingreconsidered. ods. Currentresearchisrecoveringmanydocuments,artworks,artists, in theformsofproductionandartisticdistributionduringthoseperi- We shouldsimilarlyconsidertheexpansionofconceptualism in Most significantisthemassiveexpansionofmailartasameansto Only inthissensemayweaccountfortheperiod’s increaseofcertain The recoveryofarchivespracticesandsystemsalternativeartis- 37 37 padÍ n | mail art 38 artmargins 1:2–3 Robert Rehfeldt,Jeff Birger, MichaelGroschopp, BirgenJesch, Karsten 10 space inmymagazines,first in LosHuevos delPlataandtheninOVUM imposed bytyrants.Inmypersonalcase,Ihadtheopportunity tomake “artistic through coups,”themostdifficult lifeconditions thatwerebeing communication, theinauguralnetworkingsthatattemptedtoovercome, theseyearswesawthefirst“weavings”ing of artists' networksdevotedto denouncementsandmanifestos.Itwasnotcoincidentalthat dur sharing swapping postcardsandartworks,later, atamorepersonallevel,to exchanges begantodevelopfromtepidlypassingalongpublications to thousands oftheregime’s opponents. turbing characterwiththedisappearancesanddeathsofthousands and contrast, therepressionofourspacesacquiredanapocalypticanddis- a betterpositiontomanagetheproductionanddiffusion ofourworks.By phy. Itcanbesaidthat,formallyspeaking,weLatinAmericanswerein porary criticism—forexample,withexperimentalpoetryandphotogra- mail artandotherformsofthatarenotwidelycelebratedincontem- arbitrary dictatorships,arelationshipemergesalmostnaturallybetween in EasternEuropeandLatinAmericawhentheyweregovernedby conceptual artisbornfromlife. ceptual artisbornfromandthatLatinAmericanEasternEuropean fromartorlife,wecanmaketheclaimthatAnglo-Saxoncon either If wetakeintoconsiderationDuchamp’s positionthatartcanbeborn the nameTucumán Arde: ceptual artists,theauthorsofparadigmaticexperiencethatgoesby on theotherhand,followingstatementmadebyArgentineancon- ns Katzenstein, Inés 1 , for numerous artists from Eastern Europe—for example, andOVUM,fornumerousartistsfromEastern Europe—forexample, Not muchlaterthanattheendof1960s,theseinternational Among countrieswithsimilarsystemsofgovernment,suchasthose change this. radically rejectsthiswayoflivingandsays:let’s dosomethingto struggle.” Artiswhatevermobilizesandagitates. they willbeuseful,wherecanturnedinto“arms forthe images, toaplacewheretheycanfulfillrevolutionaryrole, We wouldliketorestorethewords,dramaticactions,and (New York: Museum ofModernArt,2004), 326. 1 Listen, Here, Now!Argentine Artofthe1960s:Writings ofthe Avant-Garde - - a bridgebetweenartistsfromEasternEuropeandcolleagues in theWest.a conditions atthattime,hisfamouscooperativeeditionsUNI/vers servedas city ofPlovdivandtheninHalle (GDR).Asaresultofthesociopolitical Guillermo Deisler, whowasexiledformanyyears,firstinthe Bulgarian from .Imustn’t omitafantasticfigure, the Chileanartist andPiotrRypson from Poland;Jarosław Kozłowski, andJulian Mereutza Tomasz Schulz,Adam Kogociuk,ZdzisłtawJurkiewicz, RolandSzefferski, Dürer, AndrzejWielgosz, Pawel Petasz, PiotrRogalski,SztukaWysyłkowa, and RobertSwierkiewiczfromHungary; K.Parczewska, AndrzejDudek- from theformerYugoslavia; Janos Urban,Gábor Tóth, RudolfTakács, Nenad Bogdanovic´, Voik Branko,IvanJelincˇic´Mašic´ Merlin, andRadomir Tomic´, IvanJelincˇic´, DobricaKamperelic´, Jaroslav Supek, NicolaŠindik, Zagoricˇnik, MilenkoMatanovic´, DrejaRotar, AndrzejSzubzda,Biljana former Czechoslovakia;MiroljubTodorovic´, BálintSzombathy, Franci Josef Honnys,Petr Štembera,Jan Wojnar, andLadislavNovákfromthe Karel Adamus, Zdeneˇk Barbenka,BohumilaGroverova, JosefHiršal, Ladislav Nebeský,MilánGrygar, Jirˇí Valoch, Jirˇí Kocman,MilanAdamcˇiak, Rehfeldt fromtheGerman DemocraticRepublic;Jindrˇich Procházka, Sal-Gerd Beyer, KarlaSache,StephanJacob, JörgSonntag,andRuthWolf- Dressler, Mathias Tietke, KnutHartwich, JoachimStange,Jens Barkschat, Matthes, DetlefKappia,Hans-Jürgen Hess, Friedrich Winnes, Uwe in November1986. artist inthegroup thatexhibitedinMontevideo attheNationalLibrary Ursonate bySchwitters.Ileft ourmeeting withartworksbyalmostevery remind Robertthatwepassed thetimebyreadingafragmentof criolla, whichmeansmeatplaceddirectly ontopofburninglogs.Istill longed visit,duringwhichImight addIattemptedtocookasteakla exchange afewwords,butwewereabletoarrangeanother morepro tunately, duringmyfirst visitwithhimtherewasenoughtimeonlyto March 1984,IwasabletomeetRobertRehfeldtandotherartists.Unfor across theWall inasubway thatcrossedtheoldcapital.Consequently, in with theanthropologistVolker Haumann, wholedmebythehand theopportunitytovisitartistsinEastBerlinontwooccasions,together had Thanks tocertainactionstakenthatthisdayremainunclear tome,I during the time when the West beingopenedtothesocialistcamp. was for a three-month stay in grant West DAAD a Berlin, obtain to managed I thanks toassistancefromtheNorthAmericanFluxusartist Dick Higgins, tunity torecovermypassportandtraveloutsideUruguay. Subsequently, Around 1984,withthefallofUruguayandictator, Ihadtheoppor ­ - - 39 39 padÍ n | mail art 40 artmargins 1:2–3 Guillermo Deisler, whileinexile,wrotethefollowingpoem-concept:“. . forms, asubversiveactivitydirectedagainstthestateandrepressed assuch. to thecommunistregime.Mail artwasconsidered,likeotherartistic sequesteredintheircities,andincarceratedforopposition silenced, peared orassassinatedliketheywereinLatinAmerica,but theywere passports, andpolicecheckpoints.EastGerman artistswerenotdisap- crossing borderswithouttheneedtotravel,forvisas, of countries ofEuropeandLatinAmerica,mailartwasonepossible way moving fromonecitytoanotherwasprohibited.For artistslivinginthe meters outsideBerlininHalle, whomRehfeldtcouldnotseebecause Guillermo Deisler, Rehfeldt’s LatinAmerican friend,exiledafewkilo fraternity betweenhumanbeings. regarding “Your ideas helpmyideas,”inwhichheexpresses hisconviction the earth.Weand canfindareflectionofthisspiritinonehissayings, tems that seemborntoannihilateit,destroyhumans,theirhome, continues tostruggleprevailandpreserveitselfagainsteconomicsys- and concepts followusandwillguideforaslongthehumanbeing including anthologicalexpositionsofmailart.However, hisideas successes, work andparticipatinginthehistoricaleventsthatmarkedhis his ing tion ofGermany, andthecollapseofSovietUnion. was afailurethatculminatedinthefallofBerlinWall, thereunifica- is thatrealsocialism,suchaswhichwaspracticedinEasternEurope, to puthisbestefforts intothefighttoreestablishthoserights.Thetruth freedom intheGDR,heoptednottoturnhisbackonplacebutrather only option.Andwhenhediscoveredthelimitationsplacedonpublic theessentialneedsofhumanbeing.Forto him,socialismwasthe ism wasanobsoleteeconomicandsocialformationcouldn’t respond when hemovedtotheGDRoutofhispersonalconvictionthatcapital- impression onme.He was alreadyarecognizedartistinWest Germany nable sky. From thisplace,thefeather, asymbol-object, also expresses chauvinisms, a worldforman-birdssharing limitlessspace,anintermi- toward aworldwithoutborders, withoutnationalities,patriotic suggestionofamovementtoward absoluteco-inhabitingoftheearth, the his homelandandroots.However, inlightofhiswork, onecanperceive seemstomakeanallusion to hisconditionofpoliticalexile,farfrom this it happensthat,attimes,Itireofbeingforeign. ..”Uponfirstreading, The samegoesforthecooperativemagazineUNI/vers, ledby The prematuredeathofRobertRehfeldtdisallowedhimfromfinish- I shouldconfessthatRobertRehfeldt’s personalethicsmadeagreat - .

reads asfollows: panying textdedicatedtoKarsten Mathes, whodiedaround thattime, been giventomebyartistsin EastBerlininDecember1986.Anaccom- Public LibraryofMontevideo,Uruguay, withallthematerialthathad counterpart tothisshowIorganizedanotherexhibitionofmail artatthe son, IlimitedmyselftoinvitingLatinAmericanmailartists). Asa thisrea- cal characterthatexhibitionsofmailartinherentlypossess (for contradicted onetheprinciplesofmailart.I’mreferringto ecumeni Lateinamerika) at Galeriaaus Rene Black in West Berlin, andby doing so period, IorganizedtheLatinAmericanMail Artexhibition(Mail-Art counteroffensive totheexamplesetbysocialistCuba. was beingrepressedbyOperationCondor, implementedbytheCIAasa who, togetherwithGroh, keptaliveourcountry’s alternativeart,which many others.AnothereditorIcannotleaveoutistheartistKlausStaeck, (1975), andSign(o)Graphics (1976),bookletsthatIauthoredalongwith Moreover, KlausGroh publishedInstruments74(1974),OmaggioaBeuys North Americantransnationalcorporations—actedwithimpunity. military—fighting againstdemocracywiththebackingofCIAand tion thatoursmalltownsfacedundertheregimeofterror, wherethe dictators up-to-date,especiallythedenouncementofterriblesitua- Their editionskeptourdenunciationsandcondemnationsoftheLatin ( living insocialistcountries,withtheirmodestbutfundamentalzines often withLatinAmericanartistsoppressedbydictatorsandalso a kindofhingeinthearticulationinternationalcommunications, torial InternationalArtistCooperation(I.A.C.)inOldenburgandactedas with whomIcommunicatedbymailuntil1973.Groh ranthesmalledi- of anaxisinexplicitcooperation.OnesuchindividualwasKlausGroh, their colleagues. was theonlymeansthroughwhichartistsfromEasternEuropemet land, withoutforeigners,exiles. .UNI/vers, formanyyears, working) werebroughttogetherandtakentoward(versaUNI/que home- UNI/vers, aworkbyuni/vers(al)men,artistsoftheglobalnetwork( net the thematicofhiswork.From there,too,Deisler’s cooperativemagazine cuadernillos), neverlargerthanaquarteroftheDINA4formatsize. hundreds upon hundredsofparticipantsall over theworld.Bornin Mail art,a multitudinousmanifestation ofcontemporaryart,involves It wasnotcoincidentalthatinApril 1984,towardtheendofmy grant The activitiesofWest German editor-artists serveasanotherexample - - 41 41 padÍ n | mail art 42 artmargins 1:2–3 organized by the Asociación Uruguaya de Artistas Correo. It will begin organized bythe AsociaciónUruguayadeArtistas Correo.Itwillbegin few areawareof. we lackgraphictestimoniesof anintenseculturalactivitythattoo for indicatingareasreform inordertoimprovetheGDR,nordo hood, etc.Thereisnoshortage ofmatureandpositivemechanisms solidarity amongallgroupsofpeoplefightingforliberation or nation against religious,philosophicalorracialintolerance;toestablish ral goods,againstconsumerism,colonialismandapartheid, against hungerandpoverty, againstirrationalexploitationofnatu- peace thatwouldcontributetobuildingabetterworld;the struggle idarity: thetremendousneedtoestablishfirmbasesforalasting and concernofanartthatiscommittedabovealltointernational sol- ciples. Thethemeoftheseartworksexpressesthepreoccupation iswidelysupportedbecauseitsnaturewellsuitedtothese prin art and organicallyintegratedintothepeoples’ dailylives,thisformof camp whererespectandfreeartisticexpressionarebasicprinciples in acatalogueandthesecuritythattheirworkswouldnotbesold. acknowledgment ofbeingshownorhavingtheirparticipationrecorded or thereturnoftheirartworks,butwereinsteadsatisfiedwith etc.—mainly becauseitsfollowersdidnotexpectanycompensation galleries, journals,establishedcriticism,museums,foundations, mercial artandtheentireapparatusestablishedbymarket— verbal, visual,etc.Thesenormssignifiedaclearrejectionofcom- obligationofexhibitingallreceivedworks,inwhateverlanguage, the or particulartechnique;expositionswithoutjuryselection,butwith tions ofanyorder, includingsize(exceptthoseimposedbythemail), ipatory character: freeadmissionofreceivedworkswithoutlimita- respected byallparticipants,whichgaveititsdemocraticandpartic- totheimportantloweringofcostmailedartworks. contributed mail, andalsoadvancesintheindustryofgraphicreproduction,which the areaofairnavigation,allowingforrapiddistribution inthefieldsoflongdistancecommunication,especially advances massively asaresultofthepossibilitiesfreeparticipationand artists fromtheirsocialenvironment,mailartquicklyexpanded commercialization ofartandtheexacerbatedelitismthatisolated the USAatthebeginningof60sinreactiontogrowing This exhibition bringstogether56artistsfrom theGDRandis In theGerman DemocraticRepublic,amemberofthesocialist In thiscontext,mailartgenerateditsunspokenrules,today - - imate theoperativepowers thatmakethembelievetheyarenothing They arenormalcreaturesofflesh andbones,forcedtoreaffirm andlegit- its “beingintheworld” (according to Sartre). theessenceofhumanisproducedassomethingthat manifests which producerofworks(notnecessarilyobjects),predominantlyartistic,in the ket, inwhichartlosesitsvalue(inordertogainworth). The artistis order togenerateanexchangefunction,orinotherwords,artmar in nomic system.Moreover, theartistseparatesartfromitsusevalue itintosaleablegoods,whichonlyperpetuatesthe socioeco- transforming is nodoubtthattheartistaspirestolivebyandnotforhisorherwork do notresolvetheproblem,ateitherpersonalorsocial level.There thetic independence areoptions that bringwith them the same risksbut salary outsideoftheareaartisticactivity—inordertoconserveaes- spiting oneselfandproducingdirectlyforthemarket,orworkinga The subalternpathsofassuminganddeepeningthiscontradiction— artist seeshimselfobligedtoworkforartratherthanlivehisart. the situdes ofbuying,selling,andprofit-makinggalleries.Inotherwords, freelyfortheexigenciesofstylethatrespondsbesttovicis himself market thatobligeshimorhertorelinquishhisaspirationexpress hand findsherselfinthedramaticpositionofbeinginsertedintoanart same time,tolegitimizehimselfasahumanbeing),andwhoontheother an almostbiologicalneedtocreateandexpresshisessence(andatthe list systemdeepensthealienationofartist,whoononehandfeels interlocutor.the Itistragicthatingeneratingtheartmarket,capita­­ being human:thesocialrelation,andaccordingly, respectforthe“other,” “dialogue,” therebymaterializingoneoftheessentialcharacteristics requires theparticipationofatleasttwointerlocutorsinasituation this textbeenthreateningtotheGDR. would havehadtoenduretheconceptsandjudgmentsincludedin 1980s andimaginetheterribleconsequencesthatexhibitingartists Without adoubt,toevaluatethistextonewouldhaveturnbackthe 2 Library andwilllastuntilDecember4,1968. on the24thofNovemberin“J.P.Varela” roomattheNational Artists arenotspecialbeings or illuminatedbysomehigherpower. Based ontheconditionofbeinga“productcommunication,”art (Montevideo, Uruguay, 1986). Clemente Padín, ElArteCorreoenlaRepublica DemocraticaAlemana(exhibitioncatalogue) 2 - - - 43 padÍ n | mail art 44 artmargins 1:2–3 human needs. from thatofprofitingandearningtothefullrealsatisfaction societyinwhichhelivesreversestheobjectivesofsocialproduction the artist’sThe alienationfromhisorherworkwillberesolvedonlywhen they livedthroughtheirwork,whichimmediatelydisqualifiedthem. on theotherhand,theycouldnotavoidaddressingrealityinwhich this theyhadnochoicebuttoindirectlyfeedthestateanditsideology; ontheone hand,theywantedtolivefromtheirwork,butachieve ships: inEasternEuropeandLatinAmericasuffering underdictator countries essence isdenied.Thiswastheparadoxicalsituationfacedbyartistsfrom “artistic,” itisnotpossibletoperformthemin a contextinwhichthat express ouressenceashumanbeingsthroughsymbolicactivitiescalled else, toliveinpeacewiththeirwork.Ifhumannaturepushesus tion toselltheirlaborpower)andnotbeingswhoaspire,likeeveryone more thanemployeesattheserviceofartmarket(andthusinaposi Translation byNathan iel Wolfson Montevideo, Ocober2011 - - This article has been cited by:

1. Gwen Allen. Magazines as Alternative Sites of Artistic Practice 261-277. [Crossref] translocal Collaboration “Something UnnameableinCommon” 1 found an alternative completion. In the concluding part of the article, I alternative completion.Intheconcludingpartofarticle, I an found Schmuck Czechoslovakiaand ,specifically aswellthe“missing” twoSchmuckperiodicalsthatemergedfromcontactsinEasternEurope, the ties foranalternativeartisticeconomy. InthesecondsectionIexamine that enabledartisticideastobeexchanged,anddemonstrating possibili- as an“open forum,”fosteringtranslocal communicationandnetworks Press. LookingatSchmuck,Iexplorehowthismagazinewasconceived intermedial artists. tually expandedintoabroadnetworkofconceptual,postconceptual, and contributions andcollaborationsinitiallyoriginatedfromFluxus buteven of collaborationwithexperimentalartistsfromdiverselocations. These compiledthepublicationSchmuck,resultinginanextensivenetwork and 1972 and1974theytouredtheFluxshoeexhibition,printedscoresofbooks, Press, oneofthemostinfluentialsmallpresses1970s.Between rural outpostinthesouthwestofEnglandtheyformedBeauGeste but dilapidatedfarmhouseinSouthCullomptonDevon.From this In 1972,asmallgroupofartists,thinkers,andprintersmovedintolarge at theBea © 2012 ARTMargins and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology© 2012ARTMargins andthe MassachusettsInstitute of (New York andMexico City: Turner/UNAM, 2007),157. México 1968–1997/TheAgeof Discrepancies:ArtandVisual CultureinMexico, bilingualed. Olivier DebroiseandCuauhtémocMedina, LaEradeladiscrepancia:Arteyculturavisual en The firstpartofthisarticleprovidesabriefaccounttheBeau Geste —a LatinAmericaneditionthat, althoughneverproduced, u Ges 1 te Press Zanna Gilbert - 45 gilbert | “something unnameable in common” 46 artmargins 1:2–3 historical canon. directed attheinclusionofconceptualartfromLatinAmericain widely criticizedasessentialist,reductiveofartists’ aimsandmethods, contribution ofartistsfromtheregiontoconceptualart,butithasbeen Latin Americanartinternationallyandpromotetheunderacknowledged 2 istic. Latin America, with politicsasthe defining anddeterminingcharacter has beenproposedinrecentyearsasawayofreadingconceptualartfrom the category“ideologicalconceptualism” forLatinAmerican art.Thisterm tive modelthatsuspendscartographicconceptsofspaceandchallenges tic andideologicalgoalsvalues,regardlessofgeographicalcontext. thelocal,whileitsimultaneouslypropagatedasenseofsharedartis- and tive artssceneofthe1970senabledexpressionbothparticular contend thatthemodeloftranslocalcollaborationexpressedbyalterna 4 3 defies center-periphery models,butthatalsocannotbeencapsulated by ture ofmailartexchangessuggestsamodelforwriting historythat that wenowseeindigitizednetworkingpractices.Thenetworked struc- according tonewcontexts,displayingtheearlypossibilitiesofnetworking how influentialideasaboutarttraveledandtheywerereinterpreted managed tocollaborateandshareideas.Thisalsogivesusanideaas to ing howthoseinperipheral,experimental,andalternativeartscenes borders thatensuredaconstantexchangeofideologyandideas. feasible.” ical” LatinAmericanartversus“apolitical” Euro-Americanartas“hardly

(Stuttgart: Wüttembergischer Kunstverein, 2010),45. 60s–80s/South America/Europe (exhibitioncatalogue), ed.Hans D.ChristandIrisDressler South America/Europe,”inSubversive Practices:ArtunderConditions ofPolitical Repression: Iris Dressler, “Subversive Practices:Artunder ConditionsofPolitical Repression:60s–80s/ .pdf. accessed April 4,2012, http://www.essex.ac.uk/arthistory/rebus/PDFS/Issue%204/Gilbert and Consumption,”in Gilbert, “IdeologicalConceptualismandLatinAmerica:Politics, Neoprimitivism Zanna and journal/4214/how.do.we.know.what.latin.american.conceptualism.looks.likemiguela.lopez, Looks Like?”Afterall no.23(Spring2010),accessedApril 4,2012,http://www.afterall.org/ See, forexample,MiguelA.López,“HowDoWe KnowWhatLatinAmericanConceptualism Stimson (Cambridge, MA:MITPress,1993). in LatinAmerica,”ConceptualArt:ACritical Anthology,ed.AlexanderAlberroandBlake Yale University Press, 2004)andRamírez,“Blueprint Circuits:ConceptualArtandPolitics Mari Carmen Ramírez(HoustonandNewHaven, CT: Museum ofFine ArtsHoustonand See, forexample,Mari Carmen Ramírez,“A Highly Topical Utopia,”inInvertedUtopias,ed. My articleproposestranslocalartisticcollaborationasacommunica- Rather, itisthequestionofnetworkingthatcrucialtounderstand- 2 aimed to alter the perception of Thetermideologicalconceptualismaimedtoaltertheperceptionof 4 Importantly, thetermobscurestranslocalinteractionsacross 3 CuratorIrisDresslerdescribesthecodificationof“polit Rebus: AJournalofArtHistory &Theoryno.4(Autumn/Winter 2009), - - - 7 6 ru Appadurai, Arjun 5 specific placeorcommunity.” globalism) withtherootedknowledgethatcomesfrom belongingtoa of theglobal(inspiritcounter-globalisation ratherthancorporate being translocalistofindawaycombinethecomparativeperspective operate inavarietyofdistinctcontexts.Theyexplain,“Thebasicidea Fowkes inrelationtotheirpositionasarthistoriansandcuratorswho duction. Recently, thetermhasbeenemployedbyMaja andReuben communication andexchangebetweenartistsduringthisperiod. conceptualism” areunabletoaccountfortheextraordinary interplayof work) aswellthroughtravel andvirtualimaginaries. issignifiedbythestamp,address, themailworker,this andthemailed involves experiencesthatoccurinspecificplaces(inthemail artwork theenunciationofideasandsituationsatadistance.Thetranslocal enables cal isamodelofinteractioninwhichexchangeobjectsbetween artists an exchangebetweenindividualsorgroups.Myconceptionofthetranslo by there wasaprofoundgapbetweenthetwolocalitiesthatwere connected degree ofinteractionandintegrationinvolved.In1970s networking, porary situationbythetimeaworktooktophysicallytravel, and by the networking, whichisdifferentiated fromtheimmediacyofcontem­ ity” referencedby Wojtowicz. BeyondthatIrefertopre-Internetanalogical same senseastheFowkes’ definition,andbearinginmindthe“sociabil- transgressed bycirculatorypractices. transgressed alistic discourseandgeographicalcategorizationsthatareconstantly national, continental,andinternational—andthesuspensionofnation- that, asArjunAppadurai remindsus,thelocalconstitutesregional, allowsboththearticulationoflocalnarratives—bearinginmind which can cutacrossnationalboundaries.Isuggestinsteadthetermtranslocal, the termtransnational,whichmerelysuggeststhatculturalproduction as aplacewellcommunicativeforum. groups ofsimilarly-thinkingpeople,”reflectingtheideacyberspace location inageographicalsense,butrathernetworkedindividualsand a discussion oftranslocalityconceivesitasastate“whichdoesnotmean (OrWhereDoesArtHappen?),”net artandmediatheoristEva Wojtowicz’s artandactivism.Inherarticle“TranslocalInternet-based ArtoftheInter Recherches surlesArts 4,no.13(2002,revised 2010):299–307,2. Eva Wojtowicz, “Translocal Artofthe Internet(OrWhereDoesArtHappen?),” ArtInquiry: Petra Feriancová, “Translocal: Interview withReubenandMaja Fowkes,” VLNA16(2010). Worlds (Minneapolis:UniversityofMinnesota Press, 1996),18. Translocality has notbeenwidelyusedasanapproachtoartisticpro- Modernity atLarge:CulturalDimensions of Globalisation.Vol. 1ofPublic 6 Thetermalsoappearsinrelationto 5 Categorizations suchas“ideological 7 I apply the term here in the Iapplythetermherein ­ - 47 47 gilbert | “something unnameable in common” 48 artmargins 1:2–3 the politicizedenvironmentbeingcitedforcouple’s dislocation. ried hastewithtwolittlekidsandbarely200dollarsinour pockets,” tile toexperimentalwork.According toEhrenberg,they“flewoff inwor and wascompoundedforEhrenbergbyaconservativeart market hos- dent andexperimentalactivitieswasthebilingualmagazine ElCorno positioned themselvesagainstthestateandartmarket. ofartistswhowerecommittedtoartisticexperimentation andwho group set offixedprinciplesbasedongrandnarratives,butinsteaddenoteda thing unnameableincommon” didnotsignifyashared ideologywitha denying deterministicreadingsofthatcontextorposition.Having “some of theparticularitiesaplacetobeaccommodatedwhilesimultaneously its emphasisonalocality, thetranslocalalsoallowsforemergence absolute geographicalimperativessuchas“LatinAmericanart.”Through define andinterprethowartisticproductionoriginates,doingawaywith 10 9 8 testors. at Tlatelolco,resultinginthedeathsofasubstantialnumberpro- in Mexico City, governmentforcesfiredonunarmedprotestingstudents October 2,1968:justweeksbeforetheopeningofSummer Olympics tal repressionofthestudentmovementthatculminatedinevents in Londonsince1968.Theyhadleft Mexico after thegovernment’s bru- umentation Centre. Marta Hellion andFelipe Ehrenberghadbeenliving for anMA,underMikeWeaver’s supervision,attheAmericanArtsDoc­ in mathandhistoryofart,DavidMayor arrivedinExeter1970tostudy of ExeterstudentDavidMayor. Having justgraduatedfromCambridge of Felipe EhrenbergandMarta Hellion crossedwiththatofUniversity The inceptionoftheBeauGeste Presscameaboutin1970whenthepaths Beginnings ofaNetwork

_stuart%20reid_felipe_ehrenberg2.htm. Art Cornwall,accessedJune 12, 2011,http://www.artcornwall.org/interview_fluxshoe Rupert White,“Fluxshoe:Interviewswith Felipe Ehrenberg,StuartReidandBarryMcCallion,” dismissed. the massacre, wasarrestedonchargesofgenocide,butthewere eventually hundred. In2006,Mexico’s three ex-president Luis Escheverría,interiorministeratthetimeof as Comité68whocontinuetocampaign fortransparencyestimatethedeathtolltobeover The numberofdeadisstillunknown,the official figurebeingaroundforty, butgroupssuch to publish andperformtheirwork.”Schmuck(SouthCullompton:BeauGeste Press,1972),1. 1964, “Individualswithsomethingunnameableincommonhavesimplynaturally coalesced Felipe Ehrenberg,underthepseudonymKyosan Bajin,quotesGeorge Brecht,whosaidin Another victimoftheMexican government’s hostilitytoindepen - The translocalisanopendistinctionthattriestorethinkthewaywe 9 Thethreateningatmospherecontinuedintothefollowing years 8 10 - - disseminating informationappearedtobeahighlypoliticalact. disseminating maintain thestatusquo.Having controlofameansproducingand and freedomofinformationwerecrucialtothegovernment’s attemptsto and poets,whilesimultaneouslymakingitclearthatthecirculation ists to itdemonstratedtherichartisticpotentialofpublishingwithotherart- publication.Thecollectiveexperienceanddisproportionate reaction the America.” nent andmeaningfulpoets,writersartistsinAngloLatin politicized andfar-reaching magazine, whichgatheredthemost promi concrete poetHaroldo deCampos. as wellkeyfiguresinpoetryfromLatinAmerica,suchtheBrazilian and collaborativeinnature,ElCornoEmplumado published Beatpoets a collectiveandindependentpublishingventure.Bilingual,experimental, toseveralissues,anditwashisfirstexperienceofworkingin contributed Margaret Randall,Sergio Mondragón,andHarvey Wolin. Ehrenberg Emplumado/The PlumedHorn,anindependentpublicationfoundedby 15 14 13 12 11 became awareofLatinAmerica.” works, ideasandpoliticalsituationsinamagazine:forthefirsttimewe bers thatthemagazinewas“thefirstopportunitytoreflectandcompile it asadirectresponsetotherepressiveatmosphere,Marta Hellion remem spaces andtheoperationsofprivategalleries. art scenethatwasengagedintherejectionofinstitutional exhibition coalesced aroundcommonaestheticinterestsandworldviews. create aconceptualcommunitybetweenscatteredgroupsofpeoplewho of onethekeyfacetstranslocalcommunication:possibilityto

essays/latin.cfm. (November 2006),accessedApril 4,2012,http://www.printedmatter.org/researchroom/ Martha Hellion, “Artists’ BooksfromLatinAmerica,” inPrintedMatter: Critical Essays exiled inMexico duringFranco’s rule. Ehrenberg alsospenttimeinaprinting workshoprunbyCatalonian anarchists,who were and thefollowingyearsofunrestasnewestablishmentattemptedtoconsolidate power. The historyoftheprintingpressinMexico isintricatelyconnectedtotheMexican revolution Ibid., 48. See Zanna Gilbert, “TheEclecticWorld ofFelipe Ehrenberg,”ESTRO2(2010):48. Phillip LamantiaweresomeofthosewhocontributedtoElCornoEmplumado. and Vicuña, and RogerBartra.BobCreely, Rothenberg,NicanorParra, William Carlos Williams, Cecilia the 1950sonward,asdidLatinAmericanpoetssuchErnestoCardenal, RaquelJodorowsky, Many oftheBeatGeneration poets,includingMargaret Randall,spenttimeinMexico from DIASthing .andIbecameveryinterested inthiself-likethe person. behind force driving International Coalition fortheLiquidationofArt.Ehrenberg comments,“Metzger wasthe Symposium (DIAS),firstlaunchedin1966, andlatercontinuedintheformof In particular, heidentifiedwiththeideaspromoted by Gustav Metzger’s DestructioninArt Once inLondon,Ehrenbergquicklyconnectedwithanalternative 12 By 1969, Randall and Mondragón were forced to close down By 1969,RandallandMondragónwereforcedtoclosedown 14 11 Themagazinewasanearlymodel Ehrenbergdescribesitas“a highly 15 Ehrenberg’s workwascon- 13 Recalling - - 49 49 gilbert | “something unnameable in common” 50 artmargins 1:2–3 shared withtheillustratorChrisWelch andMadeline Gallard. located aboutfifteen milesfromthecityofExeter, whichthefamilyfirst Krauss’s gallery, theexhibitionthatgavefocustothesebeliefs. 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 aesthetic andpolitical. ceptual innature,withastrongarticulationagainstconservatismboth to helpall-thumbsDavegetthethinggoing.” a travellingshow .thattriggeredthePressintobeing.Theideawas into ing toEhrenbergitwas“Dave’s projecttogatherallhisfluxdocuments evolved fromahistoricalshowintoanopencallforparticipation.Accord given theresponsibilityfororganizingFluxusexhibition,project poetry andhadmetGeorge Maciunas inthe1960s.After Mayor was bition wasinitiallyconceivedbyWeaver, whowasinterested inconcrete stream ofartists,includingTaikako SaitoandTerry Reid.AFluxusexhi- later, theywerejoinedbyDavidMayor, andforthenextfewyears bya sion overlookingthetinyhamletofClystHydonnearCullompton,” themselves. TheymovedtoLangfordCourt,“a beautiful,thatchedman- versity. and intrigued,heinvitedthegrouptopresenttheirworkatExeterUni This distancewasinsomewayamelioratedthroughcorrespondence. In alsodidmuchtoorientthenatureofpress’sdislocation collaborations. flung networksthatdevelopedattheBeau Geste Press.Ehrenberg’s intoacontemporary“living”show expressionoflateFluxusinitiatedfar- solidifying element.” solidifying Creation isorganic,itinternalmatter. Artisahistoricdefinition—a ized: “Creation andartaretwocompletelydifferent conceptsforme. theeliteandlatteradynamicenergythatcannotbeinstitutional by tion between“art” and“creation,” theformeranossifyingcategorywielded Debroise andMedina, LaEra , 157. White, “Fluxshoe.” Mayor islistedasamemberofPolygonal Workshop forthe show presentedinExeter. had turnedhisframingshopintoagallery dedicatedtoshowingyoung,unknownartists. ing thebinworkers’ strikeinLondon1970.Sigi Krauss,aGerman residentinLondon, gallery inCoventGarden, wasanexhibitionofvideo, photography, andtrashcollecteddur The Seventh-DayChicken,aprojectbythe short-livedPolygonal Workshop atSigi Krauss’s Quoted inibid.,26. Ehrenberg etal.(Mexico City: EditorialDiamantinia S.AdeC.V, 2007). Conceptual Ehrenberg,”inFelipe Ehrenberg:Manchuria: Visión Periférica, ed.Felipe See IssaMaría BenítezDueñas,“RestructuringEmptinessandRecoveringSpace:The White, “Fluxshoe.” Eve of‘Xocoyotzin,thePenultimate,’” ArtandArchitectureoftheAmericasno.8(2010):6. See Valerie Fraser et al., “Interview withFelipe EhrenbergattheUniversityofEssex onthe theworld,apassport-lesscitizenofstuckinEngland.” of citizen a was he me told He 19 Eventually, EhrenbergandHellion decidedtomoveDevon 17 DavidMayor sawTheSeventh-DayChickenatSigi 16 By 1970,Ehrenberghadarrivedatacleardistinc 22 Theconversionofthe 18 21 Impressed Slightly Slightly 20 ­ -

- - ­ artists thatbypassedtheelitistconstraintsofartworldsystems. Beau Geste Pressthathopedtodevelopanetworkofrelationshipsbetween reveals adeeplyheldcommitmentto“a concept, aconviction” withinthe “a way of lifethatiscontinuous andpurposeless,withnoendinsight.” way “a tion) thatwouldreplaceanavant-gardemodelofsocialtransformation, ideas andartinthis“Fête Permanent” (anongoingfestivalorcelebra- modity structure.Filliou envisionedafellowshipofartistsexchanging of an“EternalNetwork”: anetworkofartistsoperatingoutsidecom- that weremailedindividuallyfromLondontotheexhibition. diente inMexico Cityby creating aworkmadeoftwohundredpostcards 1970, forexample,hewasabletotakepartinthethirdSalónIndepen­ show wasinitiallytobecalledtheFluxshow. The Fluxshoeexhibitionwasnamedby“an inspiredtypingerror”: the The raveling Fl site. British cities,completewithFluxusperformancesandgatheringsateach from quicklydevelopingintoanambitioustouringexhibition ofsmall latched ontothenewname,butthissenseoffundidnotstopproject no commodityorinstitutionalvalue.” insignificances,” to“requirenoskillorcountlessrehearsals,”and“have Fluxus workstobe“simple,amusing,unpretentious, concernedwith festo ship toFluxusandtheflourishingnetworkofmailart.Inhis1965mani- was emblematicoftheBeauGeste Press’s approach,aswellitsrelation- www.surrealismcentre.ac.uk/papersofsurrealism/journal2/acrobat_files/harris_article.pdf. 28 27 26 25 24

23

25 David Mayor, IntroductiontoAktualSchmuck(SouthCullompton:BeauGeste Press,1974),3. George Maciunas, FluxusArt-Amusement(NewYork: Fluxus, 1965). See Simon Anderson’s articleforafullaccountoftheFluxshoe. Friedman (West Sussex: Academy Editions,1998),25. Simon Anderson,“Fluxus,Fluxion,Fluxshoe:The 1970s,”inTheFluxusReader,ed.Ken In 1968,theFluxus-affiliated artistRobert Filliou proposedtheidea Palais Idéal,”Papers ofSurrealism 2(Summer 2004): 8,accessedApril 4,2012,http:// Steven Harris, “TheArtofLosingOneselfwithout Getting Lost:BrechtandFilliou atthe responsible fortheTlatelolcomassacre. slogan: Arribayadelante.Asinteriorministerin1968,Escheverriawaswidelyconsidered title ofEhrenberg’s campaign workrefersironicallytoLuis Escheverria’spresidential 1970 Independent Salon at the University Museum of Science and Art (MUCA), Mexico City. The from three different post offices in London. Eachwasaddressedtothe Mexican ’70” with the other. On November thetwohundredpostcardsweresentoneby 15,1970, breast withonehandandshowingafootballbranded“Mexico her proffering woman less top Titled UpwardsandOnwards.IfNotThenAlso),wasalarger-than-life paintingofa The work,ObrasecretamentetituladaArribayadelante .sinopuestambien(Work Secretly Fluxus Art-Amusement,George Maciunas delineatedthecharacterof Fluxshoe’s chancebaptismwasnotinfactmerehazard,butratherit u x shoe 26 The ad hoc submission to chance Theadhocsubmissiontochance 24 Thegroup’s ludicsensibility 23 27 28

51 gilbert | “something unnameable in common” 52 52 artmargins 1:2–3 describes as“a travellingcircusofexperimentandadventure.” and opennatureoftheFluxshoeconspiredtocreatewhatAnderson the livingdevelopmentofart,ideaFluxus.” and changesthatorganizerDavidMayor allowed,itbecamealessonin of photocopiesandpublications,butasithappened,withtheadditions writes, “wasoriginallytohavebeenamodestexercise,consistingmainly rations todevelop. also keytotheopennessthatallowedtranslocalcollabo- was it but prises, was reflected intheBeau Geste Press’s inventiveandirreverententer tions imposedbyMaciunas. Fluxus, allowingFluxusideastodevelopwithouttheprogrammaticrestric its historicization;theexhibitionwasseenattimeasanoffshoot of constitutesFluxus,theactivitiesofFluxshoeremainoutside who or and itscoreofoperators.Whiletherehasbeenmuchdebateaboutwhat ously, “openthe forum” meantdeviationfrom“classical” 1960sFluxus 32 31 30 29 ofleisure.”nization a positivevalue,infavourofplay; [and]aninterestinthecreativeorga- careerism, professionalism andspecialization;arejectionoflabouras artistic practicethatoften utilizes‘poor’ materials;arejectionof formalist andsignifiedan “anti- ered asameansratherthananendinitself” As art historianStephenHarris pointsout,forFilliou artwas“consid- extend thenetwork.” Ibid.,25. shows, however, alsoignoresany numberofsympatheticattemptstoproselytise theidea,or the 1960s:“Theincreasinglyofficial andacademichistorificationofFluxusvisibleinthese Anderson alsopointstoanumberofexhibitions focusingonkeyFluxuscollaborators from Anderson, “Fluxus,”25. 1998); Friedman, FluxusReader. Smith, Fluxus:TheHistory ofanAttitude (SanDiego,CA:SanDiegoStateUniversity Press, Hannah Higgins, FluxusExperience(Berkeley: UniversityofCalifornia Press, 2002);Owen Catalogue] (Berlin:Kunstlerhaus Bethanien,2007).For moreinformationonFluxus,see Ausstellungskatalog ed., as FluxusEast.SeePetra Stegmann, Higgins, butithasrecentlybeencontestedbyexhibitionssuch Hannah of interpretations the Lila andGilbert Silverman, recentlydonatedtotheMuseum ofModernArt,NewYork, and compounded bytheimportanceascribedtoUS-basedcollectionssuchasthatbuilt upby Maciunas” (PhDdiss.,UniversityofEssex,UK, 2003).ThisunderstandingofFluxusis Dick Higgins. SeeCuauhtémocMedina, “Fluxus:Non-ArtandAnti-Art.AStudyofGeorge attempts totightlycontrolthegroup,whicheventuallyledasplitbetweenMaciunas and Anderson, “Fluxus,”25.TheideaofaFluxus“core” goesbacktoGeorge Maciunas’s ill-fated Harris, “Art ofLosingOneself,”1. (Cambridge, MA:MITPress,2005),419. Precursors toArtandActivism ontheInternet,ed.AnnmarieChandlerandNorieNeumark See also Ken Friedman, “TheWealth ofPoverty andNetworks,”inAt aDistance: Fluxshoe, asculturalhistorianandFluxusscholarSimon Anderson [Fluxus East: Fluxus Networks in CentralExhibition Europe: Eastern 29 ThespiritandethosofFilliou’s EternalNetwork 32 AlthoughMaciunas statedina1963letter Fluxus East: Fluxus-Netzwerke in Mittelosteuropa: Fluxus East:Fluxus-NetzwerkeinMittelosteuropa: 30 Theexperimental 31 Mostcuri - - - activity.” an artmovementorveinasitisapositionworld-view, afocusfor thefigureof through Henry Flynt. He states,“Concept artisnotsomuch of Fluxus. Inthearticle“NotesonConceptArt,”publishedinfirstissue Maciunas’s productionofmultiplesandhisdesiretointernationalize Friedman, inferredamoregeneraldemocratizationoftheartsfrom activities oftheBeauGeste Press. skepticism, thisapproachtoFluxusfounditswayintotheattitudesand international participants.Althoughhisideaswerereceivedwithsome themailartmovementbypublishingandcirculatingextensive listsof of in 1966,wasakeencorrespondent,promotingtheinternationalization group forperceivedideologicalandaesthetictransgressions. with theSovietUnion.He wouldlaterregularlyexpelpeoplefromthe that thissenseofthecollectivewasstronglytiedtoMaciunas’s alignment with anyparticularfluxusindividual,”Cuauhtémoc Medina hasnoted to DickHiggins that“Fluxus isa‘collective’ andshouldnotbeassociated 37 36 35 34 33 according toMaciunas, “theexactoppositeoffluxhaikustyleevent.” Fluxshoe contributorCarolee Schneemann’s performances.Theywere, extent ofwritingtowarnDavidMayor ofthe“neo-baroque” characterof had aclearsenseofwhatconstitutedtheFluxusaesthetic,evento the parametersforactivitiesofBeauGeste Press. and Maciunas’s internationalistambitionscoalescedinFluxshoeand set commitment todevelopingconnectionsbetweenlike-minded individuals developing artisticnetworksthroughanthologicalpublishing. Filliou’s Fluxshoeand1960sFluxushelpsustounderstandthemotivation for the tinuing involvement.” willingness-to-help, werethefinalarbitersofentry, acceptanceandcon- shared idea” inwhich“chance, opportunity, proximity, personalityand onanthologiesandcrafted multipleswasbasedupona“socially emphasis Friedman, ofFilliou’s ethicofartaspermanentplaywithMaciunas’s

Schmuck, Friedman linksFluxuswiththedevelopmentofconcept art Anderson, “Fluxus,” 25. Correspondence File, 1972–73, A-D, TGA815/3/2-5, DavidMayor Collection,Tate Archive. even ifnoneofusare tookeenonthecontent.”May 23,1973,BeauGeste Press Letter fromDavidMayor toBobCobbing:“Ithink wecanfeeldulyproudofthispublication, 1972). Ken Friedman, “NotesonConceptArt,”Schmuck(SouthCullompton:BeauGeste Press, 1972). David Mayor, ed.,Fluxshoe(exhibitioncatalogue)(SouthCullompton: BeauGeste Press, See Medina, “Fluxus:Non-ArtandAnti-Art.” Other artists,however, suchastheBeauGeste PressinterlocutorKen 35 Friedman, appointedcoordinatorofFluxusWest byMaciunas 37 Anunderstandingoftherelationshipbetween 36 Fluxshoe’s 1970sfusion,through 33 Maciunas 34 53 53 gilbert | “something unnameable in common” 54 artmargins 1:2–3 eponymous heroembarksonatransterritorialadventure. in alettertoPaul Brown,editorofthemagazineTransgravity: makes clearthegroup’s motivationsforsettingupanindependentpress tion the way we have done for the past two years, growing not to coalesce thewaywehavedoneforpasttwoyears,growingnottocoalesce tion that “our analysisofwaystocombat thoughtcontrolhasledustofunc- istration. Ehrenbergstatedinhis1974introductiontoAktualSchmuck analternativetothatsystem,basedontheprincipleofself-adminating on themachinationsofartworld,presswasconcerned withcre- 41 40 39 38 imposed onartisticproduction.” carded thefiltersofeconomic,institutional,andgoodtastethathadbeen founders oftheBeauGeste Presswerepolitical;theyrejectedanddis- Cuauhtémoc Medina pointsoutthat“inthefinalanalysisgoalsof art.” sible forustopioneerthefieldofmailartandmoreimportantly, book electronicstencil scannersandphotocopiers.Thismadeitpos machines, and such—andstateofthearttechnology, suchastable-topmimeo bothonhighlylabourintensivepractices—collating,bookbinding relied met withpostconceptualartisticpractices:“At theBeauGeste Presswe life” and“community ofduplicators” inwhichartisanalprintingmethods The BeauGeste Presswas conceivedbyitsfoundersas“a newwayof The Bea experimental andephemeral activities. the conversionofcreativity intoamarketablecommodityand thereforeuninterestedin Ibid., 158.These“filters” wereculturalinstitutionsandprivategalleries,seen tobeimposing Quoted inDebroiseandMedina, LaEra,158. of artasbeing“beautiful.” play ongesteandjest(“the“beautifulgesture” ofprintandcraft), aswelltheimplications The namealsocombinedreferencestothe press’s printingmachine(aGestetner), a word- a terroristattackinFrance in1893:“Whocares aboutthevictimsifgestureisbeautiful?” French phrasebeaugestederivesfromanarchistpoetLaurentTailhade’s famousresponseto and werewell-known,evennotorious,whenEhrenbergarrivedinLondon.Interestingly, the family heirloomandrestorehishonor. Thenovel’s characterswererevivedina1966film In thenovelBeauGeste, anEnglishgentlemanjoinstheFrench Foreign Legiontopursuea Gilbert, “EclecticWorld,” 47. 38 their immediatecommunities’ capacities. ing withintheorganiclimitsoftheirowncapacitiesandyes,even answer, Irepeat,istosetupasmanypossiblesources,eachexist- curators, critics,thewholeproverbialslewofmystifiers—sic-sick) of culturebytheartmongers(publishers,galleryowners,museum The answertotheuniformityoftaste,monopoliccontrol Thepresswasnamedafter P.C. Wren’s novelBeauGeste, whose u Ges te Press: Networking Principles 41 However, aswellanegativestance 40 39 Ehrenberg - -

control ofculture.” solidate aparallelsystemthatcouldfunctionoutsideofthe“monopolic groups ofartists,often operatingcollectively, inordertofosterandcon- and othernetworks,throughSchmuckthepressestablishedcontactswith the keyaspectsofBeauGeste PressproductionandalegacyofFluxshoe common.” ThemagazineSchmuckisexemplaryinthisrespect.Oneof ofsmallgroupscreators”sources thathave“somethingunnameablein Press wouldbeinteractionandparticipationwith“as manypossible plete alternativesystem.Therefore,centraltothesuccessofBeauGeste withinasystemofindependenceisbasedonthenotioncom- nodes publishers and producer-galleries.”and publishers strate, in Felipe Ehrenberg’s words,“howeasyandviableitistoignore Independentpresseswereabletodemon- pages. its within appeared that art making thatwerereflectedinboththeartpresentedandessays ters andexchanges,”itscirculationhelpeddisseminatenewideasabout be achieved.” but todisperse.We believethatonlyincoordinateddispersalcanstrength 45 44 43 42 of artistsfromarangegeographicalspheres. by thecontributingauthorsandartists,itbroughttogetheravariety an assemblingmagazinecomposedofprintedmultiplesandobject-inserts strategic andpragmaticchangesmadeduringthatperiod.Schmuck nections, collaborations,andconvictionsofthepressreflects Published between1972and1976,Schmuckprovidesarecordofthecon- The Magazine approach to the production and consumption of art, surveying the “then the productionandconsumptionofart,surveying“then to approach nected with therejectionoftraditionalartspacesand a nonhierarchical Ehrenberg, “Introduction,” 2. (May 1997). Infrastructuralism: ANetworkedIntroduction toAssemblings,”Postmodern Culture7,no.3 www.zinebook.com/resource/perkins.html; and Craig Saper,Bureaucracies“Intimate & Compilations),” inTheZine andE-Zine ResourceGuide accessed April(1992), 4,2012,http:// a varietyofdifferent containers.” SeeStephenPerkins, “Assembling Magazines (a.k.a. some arestapledtogether, othersareboundandanumber ofothershavebeenplacedin of thefinalmagazinevaries,somehave loosecoversinsideofwhichthepagesareplaced, artists submittingworkdefiningthenumber ofpagesineachassembling.Thepresentation one copyfromeachartists’ submissions intothefinal‘assembled’ product,thenumberof submit aspecificnumberofcopiestheirworktocentraleditorwhointurn collates According toStephenPerkins, “theconceptofassemblingisverysimple,contributors Ehrenberg, quotedbyDebroiseandMedina, LaEra,158. 1974), 2. Felipe Ehrenberg,“Introduction,”AktualSchmuck(SouthCullompton:BeauGeste Press, 42 Theideaofestablishingagreatnumberautonomous k uc hm c S 43 45 Thepublicationwasintimatelycon- 44 A“networkofencoun- was 55 gilbert | “something unnameable in common” 56 artmargins 1:2–3 Ulises Carrión,Ulises andEdgardoAntonioVigo. Langford Court,resultinginthepublicationofbooksbyCecilia Vicuña, at fruit bear to made atElCornoEmplumado,forexample,continued random personalconnectionsandfriendships.Someof the connections from Ken Friedman’s extensivemailcircuits,aswellfromsomewhat pendiente (IndependentSalon,1968,1969,1970)andElCornoEmplumado from Ehrenberg’s earliercollaborations suchastheMexican SalónInde art system.Thecooperative’s networkswerecomplex,derivinginpart persal” wasastrategicelaborationaimedatsettingupanautonomous a magazine.” mailed stuff, becauseIfeelthatitisdifficult toprintjust-mailthings in “I would reallyliketohavesomemore‘solid’ thingsfromyouthanjust asking formorematerialtheJapanese1973 Schmuck,andcommenting, indeed, DavidMayor wrotetoTaii AshiwazaandIkuoShukuzawa in adopted forFluxshoe.Schmuckwasnotamailartpublicationassuch— by itscontributors,echoingtheopenapproachtoexhibition-making Mayor allowedtheirFluxus-influencedassemblagejournaltobeshaped (“themagazinemakesitself,notwethemagazine”),ciple Ehrenbergand “beauty”the ofthe“beaugeste.”Following thepublication’s editorialprin- thepress’scontinued tasteforirreverentnames,willfullycontradicting tancing itselffromthe‘speculativeglitter’ ofthemainstreamartworld.” diffuse terrain ofnon-conformistart,anditexplicitlydevoteditselftodis to theideasandphilosophyofmovement. tions totheFluxshoe,meaningthatSchmuckwasinextricablyconnected Friedman’s correspondencenetworkshadbeencrucialtothecontribu- visual poetry, conceptualart,censorship,andpolitics.Moreover, Ken of artists, aswellthemediainwhichtheywereexpressedwithinpages among theparticipatingartists.Many ofthethemesaddressedby correspondence artanditsnetworks,thisisasubstantialcrossover 49 48 47 46 Schmuck, werealsocentraltomailart:bureaucracy, systems,language, things, includingworks likeKen Friedman’s conscientious ‘TheAesthetics,’ Takako Saito’s As Ehrenbergremembers, “BeauGeste Presswentontopublishmore Fluxusandfluxlike Yearboxes (1962).”DebroiseandMedina, La Era,158. carried outinthetraditionofLaMonte Young’s AnAnthology (1961)andMaciunas’Flux Schmuck was“basedonanincreasinglyexpanded networkofmailinterchangesbyartists Debroise andMedina, LaEra,158. For theBeauGeste Press,thetranslocalstrategyof“coordinated dis- The title,Schmuck,acommoninsultmeaning“penis” inYiddish, Correspondence File, TGA815/3/2/4,DavidMayor Collection,Tate Archive. contributions +pendingCorrw/other publishersetc+General DeadVol 3(12/4/74 Letter fromDavidMayor toTaii AshiwazaandIkuoShukuzawa, April 1973, “Schmucketc 47 However, themagazineanditsnetworkdidowemuchto 49 TheeighteditionsofSchmuck 48 ® )” ­ 46

- 52 51 50 ular case,plurinationalism.” sion ofcurrentresidentforeigners,ornon-residentnationals,inmypartic- George Maciunas), woollyenoughattheedgestoenableinclu - idea (from initially intendedtobringoutoneissuepercountry, anicestraightforward trary. Ehrenberg’s introductiontoGeneral Schmuckmakesthisclear: “We Europe.” asa‘link-up’founders amongGreat Britain,LatinAmerica,andEastern the formerCzechoslovakia.TheBeauGeste Presswas“viewedby its associated artistsfromFrance, Iceland,Hungary, Germany, Japan, and scene. Theeditionsincludedexperimentalartworksfromgroupsof from aparticularcountry, usuallyaleadingfigureinthealternativearts Schmuck andGeneral Teutonic Schmuck)wasputtogetherbyaneditor circulatedinternationally,were buteach(withtheexceptionoftwo,General Knížák hadbeensentencedtotwoyearsinprisonforsubversive activities. at allstagesofpublication. enact, reproduce,anddistributeartisticstatementswasunder question was neverthelessmanifestedwithintheircovers.Thecrucial capacityto only onthepoliticalandaestheticconditionsofcensorship, thiscontext the artworksandideasinthesetwoissuesofSchmuckdidnotreflect coordinated byMilanKnížák.Bothweretouchedcontroversy. Although published withcontributionsfromtheCzechoslovakianAktualGroup, LászlóBekeandDoraMaurer,of andtwoyearslaterAktualSchmuckwas Europe. In1972,Hungarian Two editionsofSchmuckwereproducedbyartistsworkinginEastern Devon–Bud that practicedinternationalismthroughspecificarticulationsofthelocal. you happenedtobewaswherespokefrom).Thisapublication to geographythatunderminesfixedideasofplaceandnation(wherever of ChicagoPress,2003), 94. Critical Terms forArtHistory, ed.RobertS.Nelson andRichardSchiff (Chicago:University over threehundredtimesbetween1959 and1989.”SeeKristineSiles, “Performance,” in He wasjailedin1966andagain1972.Knížák “holdstherecordforhavingbeenarrested Felipe Ehrenberg,General Schmuck(SouthCullompton:BeauGeste Press,1975),1. Debroise andMedina, LaEra,158. “Fluxshoe.” duced Sitting Dog’s methanegasproducingmanualwhichsoldespeciallywell.” InWhite, Book”), House GenesisBody P.Orridge,MilanKnížák,andmany, manyothers.We evenpro- and David’s works,thoseofOpalL.Nations,MikeNyman, Carolee Schneemann(“Parts ofa productionsandUlisesCarrión’swondrous sensational‘Arguments.’ We producedmy own Aktual Schmuckwasprintedandcirculatedafter itseditorMilan Aktual 50 However, thePress’s approachtogeographywasnotatallarbi - apes t/Devon–Prague: was published under the editorship Schmuck waspublishedundertheeditorship 51 These comments reveal flexibility in relation Thesecommentsrevealflexibilityinrelation k uc hm c S andEa s tern Europe 52

57 57 gilbert | “something unnameable in common” 58 artmargins 1:2–3 with repeated“xxxx” marksoversome words, oscillatingbetweenartistic schemeoftherestissue. Knížák’scolor textispartially self-censored, and partial,whileatthesame timealigningitwiththeredandblack sizing partsoftheearliertext. The additionsrenderthemeaningunstable letters, whichhastheeffectcapital ofempha large in text typed the of underlined, crossed-out,andcircledareasaswellarrows repetitions point penandthickblackink.Theoriginaltextiscovered inthickly Knížák’s essayistyped in redbuthasbeenmarkedwithrevisionsball- conceptualart. inCzechoslovakiarelationto“international” artists of undesirable byCzechoslovakianculturalpolicy. stream culture, but thesewerepreciselythekindsofactivitiesconsidered of Praguethatattemptedtopresentanalternativetherigidity ofmain- The routetothischangewasenactedthroughhappeningsin thestreets was definedasfollows: ties alongsideaninterestinfashionandbodypainting.Thegroup’s credo plays aninterestinrituals,thenaturalenvironment,and“barbaric” activi asafetypinareusedasbrooches.Thedocumentationof actions dis- and present aspeciesofproto-punkfashioninwhichcomb,key, anail, jewellery fromanything,designyourownfashion.”Thephotographs designs thatimploredthereaderto“[p]aintyournailsblue,make photographs, texts,andinstructionsforactionscomplementedbyKnížák’s 53 made everypagemyself.” to createanoveralldesign:“Iwastheeditorandselectorofeverything.I Czechunderground.Knížák’sthe approachtoeditingAktualSchmuckwas of profiled aspecificgroupmovementratherthanbroadcrosssection from Departing somewhat Prague. In1967hewasmade“director ofFluxusEast” byMaciunas. since 1964hadstagedhappenings,events,andactionsinaround Knížák wasthefounderofAktualGroup inCzechoslovakia,which Milan Knížák,email messagetotheauthor, September13,2011. Knížák’s introductoryessay toAktualSchmuckconcernstheposition We touchonourwaythroughlife The things It meanswewanttochangeall Is awayoflife AKTUAL 53 Schmuck’s editorialprinciples,Aktual

Aktual Schmuckwasacollectionofessays, - -

under policesupervision.” sible todoanythinginpublic,impossiblepublish.Iwaspermanently states: “Iandalsofriendsofminewerecompletelyisolated,[it was]impos restriction ofinformationtoandfromCzechoslovakiawas. Indeed,he cation oftheWest asthe“other world” makesitclearhowprofoundthe 55 54 Ibid. cially socalledwesterncountries/xxxandatCSSR[sic].” there isabigdifference betweensuchactivityatothercountries/espe- known intheotherworldashappenings,events,actions,etc .but production inthecountry: “Here inCSSR[sic]appearedxxxxxxactivities inwhichKnížákidiosyncraticallyexplainstheparticularityofartistic lows, statement andessay. AdiscussionoftheCzechoslovakiansituationfol to conceptualism. GesteBeau Pressbutalsoanisolatednodewithidiosyncratic approach attests tonotonlyanautonomous nodeofthesystemenvisionedby meable borderandahighlyrestrictedamountofinformation aboutart Ibid. Milan Kníz Milan Kníz ˇ ˇ ák. “IntroductoryEssay,” AktualSchmuck,1974.Tate LibrarySpecialCollections. ImagecourtesyofMilanKníz ák. “SomeAktualJewelry,” AktualSchmuck,1974.Tate LibrarySpecialCollections. ImagecourtesyofMilanKníz 55 InKnížák’s texttheidea ofanalmostimper 54 Knížák’s evo- - - - ˇ ák. 59 59 ˇ gilbert | “something unnameable in common” ák. 60 artmargins 1:2–3 overview oftheHungarian artscene. Schmuck. OrganizedbyLászlóBekeandDoraMaurer, itprovidedabroad with anddisseminationofEasternEuropeanactivitieswasHungarian obtained hisfreedom. both thereasonforKnížák’s arrestand,later, themeansbywhich he Interestingly, thiscapacitytoreproduceanddistributeinformationwas fiscated workswouldbeexhibited,sold,orpublishedabroad.” con Milan Knížák,andhiswork.Itwasofinteresttoknowwhetherthe Sohmstates,“Essentially,1972, questionswereaskedabout .theartist try after payingafine.Narratingtheeventsofmorning May 27, the Czechborderpolicebutwassubsequentlyallowedtoleavecoun- collector ofKnížák’s workwhohadalsobeenarrestedandinterrogatedby The documentcontainedastatementbyDr. Hans Sohm,aGerman contributing tothereductionofhiscustodialsentenceparole. eventually press’s correspondence,reachinghundredsoftheircollaboratorsand in prison.Thedocumentwasmimeographedandsentoutwithallthe authorities andhissubsequentsentencinginwhichhereceivedtwoyears document containingdetailsofKnížák’s arrestbytheCzechoslovakian 58 57 56 59 abroad andthedisseminationofpornographicpictureswriting.” export ofmaterialthatisintendedtodiscredittheimageCzechoslovakia toSohm’sing statement,themainpointsofchargewere “attempted issue, stating, claimedthattheyhadwithheldtheirpermissiontopublishthe ironically tributed toHungarian

Ibid., 3. Action onBehalfofMilanKnížák(SouthCullompton:BeauGeste Press,1973),3. Dora Maurer andLászlóBeke, Hungarian Schmuck(SouthCullompton: Beau Geste Press,1972). sage totheauthor, December19, 2011. Maurer hadanAustrian passportandthereforewasabletotravel. DoraMaurer, emailmes- in Oldenburg,Germany. Mayor askedMaurer tocompileaHungarian editionofSchmuck. David Mayor metDoraMaurer throughtheGerman mailartist andarthistorianKlausGroh The secondpublicationthatdevelopedtheBeauGeste Press’s links In 1973,theBeauGeste Press resolvedtoputtogetheraseven-page SCHMUCK [sic]. not assenttothepublicationanddistributionofHungarian firm beliefofalackunderstandingdeclareherebythat wedo the prohibitingmeasurestakenbysupervisoryauthorities inour artists liveandworkaswellourexperienceswehavegained about Considering ourspecialcircumstancesunderwhichwefollowing made a joint statement that spuriously and Schmuck madeajointstatementthatspuriouslyand 59 58 Thetwenty-fourartistswhocon- 56 Accord­ 57 -

erratic inthisperiodand didnotalwaysextendtothe postalservice,open erratic their work.Artist EndreTót recountsthatcensorship inHungary was ofunderstanding”“lack of thewould-becensorswhenconfrontedwith ofunderstanding”“lack asadeliberatestrategyofobfuscationorto the Printed onthefrontcoverof the issue,statementmayattestto Collections. ImagecourtesyofDoraMaurer. Dora MaurerandLászlóBeke.Front coverofHungarianSchmuck,1972.Tate LibrarySpecial - 61 61 gilbert | “something unnameable in common” 62 artmargins 1:2–3 of youngartistswhohavestartedconsciouslyfromthesocial andhistori original sense” butthatinstead“thereisaveryvividandstrongtendency [sic] positsthatinHungary “thereisnoconceptartinits severeand Beke’s ArtasthePossibility article“‘Concept’ ofYoung Hungarian Artists” late theiraestheticconcerns,whilealsoreachingabroader audience. their flexibilityandtheavailabilityofmaterialsthroughwhich toarticu- activity beyondthecontrolofstateorartmarket. espoused asetofopenprinciplesthatcenteredonmaintaining artistic rejected bytheongoingprojectofFilliou’s EternalNetwork—theytogether a fixedsetofideas—theoldnotionavant-gardistrevolutionarygoals common referstoacollectivespiritthat,ratherthancoalescingaround The ideathatthosewhocollaboratedhadsomething“unnameable” in and informationtogetherwithresistancetovariedformsofcensorship. magnify whatwasatstakeforthewholenetwork:freedomofexpression contacts, circulation,andpublishingarestarklyapparentserveto no publicity.” alternative artscene,whichwasforbiddeninHungary: noexhibitions, tion ofartwork.DoraMaurer commentsthattheartists“werepartofan crucial thepublicationwasinenablingproductionanddissemina- period ofcrisisart.” are veryrare.We arealsoawareofthemomentarilygeneralandgrave lectors,” addingthat“Ourpossibilitiesforexhibitionsandpublications very limitedinBudapest astheyhad“neithergalleriesnoranyartcol­ always controllingmymail.” always copies. . Iftheysentmorenevercametome—thepolicewere Aktual SchmuckwasnotdistributedinCzechoslovakia:“Igotveryfew achieve inCzechoslovakiaorHungary atthetime.According toKnížák, form ofawidelydistributedmagazinewouldhavebeenimpossible to 63 62 61 60 intimate circles. ing uppossibilitiesforuniquelinesofcommunicationbeyondlocaland Beke, Hungarian Schmuck , n.p. László Beke,“‘Concept’ ArtasthePossibility ofYoung Hungarian Artists,” inMaurer and Knížák, emailmessage. Maurer, emailmessage. European Conceptualism1965–1989”(PhD diss.,UniversityofLondon,2008),149. 6, 2006,quotedinKemp-Welch, “Figures ofReticence:Action andEvent inEast-Central very wellwiththewesternworld.”Klara Kemp-Welch, interview withTót, Cologne,January sending letterswasscarcelycontrolledor notatallandbecauseofthatIcouldcommunicate Tót recallsthatatonetimeduringthe1970s,“Thecontrol oftheKGBwasnotsostrong.My Conceptual methodstranslatedwellinEasternEuropebecause of The contentsofthesetwoissuesSchmuckdemonstratejusthow 61 Thereproductionanddistributionofthematerialin 60 63 Thecrucialandcontestednaturesofnetworks, 62 László Beke explained that the art scene was LászlóBekeexplainedthattheartscenewas - order tocommunicatevariationsonthethemeofzero.” Welch explainsthatTót usedthemailnetwork,“butparadoxicallyonlyin without communicatinganything(linguistically)atall.Klara Kemp- managingtocommunicatethroughmailartandpublishing,but ironically explores thelimitsoflanguagewithinaframeworkcommunication, of hisZero JoysseriesandalsoknownasNOTHINGAIN’T, a keyconcernforconceptualismworldwide.EndreTót’s contribution,part reveal adeepconcernwithstructuralistideasaboutlanguageassystem, be discernedmoreclearly. Theartworksreproducedinthepublication 1971/1972 artist’s1971/1972 bookIncompleteInformations/Verbal andVisual, Tót writes, statements, andsometimesthe zerosreplacedwholesentences.Inhis Zero Joysweresequencesofzerosthatsubstitutedwordsinhisletters and on language andcommunicationinacontextofcensorship. ideas ist vides uswithaninterestingexampleofengagement structural- will communicatewithus.” who communicateswithus .andwelcomethosefriendsofours Beke’s closingstatement:“We sendourgreetingstoeveryfriendofours of reciprocalexchangewithartistsfromoutsideHungary ismadeclearin alism thatcouldrespondtotheirownparticularneeds.Theimportance also enabledartiststoengageinanidiosyncraticapproachconceptu- These sharedvaluescompelledtranslocalcollaboration,butSchmuck cal decidednessexistingintheircountry.” 68 67 Ibid. 66 Ibid. 65 Ibid. 64 Ibid. problems andresults,generallyspeakingaboutourspecialsituation.” language forusweshouldliketogiveinformationaboutourparticular us .with thehelpofthesenewmediaappearingasaninternational for etc.)arethatthey“are ings, relativelyeasilyavailableandfreeflexible for using“newvehicles” (writtentexts,photographs,Xeroxcopies,mail- thantryingtokeepupwithinternationaltrends,themotivations rather ‘particularly’ Hungarian art,nortobecharacteristic,”Bekepointsoutthat some specialmeaning.” and arenotthereforestylisticallyparticulartoHungary, they“maycarry while theworksinSchmuckmightlooklikeanyotherconceptualwork, cific contextsonthemanifestationofconceptualart.Bekearguesthat both BekeandKnížákareatpainstopointouttheimpactoftheirspe- Kemp-Welch, “Figures ofReticence,”156. With acloserlookatHungarian Schmuck,itscollaborativemodelcan 65 Further statingthat“weneitherintendtodo 67 64 In their introductory essays, Intheirintroductoryessays, 68 Tót pro-

66

63 63 gilbert | “something unnameable in common” 64 artmargins 1:2–3 Endre Tót. ZeroJoys,HungarianSchmuck1972.Tate LibrarySpecialCollections. ImagecourtesyofEndreTót. artists acrossborders. ideological positiondidenableadegreeofcommunicationbetween and found it,havingacommonaestheticlanguageand artistic shared, letaloneauniversal,language.HoweversuspectTót mayhave self-conscious attemptisaccompaniedbyacritiqueofthepossibility his desiretolocatediscoursewithinaninternationalfield, butthis Tót’s useofEnglishashismainlanguagecommunicationtestifiesto that failedtocarryexplicitinformation.Kemp-Welch also pointsoutthat communicate throughthepost,Tót haddevelopedavisuallanguage 69 the egoanddeformthought creativity. We hopetoserveasapoint not to make evenoneconcessiontothespeculativepressuresthat exalt was distributedbytheBeauGeste Press,stating,“Our basicpoliticsis In 1973,acallforcontributions toaLatinAmericaneditionofSchmuck América Latina: The Missing stood byanyone.” “What youdon’t understandwriteinalanguagethat cannotbeunder Quoted inibid.,150. 69 Despitethefactthathewasseekingtoconnectand k uc hm c S - of informationbetweenLatinAmericaandEurope.” 73 72 71 70 produced it.” continue toperceiveandrepresentthepresentwithphilosophy that critique society. . . Becausewecannotconceiveadistinctsocietyif Accordingly,art.” to theregionrequires“a critiqueofthelanguageused vant toLatinAmericainsofarastheycanbeused“rethink theideaof context. García rele Cancliniican are arguesthatconceptualstrategies conceptualism’s expediencyforthespecificconditionsofLatinAmer himself. LikeKnížákandBeke,García Canclini andEhrenbergweigh up panied byarticlescriticNéstorGarcía Canclini andbyEhrenberg 1978, andfeaturedtheworkofseventeenartistsfromregion accom- Harry Gamboa, andHoracioZabala.Silveira, Cildo Meireles, Clemente Padín, Victor Muñoz, Tunga, Regina mailartists,conceptualandwriterssuchasAntonioCaro,ebrated Latinoamérica boastedcontributionsfromsomeoftheregion’s most cel- lished thematerialoriginallyintendedforSchmuck. printed 260,000copiesofatwo-partculturalsupplementthatfinallypub- Mexico City.” I hadfiledawayintoanimpressiveshow .attheMuseo Carrillo Gil in itfinallybecamepossibletoconverttheLatinAmericanmaterial award, returned totheabandonedmaterial:“ThanksinpartaGuggenheim past, includingtheproblemofmissingSchmuck.In1978,Ehrenberg his LatinAmericancolleagues. which, intriguingly, seemstohaveincludedtheconceptualproductionof to relate tothemathematicsofEuropeanlogicorEurocentricculture,” to coffee farminXico,Veracruz,small hefoundhimself“completely unable Libro Acción Libre.Ehrenbergrelatesthatbythetimehesettledon a a LatinAmericanissueunderthesplinteredimprintofBeauGeste Press: to Mexico, takingthismaterial withhimtheintentionofpublishing quarters inDevon.Thatsamespring,however, Ehrenbergmovedback By early1974,awealthofcontributionshadbeendeliveredtoitshead standpointindicatesthecommongroundofpress’scal collaborators. turally determinedsystemthat couldreproduceonlysocietalinequali- Institute ofFine Artsno. 42(September20,1978):3. Néstor García Canclini, “Art That’s NotforSale,”Testimonios deLatinoamérica,National Ibid., 21. Research, SpecialIssueof Lund ArtPress2,no.2(1991):21. Felipe Ehrenberg,“FluxusHas AlwaysSeemedtoMe toBeabout Collaboration,”Fluxus Schmuck AméricaLatina(1973)(VB.G.P.LXXIIIa,7EHRE), Tate LibrarySpecialCollections. The firstinstallmentofTestimonios wasreleasedonSeptember20, Ehrenberg recalls,however, that“muchspilledover” fromhisrecent 73 72 Theideaoflanguage—aesthetic orlinguistic—asastruc Moreover, theNationalInstituteofFine Arts(INBA) 70 Thisbroadpoliti- Testimonios de 71 -

- ­ - 65 gilbert | “something unnameable in common” 66 artmargins 1:2–3 Caldas. ImagecourtesyofWaltercio Caldas. Testimonios deLatinoamérica,1978.Front coverwithareproductionofworkbyWaltercio focuses oncommunicationconstrained byconservativeartisticpractices. cative possibilitiesasaresultof censorshipandself-censorship, thecritique of EndreTót. However, insteadofaddressingthelimitationscommuni nication throughconventionallinguisticstructuresexpressed inthework new languages,echoingtheskepticismsurroundingact ofcommu- ties andpoliticalcrisesisrepeatedlyaddressed,astheidea ofcreating testifies to the political situation in Argentina, at the same time interrogat tothepolitical situationinArgentina,atthe sametime testifies issues toreach aninternationalforum. Horacio Zabala’s contribution presented anopportunityfor artists’ reflectionsonartisticandpolitical The invitationtoparticipatein aLatinAmericaneditionofSchmuck -

- continues above. tion inafictionalriverorburiedunderground,whileeverydaystreetlife and left-wing dissidents.Thestructuresaredepictedfloatinginisola- are sinisterprisondesignedforvanguardartists (Pre-projects) Anteproyectos regime in1973andtheestablishmentofanewone1976.Zabala’s rial beingcreatedanditspublicationhadseentheendofonedictatorial ing thepossibilitiesforartpractice.Thelapseoftimebetweenmate 76 75 74 fiction. also reflectingonthepositionofartandartist,information 1972 and1976,Zabala notonlywascriticizingthemilitaryjunta but project However,preposterous. inthisproject,closelyrelatedtoZabala’s mailart upon thepoliticalsituation,inwhichZabala’s projectsarebarelyeven order toarriveataworkoranaction.” defined as“impreciseruminationsthatprecedemorepreciseprojectsin partial to thepointofillegibility,partial andso,oncemore,narrativeisthwarted reveal asmallbutultimatelyunintelligiblesegmentofprose.Thetextis to across thepage,fromwhichpartofblack“” hasbeenremoved Márquez’s contributionisabook-shapedblackrectangle printeddiagonally scribbled out,intentionallyobscuringtheunderlyingnarrative. García On therightsideofpageahandwrittentexthasbeen carelessly aroughlysketchedportraitoftheauthormarked“London20/V/72.”find later. Montefiorepresents twoworks:ontheleft oftheallottedpagewe Amsterdam, UlisesCarrión, inPart Two ofTestimonios , publishedaweek Colombian Gabriel García Márquez; andtheMexican artistresidentin Mario Montefiore,a Guatemalan writerlivinginexile Mexico; the work ofEndreTót andMilanKnížákismanifestinthecontributionsby Schmuck. Thedestabilizationoflinguisticprocesseswehaveseeninthe munications mediaarecomparabletotheEasternEuropeanissuesof in thecontextofArgentineaneveryday. pled withdeconstructingthesystemsofviolencethatremainedinvisible andpossibilities ofart,whichiscentraltoconceptualism,wascou limits

Institute ofFine Artsno. 42(September20,1978),4. Horacio Zabala, textfromtheworkreproducedinTestimonios deLatinoamérica , National book andpresentedinanexhibition. and askingforresponses.In1976,theresults ofthiscollaborativeworkwerepublishedas a forms—a conventionofmailartprojects—headed bythestatement“Today, ArtIsaPrison” Zabala’s projectwasanextensiveinvestigationintothistheme. He sent hundredsofpreprinted Felipe Ehrenberg,“Testimonios deLatinoamérica,”Testimonios, 5. Testimonios’s concernswithsemiotics,thesymbolicorder, andcom - 75 Hoy elarteesunacárcel(Today ArtIsaPrison),carriedoutbetween Thetextaccompanyingtheworkstatesthat“art isapre-project,” 74 Thesterilearchitecturaldesignsolutioncomments 76 Thisconcernwithexploringthe - - 67 67 gilbert | “something unnameable in common” 68 artmargins 1:2–3 Image courtesyofHoracioZabala. Horacio Zabala.“Anteproyectos/Pre-projects,”1973.ReproducedinTestimonios deLatinoamérica,1978. language isthatwhichliesbeyondallthewordsofamancansay.”language is abookwithoutanypagesinthesamewaythatmostcomplete world guage, Carrión comments,“Themostbeautiful andperfectbookinthe guage. Betrayinghisbeliefinthelimitsofcommunication throughlan- these casesanalternativekindofcommunicationtakestheplace oflan effect similartotheoneachievedbyworksmentionedabove;in all divested ofintentionality.”divested ment that“wordscannotavoidmeaningsomething,buttheycanbe circle andthevisitswhereaboutsofhisfriends,reflectingstate zine information. OriginallypublishedintheseventhissueofCarrión’s maga taining anabundanceofhandwrittenwordsthatultimatelyfailtoimpart remarkablysimilarends,UlisesCarriónachieving presentsaworkcon and linguisticinformationfailstobecommunicated. 79 78 77 and translation,expresseshis desiretolocatehimselfwithinthever about censorshiptobecommunicated. “meta-message” ofanotherorderistransmitted,whichenablesamessage Through thefailureoflinguisticsystem,othercodes are revealed: a

Ulises Carrión, “TheNew ArtofMaking Books,”Kontextsnos.6–7(1978):173. explored. such astherejectionofnarrativeessentially bourgeois,hadpreviouslybeenthoroughly In LatinAmericanvisualandconcretepoetry circles,modernistattitudestowardlanguage, Ibid., 173. A second text written by Ehrenberg, reflecting on issues of language A secondtextwrittenbyEhrenberg, reflectingonissuesoflanguage Ephemera in 1978, the piece is a catalogue of details about his social 78 Theaccumulationofbanaldetailshasan 77 Incontrast,but 79 - - ­

- - artist who had emigrated and returned. Although the change in strategy whohademigratedandreturned. Althoughthechangeinstrategy artist to do with Ehrenberg’s misgivingsabouthisown positionasaMexican imperatives ofculturaltranslation,musing, nacular cultureofMexico. Ehrenbergmeditatesonthesubtletiesand that conditionartisticproduction inLatinAmerica.” production achievesanalmost total escapefromthemercantilestructures oughly removedfrom“aestheticized” eliteartpublications:“Thistypeof this asafittingwayfortheworkstocirculate;newspaper wasthor BeauGeste Press’sthrough worldwideartists’ networks.Ehrenberg saw daily newspapercirculation—reachingabroadpublic—rather than reached did.ThepublicationwasdistributedthroughMexico’s systemof itsmetamorphosis intoTestimoniosit with ,theaudience de Latinoamérica conceptual methodswerebydefinitionopentoreinvention. which toinventnewlanguages.Liketheprincipleofopen network, with tool couldconnectwithotherartistsacrossborders,andaflexible he oscillate betweenanalienaestheticlanguage,alanguagethroughwhich ing tohisorherownneeds.Conceptualism,forEhrenberg, seems to localorforeignlanguages,theartistinventsanewlanguageaccord either third positionisalsoproposed:inordertoovercomethelimitations of relation between“alien” artisticlanguagesandthelocalcontext;yet a two points.LikeKnížákandBeke,Ehrenbergisextremelyawareofthe come toreflectsharedvalues,apan–LatinAmerican solidaritybetween Schmuck anthologiesproducedinEasternEurope—thevariedlocalities the desiretocommunicate.However, inthiscase—asdistinct from the of sharedexperienceemigration,dictatorship,lackresources,and Ehrenberg’s conflationofartisticandverballanguagetestifiestoasense 81 80 Ibid., 2. Ehrenberg, “Testimonios,” 2. their ownalphabets. itations ofsuchalanguage(theirsorforeign),thecreatorinvents lim- receives him.Othertimes,andexactlytoovercometheinherent he often adopts—whiletemporarily—thelanguagesofasocietythat artist emigrates,travels.Inexileandinhisdesiretocommunicate, of resources,facingthenecessitytoenrichtheirexperiences, Latin Americancontinent;butfacingtherepression,lack The readermayquestiontheuseoflanguagesthatareforeignto did not change Although thematerialoriginallyintendedforSchmuckdidnotchange 80 81 Thischangehad - - 69 69 gilbert | “something unnameable in common” 70 70 artmargins 1:2–3 history (“Latin American” or“Eastern European” art),ornotions ofcenter nation anddefinitionwhen we employcartographicapproachestoart cross-border practices?Networks suchastheseproveresistanttoexpla- or Iceland—forhowwewrite aboutandtrytounderstandcirculatory printingamagazineproducedinHungary,visitors, Czechoslovakia, Japan, press basedinEngland,co-runbyaMexican artist,withinternational and acontexttodifferent one. assuch,thetranslocalfunctionsatransferenceofmoment originated; works material thatcouldnothavecirculatedinthecountrieswhere the if notinCzechoslovakiaitself.Testimonios de Latinoaméricaalsopublished translocally enabledtheiralternativevisiontobecomeareality inprint, to anovertlycontrolledpublicsphere,andtheabilitycollaborate desire toenactafuturist-styletotalaestheticstandsasdirect response for theirexperiencestobeknowninothercontexts.TheAktual Group’s experiences. Thisnotioncorrespondswiththefactthatartistswished one based ongift exchange,andcontrastswiththeimmediaterealitythat tiny,however enablestheestablishmentofanalternativeartisticeconomy ily travelingintoanotherintheformofmailedartifact.Thisbreach, translocal communicationmightbethoughtofasonelocalitytemporar as“freshair”Schmuck anda“mentalsupport” forartists. ful proxyforthebody. DoraMaurer describestheeffect ofHungarian especiallyconsideringthattheworkinsomecasesactedasawish escape, ticular significanceinpoliticallyoppressiveclimates:asameans of and systemsthanwithsendingobjectstomarket.Translocalism hadapar an experimentaloutlookthatwasmoreconcernedwithprocess,ideas, and1970scounterculture,thepromotionofartisticfreedoms, and 1960s talism: acommitmenttofurtheringtheculturalandpoliticalgainsof Instead, artiststookonabroadideologicalpositionagainstglobalcapi because itwasnotaprogrammaticideologicalconnectionorsetofgoals. What allthesetranslocalnodeshadincommonwas“unnameable” F making public—artisticendeavorsacrossborders. by theBeauGeste Press, andthePress’s dedicationtopublishing—to it, whatitreallyshowsistheflexibilityofnetworkingmodelpursued Institute oftheFine Artsagreementtobacktheshowwaswhatprecipitated was somewhatpragmatic,Ehrenberg’s moveandtheMexican National 82 a cet Maurer, emailmessage. What isthesignificanceoftheseadhocnetworkingstructures—a s ofTranlocality 82 In some ways, Insomeways, - - - - between artistsunnamed. this reason,theBeauGeste Pressdecidedtoleavethecommonground ciple of“openness” wasnottobesacrificedprogrammaticgoals. For that wasideologicallymotivatedinthebroadestsensebecause theprin tice, liesinthefactthatartistswereabletotakepartaglobalmovement the rapidexchangeofideas,anddecentralizationartistic practice. netics, systemsandmediatheory, aswellphilosophyandanthropology), and interdisciplinarythought(communicationstheory,genealogies cyber gies encourageanarthistoricalapproachthatencompassesvaried based categoryofideologicalconceptualism.Translocal artisticstrate- contacts withtherestofworld,nullifyinginprocessgeography- rather thanoppositionalnatureofLatinAmericanandEasternEuropean working practicesandtheirinternationalscopedemonstratethedialectical standing thedynamics,nuances,andcomplexitiesofthisperiod.Net­ defining theparametersofartisticproductionisafirststeptowardunder its historicizationinexhibitions,publications,andmuseumpractice. tive andantagonistictensionsisaconditionthatcontinuestopermeate edge. Thecontinuationofthoughtthatisprovokedbymailart’s produc- howwetrytounderstand,record,archive,andorganizeknowl questions art—the categoriesofobject,author, andmateriality—butalsobecauseit worked artchallengescommonassumptionsaboutwhatconstitutes that wecontinuetothink. and voyagestheydefythegravityofarthistoricalmethods,demanding Circulatorypracticesrefusetosettlecomfortably:duction. intheirflights spatial operativesthatusuallygovernthehistoricizationofartisticpro- and models, suchasmailart,suspendthecartographic,temporal, working of geographicalcoordinates.Magazines likeSchmuckandothernet- it, iftolocateaworkofartisplaceitwithinperiod,context,orset and periphery. Artthatisinfluxbydefinitionresistsattemptstolocate 84 83 (whether inflictedbytheart market orthestate)couldbecontested. dom ofartisticexpression,mail artistscreatedaspaceinwhichcensorship here didenunciateatleastsomeoftheirgoals.Inpursuit offree- terhegemonic mostlyinspirit;however, thetranslocalnetworksexamined as being“inthespirit ofcounter-globalisation ratherthancorporate globalism.” For twenty-first-centurypractice, Maja andReuben Fowkes sumupthispolitical standpoint (Mexico City: Museo delaCiudad,2011),12. Mauricio Marcin, “Arte Correoenunlibro,”insertinArte,ed.Mauricio Marcin Mail art’s uniquecontribution,asabroadlydefinedconceptual prac- The rejectionofgeographicalboundariesastheprimarymeans 83 84 Thisdemandhappensnotonlybecausenet- Inthenetworked1970s,artistswerecoun - ­ - - - 71 71 gilbert | “something unnameable in common” 72 72 artmargins 1:2–3 for itself.” that isEurope;wehadthefeeling .therewasahumanitysearching didn’t havethesensethatthisisArgentina, Chile, thistheborder, spirit expressedbyBeauGeste PresscollaboratorCecilia Vicuña: “We nections artistsfeltwithcolleaguesandfriendsinotherlocations,a BeauGestethe Pressliesinthefactthatitenabledandmadevisiblecon- mote dialogic,ratherthanone-way, communication.Theimportanceof The modelgoesbeyondtheprogrammaticgoalsofavant-gardetopro- osition ofanongoingfestivalcommunication:hisEternalNetwork. “managed toendtheideaofnationalityinarts.” Devon, Mexico City, LaPlata,orNewYork City. all artisticmanifestationsarelocal,whethertheyoccurinSanFrancisco, thatoriginatedinmarginalorpostcolonialsites.Innetworkedart critique gether, translocalnetworkingpracticesdidcarrywiththemanimplicit language, andindeedconcerningthepossibilityofcommunicationalto- maintained concerningconceptualartasanimported“Western” artistic globalnetworkofcommunication.Whileadegreecynicismwas flexible ties intheirrespectivecountries,whileatthesametimeactingwithina counterhegemonic spiritartistswereabletoexplorethepoliticalreali this 85 86

Paulo Bruscky inAsAventuras dePaulo, dir. Bruscky Gabriel Mascaro (DVD,2010). Valerie Fraser, “InterviewwithCecilia Vicuña,” January 4,2011,Santiago,Chile, unpublished. The “open” ideologymentioned aboverelatesdirectlytoFilliou’s prop- 85 TheartistPaulo Brusckygoesfurther, statingthatthenetwork 86 Onthebasisof - This article has been cited by:

1. Hala Auji. 2020. Locating Primary Documents: Global Modernism and the Archival Turn. Review of Middle East Studies 54:1, 14-24. [Crossref] tionship betweenthe spatiotemporaltrajectoriesthatsupportedLatin the letterasaseriesoftrajectoriesandterritoriestranslation. based ontwofactors:themailartnetworkasageographyof language, and propelled bythepoeticsofplace.Today wecanreviewthisaction territory, andevokingsomekindoflostcollectivity, suspendedintimeand was alittlemanifestobytheartist,sentfromexileand another title orthetextofthispiece,Ithought“us” asaquestion.Perhaps it over theword“us” writtenfifty times.WheneverIhavethoughtofthe 1 pany it. Guillermo Deisleraskedaquestionandcreated avisualpoemtoaccom At theendof1970sincityPlovdiv, Bulgaria, theChileanartist (3) (2) (1) © 2012AR From Effectto AffectandIts Transla Artistic Networks offering andreceiving,givingfeedbacktothecircuit getting intothenetwork forming anetwork Guillermo Deisler his politicalexile. Deisler wasbornin Santiago deChileanddiedinHalle, Germany, whereheresidedafter Guillermo Deisler(1940–95),artist,engraver, editor, setdesigner, poet,andmailartist. The recentexpositionAlternative Networksproposedacertainrela- nstitute of TechnologyTMargins andtheMassachusetts Instituteof 1 Itconsistedoftheword“THE”writtenonceinverylargeletters Paulina Varas alarcón tion - 73 73 varas alarcón | Artistic networks 74 74 artmargins 1:2–3 Santiago deChile.ImagecourtesyofLauraColl. Guillermo Deisler. Elnosotros,1985.Visualpoemoffsetprinting,6∞cm.ArchiveGuillermoDeisler, 3 2 inant ideologies.” Eastern axiswasconsolidatingitstiesbeyondthepoliticalpoles anddom highlights thesituationthatexistedattime.Thetransversal South- betweentheartistsofEasternEuropeandHispanicrelationship America imposedbythedictatorshipsof1960sand1970s:“The repression mon wasthattheyproposedescaperoutesfromthecensorship and American andEasternEuropeanartists. the actualpresenceofsender, whohandedapackage overbyhand. thatinvolvedpersonaltrips forthedeliveryofshipments,oreven exchange of thesender. Thiswas complementedbyotherformsofsupportive was generatedbyusingthepostalservicebasedondeferred presence and Risk(Bremen:Weserburg Studienzentrum fürKünstlerpublikationen, 2010),24. Cristina Freire, “ClementePadín—Palabra, acciónyriesgo,” inClementePadín: Word, Action (Cristina Freire, curator). Exhibition attheContemporaryArtMuseum at theUniversidaddeSãoPaulo inJune 2011 3 An example of this was the information network that Anexampleofthiswastheinformationnetworkthat 2 Whattheseartistshadincom- - as catalyst and“anas organizationalstructureinastate ofevolution.” of languages,sincethistype“absence oflanguages” choosesabody multipliesthe deferredmeaning.Thisrefersnotonlytothetranslation it ings inapoetic-visualkeyinscribestheideaoftransfigurationinsofaras mean of translatingspacesandfictionswithmultiplelanguages act thetranslationofareceivedobjectorlettertobefundamental. The siders of receivingimplicitlypreservestheactsendingandundoubtedlycon- and returnthatcharacterizesthepostalsystemonadailybasis.Theact ations andvisuallanguageamplifythehermeneuticvisionofsending between politicalsubjectivityanditsphysicalrepresentation: for theemergenceofadifferent wayofunderstandingtherelationship relationship basedonthepresenceorabsenceoftheirbodies,whichallowed personally, buttheyneverthelessestablishedanintenseandemotional The peoplewhocreatedthemailartnetworkoften didnotknoweachother 5 4 ducibility andlossoforiginare strategicallyvisualizedinthispostalcon of communalaffect. Thejourney oftheartworksaswelltheirrepro- Mail artproducesarelationshipacrosstrajectoriesthatgeneratesystems Transla physically displaced. nated, andaffective trajectoriesthatareatthesametimeatemporaland the systemofmailartworkslikeabodylinked,reverberant, contami- where theletter’s contentunfolds. Here Iwouldliketopropose that an ideaoftranslationisvitalforactivatingmeaninginthe new context kelly01_en.htm. That IsNotaWork ofArt?”accessed April 4,2012, http://republicart.net/disc/mundial/ Susan Kelly, “TheTransversal andtheInvisible:HowDoYou ReallyMake aWork ofArt Guillermo Deisler, unpublishedmanuscript. In thespecialcaseofartistGuillermo Deisler, hisepistolaryoper this sensethevisualbegantoconcernthemfromthenon. barriers—a returntosignsystemsthatallowedfordirectreading.In iment withmessagesthatonecouldreadwithoutanylanguage mail artbegantoindirectlyinfluenceitscreatorswhoexper tion ofthesearchforcontacts,publics,readers,andspectatorsthis of theglobeisalreadyanundisputedfact. .Theinternationaliza menters inartandpoetryonothercontinentsdifferent corners The simultaneityofthissearchforcommunicationbetweenexperi- tion 4 5 Such - - - - - 75 75 varas alarcón | Artistic networks 76 76 artmargins 1:2–3 Erratic Mail Art) Internacional deArteCorreoErrático(SIACE)”(InternationalSystemof suggestionbytheartistUlisesCarriónThe ofthe“Sistema hand. direct presence ofthesenderatrecipient’s housewiththeletterin over toothersoncetheyarrivedattheirdestination,includingeventhe thelettersandmaterialsintheirbaggageordertohandthem carried also anintensenetworkofrelationshipsbuiltforandwithtravelerswho statepostalserviceforsendingtheirvisualmaterial,butthere was the Vigo, WladimirDias-Pino,andÁlvaroNeidédeSáregularly used of whatisincirculation.Guillermo Deisler, ClementePadín, Edgardo text bymeansofa“collecting ofplaces” andbymeansoftheexpulsion this tookonthevalueofakind“epistolary survival”: artists inthenetworkwho,likeGuill­ through whichlettersandshipmentscould slip uncontrolled. For those opened gap of territories kind under a their control. In way this the through passed that mail of were unabletocontrolthelargequantity repression ofthedictatorshipsinLatin America and Eastern Europe munication systemsinapoliticalcontext.Themachineriesof lished community, but italsorepresentedasortofquestioningcom- totheexpansionofartsystemforanestab- due was only not exchange community ofartists.” the national bureaucracies andyouarestrengtheningtheinternational else. . By usingSIACE,youarecontributingtotheonlyalternative the official service.Itcanbedeliveredbytheauthororanyone postal besenttotheSIACEoffice byanymethodexcept should message “The established system,inventingintheprocessnewformsofexchange: rise to other possibilitiesoftransmittingmessagesatthemargins 8 7 6

workers fromtheSouthAmerican continent. writer Augusto RoaBastoscalledthismassiveemigrationofcultural neutralizes oursituationas“deceased citizens,”astheParaguayan political circumstances—“art bymail” becomesthepalliativethat who likemehavebeenforcedintoexileeithervoluntarilyor through For LatinAmericans—andtherearealready manycreativepeople Deisler, unpublishedmanuscript. Ibid., 246. 1977; repr., Museo delaCiudadMéxico, 2011),246. de Correooficiales,”inArte(exhibitioncatalogue),ed.Mauricio Macin (Amsterdam, Ulises Carrión, “Sistema InternacionaldeArteCorreoErrático.UnaalternativaalasOficinas 6 foran“alternative totheofficial postoffices” (1977)gave 7 The urgent necessity to create new forms of Theurgentnecessitytocreatenewformsof ermo Deisler, livedin politicalexile, 8 exhibition, Guillermo Deisler. Chilevencerá.Exposicióndelartistachilenoexiliado: GuillermoDeisler

15 ∞25cm.ArchiveGuillermoDeisler, SantiagodeChile.Imagecourtesyof LauraColl. , 1986.Posteraboutthe 77 varas alarcón | Artistic networks 78 78 artmargins 1:2–3 the artist’s freedomfromtheoutside:“Theideaofaunique,authentic groups, someofthemmembers ofthemailartnetworkwhofoughtfor thanks toaninternationalmovement madeupofavarietydifferent the tasksofpostalsystem,producing“correlated activity.” memoryanditshistoryoftransformation;itbecameconnectedwith own the postalsystem’s connectivityinitsturnbecame inseparablefromits art networkherefunctionedasadepositoryofsharedresponsibilities; who receivedPadín’s mailduringtheperiodpriortohisarrest.The the confiscatedmaterialwasthroughcollaborationofthose people that controlledbodiesasmuchtheirdailymemories.Oneway torecover had manyofhisbooksandpersonalarchivestakenaway by aregime by theUruguayansecurityforcesduringlastmilitarydictatorship, also case oftheUruguayanartistClementePadín, whobesides beingarrested such itfosteredspecificformsofcollaborationandsolidarity, asinthe a typeofcollectivecreationthatwasforeigntotheofficial artcircuit.As the activationofpoetic-politicalcontents. through theorderofsignsintotransformthemintonewformsfor passed terized bythedemandforemancipationandcommunicationthat used inmailartnetworksunderthelogicof“visualpoetry” werecharac- transformed intosubjectsthatwereeasytocontrol.Therefore,thesigns were beingmanipulated,preventedfromthinkingautonomously, and terinformation, mailartexposedandironizedthewayinwhichpeople sumption wasoneoftheprincipaltargetsformailart.By spreadingcoun of registrationoracartographysimultaneitiesandculturalshifts. exchange thatwouldbeclosertotheirpotentialtranslationasasystem reading andinnovativetechniquesdesignedtoproducenewobjects of distributed asart,butalsotorecognizethedifferent layersofsemiotic day life,anissuethattodaypermitsusnotonlytorethinkwhatisbeing fulfilledthisfunctionbyactingtransversallybetweenart andevery- They to transformandthatfunctionedintheirturnascruciblesforcritique. distribution ofobjects,poems,letters,ordrawingsthathadthecapacity system proposedarelationalwayofproductionthatwasmindfulthe of creatingartthatactivatedspacessalonneveroccupied.The These collaborativenetworkswereveryeffective, andtheygaverisetoways 9 It isalsoimportanttopointout thatPadín’s freedomwasgained Circulation brought with it responsibility to the extent that it entailed Circulation broughtwithitresponsibilitytotheextentthatentailed The massmediaofcommunicationandtheirfocusonindividualcon- ideas actuales(Barcelona:Gedisa, 2005), 53. Francisco Varela, Conocer. Lascienciascognitivas:Tendencias yperspectivas. Cartografía delas 9 - from 1987to1995from hishomeinHalle (Germany) wherehe invited ofthisisthefoldercalledUNI/vers(;), ple developedbyGuillermo Deisler voicesthatwerenotnecessarily partoftheofficialnew system.Anexam- by thefactthattheireditionswere handmade,openingthemselvesupto bytheartiststhemselvesanddistinguishedfromindustrialpublishing ated work wastheirparticipationinpublishingplatforms,many of themcre critically addressedandinvestigated. and socialcircuits.Today thistendencyrepresentsataskthatneedstobe to thewayinwhichmailartdisruptedestablishedartistic, political, private collectionsthatpaidattentiontoitsproducts,butnot necessarily aside itsinstitutionalizationbeginninginthe1980sbymuseums and political subjectivityconstructedbythemailartnetworkconsists, putting of thebodybeyonditsphysicallimitations.We maywonderinwhatthe 10 of conceptualproduction.” less oftheinterestsanartmarketthatstubbornlywantstosavethistype distinction betweenoriginalandcopyturnsouttobeobsolete,regard- and originalartworkismeaninglessintheuniverseofexchange.And Freire, “ClementePadín,” 25. One commoncharacteristicofmanytheartistsinmail artnet- It ispossiblethentothinkofthenetworkmailartasanextension Guillermo Deisler, SantiagodeChile.ImagecourtesyofLauraColl. Guillermo Deisler. Elmundo:Unobjetosalidodelaórbitadelusosocial.Postcardsilkscreen,10∞15cm.Archive 10 - 79 79 varas alarcón | Artistic networks 80 artmargins 1:2–3 Santiago deChile.ImagecourtesyofLauraColl. Guillermo Deisler. mail-artpeacefulmessage.Postcardoffsetprinting,10∞15cm.ArchiveGuillermoDeisler, 11 project’s survivalovertime” the editortodesignamodelofselfmanagementthatwouldpermit many mailartartists:“Theperiodiccharacterofthepublicationforced because ourmobilityprevents usfromenteringcanonicalhistoryina ing ourarchivefeverwerevisit todayeraseanyfixedimageofmailart inthecorrespondence. Thestoriesandcollectionsthatfollow- anticipated preoccupations, politicalpostures, andcollectivedesiresthatarebeing alonebutthatislinkedinsteadtoexchangesofmoments, affects, objects ofadistribution ofexperiencethatdoesnotremainattachedto think ferent formsofcollaborationinthemailartnetwork—permitsusto toward thefuture. nying acollectiveprocessofcontestationandco-construction oriented ideological circuits;itwasawayofinfluencingpoliticsand ofaccompa- bution ofcontent,aswellanewstrategyforinsertingoneself intothe was beingdistributedbyDeisleratacticfortheexchange anddistri subtitle ofallthefiles).UNI/vers(;)the andthelargequantity ofmailthat tive tohisinitialideasregardingthe“Peace DreamProject” (thiswas gráficos,” unpublished manuscript. Paulina Varas andFrancisca García, “Guillermo Deisler: Redes,textualidadesycuerpos Today itisnecessary toidentifywhatitisthat—recognizingthedif 11 —and, Imightadd,giveasustainableobjec- - - potentialities ofthat“imperfect” placewheretheexperience ofdifference toavoidthehomogenization orneutralizationoftheemancipatory order recalling James Clifford andhisnotionof“imperfecttranslations” in homogenous way.homogenous 13 12 Macin, impurities—may opposetherelativisticdiscourseofculturalassimilation.” and dissonance,sothatarefractedmark—negativity, excess,remainders, thetextsofculturefromLatinAmericanperipherywithroughness fill surpluses, asNellyRichardpointsout:“The‘Southern’and should rhythm However, inthisentire processtherearealsoplentyofresidualelements operationthatwecouldfindsuitableforthisparticulardialogue. selves”—an mine collectivecross-relationscouldbereferredtoas“translating our art displacebasedonthecollectionofplaces?Oneconceptthat candeter do theydispersethecenter-periphery dialecticthatthenetworksofmail occupy placesinspace,expand,contract,manifesttheirflexibility?How ofartisticcollaborationarepositioned.Tonetworks whatdegreedothey mobile. Inourtimethisgivesrisetothequestionofhowandwhere That istosaythatitcannotbemappedstatically, sinceitsformis The mailartnetworkcanbethoughtofasanorganicanddialogicentity. Langu another place. sinceinthissystemofcorrespondenceseachobjectorlettermirrors plete, that weimagine.Insense,noarchiveofmailartcouldbecom- whose operationsandinternalpracticesgobeyondthesystemofrelations flight thatoriginateinterritoriesandeventhelanguageofartitself, these trajectoriesshouldbethoughtofinthreedimensions,aslines sented intwodimensionsliketracedtrajectoriesonamap.Rather, ‘Sur,’” inRevistaRamona,no.91(June 2009): 26. Nelly Richard,“Derivaciones periféricasentornoalointersticial. Alrededordelanoción Richard problematizesthetranslationofidea“South” by think, isinfinite. and witheachpiecethenetworkchanged.Thenetwork,onemight we understoodthateachpieceofmailnourishedthenetwork mail art; we noticed. thatitisimpossibletoreclaimandrepresent Sooner orlater a ge a Arte Correo,11. s aGeogrphyoftheSouth

The “mailartnetwork” systemcannolongerberepre- 12 - 13 - 81 varas alarcón | Artistic networks 82 artmargins 1:2–3 “choreograph oneself,” the desireforoneselfandOtherinordertointerpret toward whileatthesametimemobilizingbodyandspeech.Thisleads context ing lectives orlocalgroupsbecome empowered,theyarecapableoftranslat- connected througheducationalinitiativesbymeansofwhichcol- become 16 15 14 full integrationwithinacontinentalframeofreference.” split ordeviantinitssub-locationsmayfindshelterfromthenarrativesof relevance; yetatthesametimeitproducesmismatchessothatwhatis plays thetracesofitsLatinAmericancreationandcultural-historic text inwhichheassuresusthat“Southisthein-betweenplace dis that “junctureanddecentralization” ofwhichRichard writesinarecent away fromthecontrolofcognitivecapitalism. whoemancipatethemselvesthroughthegapsthathavebeenwrested those devalued signs—erasesmarkingsandsilencesthecollectivechoirsof where theglobalizationofsubjectivity—builtwitheconomicmodels ers. Today“local” wewonderaboutthesignificanceof inacontext taskthathaslongsincebeenassumedbymailartists,amongoth- critical itscritical condensationfromthepointofviewgeopoliticsisa place announcing itscontextasanuntranslatableexperience. what remainstobecalled“South” seemstoturnonitslocaldimension, refugeinordertoprotectitself.Thereforethecadenceorrhythmof takes of theOther, itappeals fortranslation,anditdemandsourcapacityto different atcertainmoments,andthat appeartobesimilarinothers. an erosion ofexperience.” erosion an stice where “thepre-existenceofanIisnolongerareferential signbut spaces thatpermitustothinkandconstructaresidenceinaninter or to translate theideaofnetworkintoaseriesactions,operations, space”—as“in-between theseorganicspacesanddialogicfictionsbegin a seriesofmovementsinsidethisspace—or, asRichardcallsit,this the contemporaryproductionsinwhatwecall“theSouth,”recognize .at/dyn/heft_text.php?textid=1671&lang=en. Brian Holmes,“The Potential Personality,” accessed,April 4,2012,http://www.springerin .cracvalparaiso.org/?p=1049. de laexperienciacomohuellamaterialen Valparaíso,” accessed,April 4, 2012, http://www José Llano,“Lanotacióndelintérprete.La construccióndeunpaisajesocio-cultural através Ibid., 28. What would“theSouth” beinthecontextof“thelocal”? Itwouldbe Undoubtedly, toenunciatethenotionofperipheryorratherdis- The networkexperiencecallsustowardexchangeandthelanguage 16 based on those means and procedures that are basedonthosemeansandproceduresthatare 15 As experience and the practice of subjectivity Asexperienceandthepracticeofsubjectivity 14 Ifweobserve - - independent artspacesinLatin AmericaandSpainthathavegenerated the basisofwhatiscalled“a place.” tion andproducinganewform forcommunicatingandimaginingon questioningparticipationandpedagogyasformsofcultural produc tion, network ofcollaborationandtypesknowledgethatmultiply significa tive production,butitalsoprovidesfortheproduction ofacontinuous of learningcommunitiespresupposesspacesfornegotiation andcollec collectiveexperiencealwaysfeedsbackintoknowledge.Thecreation this 17 or pedagogicalprojects” representaformofexchange;“thereisnoneutraladministration always social spacesthatarebeinggeneratedthrough“residingin theother” network ofautonomousandindependentspaces. within theeconomyofsolidaritythathasdevelopedincontexta to thewaytheydistributeexperience,andproductionofaffections thecollectiveexperience.Thisishowwecanidentifyprojectsinrelation of part thatpersistentlyrequiretherecipienttobeinvolvedand egies alocation,sothatthediscourseanditspracticesareviewedasstrat adopt “residence.” To situatesomeonewhohasaplaceofresidencemeansto translate ourselveswithinthatspecificeventintimeandspacewecall Paulo Freire, Laeducaciónenlaciudad (Mexico Siglo City: XXI,2007),48. An exampleofthisistherecent experienceofexchangesinvolving Why is“autonomy” afactorortoolforspeakingofnetwork?The Image courtesyoftheartists.PhotobyPauFaus. Pau Faus andClaudioAstudillo,Co-habitaciones, 2010.Artinterventioninpublicspace.CRACValparaíso, Chile. 17 sincethereformulationorredistributionof -

- - - 83 varas alarcón | Artistic networks 84 artmargins 1:2–3 18 produced apublicationand video abouttheexperience. geographic explorationnearthe borderbetweenPeru andEcuadorthat andEscuelab,involvingatemporarycommunity forworkand Patios, (Shared Border), whichwasorganizedbyCeroinspiración, Casa Tres themtothecity’sing public; andfinallytheproject“Frontera compartida” investigate thepossibilitiesforvisualizingarchivesofCasa13, open- between CRACandCasa13 fromCórdobawhere anartistwasinvitedto tionships insideandoutofeachspace;anarchive-related residency tors exchangedtheirexpertiseinordertounderstandhowbuildrela- “Lugarbetween aDudas” and“Can Xalant” inwhichculturaladministra- “Lugar aDudas” fromCali and“FAC”fromMontevideo; andanother of speculationinthesphereculture;amanagementresidency between of largeculturalprojectsinCaracas andBarcelona andofthedangers jointly byCRACandCan XalantofBarcelona, basedonaninvestigation and reflectionsaboutprojectssuchasthe“ExpandedResidency” setup tion asatoolforactionandinteraction.Thepublicationincludesresults on theresidencyofeditorMirenEraso.Erasoproposedthispublica- ing aseriesofexchangesthattookplacebetween2008and2009,based to publish“Entre” (Between), whichwillsystematizeinformationconcern #1”(Office #1)from“Oficina Caracas, Venezuela,wereconceivedinorder “editorial residency” where“ElLevante” fromRosario,Argentina,and Some oftheprojectscarriedoutthroughNetworksince2008are cultural management,affects, andresources: a seriesofresidenciesthatseektoactivatewayssharingknowledge, See level ofinternationalculturalpolitics. gain representationanddialogueatboththemicromacro joint workbetweenitsmembers,sothatthroughthistheymight American integrationandofanaffective desireforcommunityand The networkwascreatedin2008asaresultofthedesireforLatin tiatives, withawholerangeofadministrativeandlegalstructures. formats. . Itismadeupofprivateandmixed(public/private)ini- dency programs.Thenetworkbringstogetherdifferent residency contemporary culturethatarelinkedbasicallythroughtheirresi- of spacesfortheinvestigation,productionandexhibitionart Residencies intheNetwork. isaSpanish-LatinAmericanplatform http://residenciasenred.org/, accessedApril 4,2012. 18 - AECID. and mediationresidencywasorganizedwiththefinancialsupport of anditsmanagement.Itwasforthisreasonthatin2011amanagement ect cultural developmentthatencouragestheindependenceofeveryproj of is the idea of“autonomy”tioning that might develop, suggesting a model Withouteration. adoubt,onecurrentchallengefortheNetwork’s func agement andproductionthatinvolvestrengtheningthebondsofcoop of intertwiningculturalproductionwithpossibilitiesforman- 19 more concrete terms, whereterms, concrete more do we translate ourselves collectively? we canconfirmthatourdesireforcollectivearticulationis possible?In canwedepositourdesiresderivedfromuntranslatableplacesso where even ifresistanceevokesavarietyofdissimilaroptions—we havetoask: to aseriesofminoritieswithoutrepresentationorcentrallegitimacy— already beenplacedontheneedforglobaldiscoursestogiveway has artisticpracticethereisageographyforwhatcollective.Ifemphasis rary At thispoint thequestionariseswhetheronmapofcontempo- phies. politics bymobilizingmodificationsandaccelerationsinlocalgeogra- that have animpactondailylifeanditseconomiesthatreferto ence subjective andcollectivedesires,determinedbyformsoftransfer shifting regionsonthebasisofmorecomplextrajectoriesmodeled rather epistemologically, allowingustoestablishrelationshipsbetween territories ofaSouththatisnolongerthoughtgeopoliticallybut regional level. and economicorganizationinculturalpolitics,bothonalocal participation thatmightbekeytotheconceptionofnewformssocial production modelsforeachspace,aswellevolvingmethodologies based onaprojectthatwouldidentifythemanagementandknowledge cation. Together withthis,therewasaproposaltosystematizeinformation nal functioningofthisnetwork:Management, Projects,andCommuni­ withinthoseareasthatweredefinedanddeemedcrucialfortheinter tor Rosario (Argentina). São Paulo (Brazil), Lima (Perú), Montevideo(Uruguay), andBuenos Aires,Córdobay Cooperation for Develop for Cooperation agreement was carriedoutwiththesupportof theSpanishAgencyforInternational specific initiativerequiredmoneyforlodging,airfare,production, and organization.The This of thenetwork’s spaceshasindependentfundingfromdifferent publicandprivatesources. This economicsupportinvolvesthecosts ofthisandothernetworkprojects,althougheach Many otherprojectshave developedinrelationtothesediverseways One ofthefuturechallengesispossibilitydecentralizing 19 Theideawasthatonepersonwouldtakeontheroleofmedia- ment throughanetworkprojectbytheSpanishCulturalCenters­ment in - - - - - 85 varas alarcón | Artistic networks 86 artmargins 1:2–3 Manuel Carrión andCRACValparaíso. Redderedes,2011.CRACValparaíso, Chile.ImagecourtesyofCRACValparaíso. and memories. potentiality andemancipatoryenergywithrespecttoour genealogies mous workingnetworkswherewecanlocateself-translation asanew and crossoversaswellthecooperative,decentralized,autono- itself everysooften. Thisreactivationemergesfromaseriesofarticulations opposition tototalitariandefinitionsreverberatewithwhatreactivates We mightconstructamomentandnarrativewheredissent Translated by Sven pieker © 2012ARTMargins andtheMassachusetts Instituteof husband György Galántai, andforunlimitedaccess totheArtpoolArtResearchCenter. text, forgenerously sharing herextensiveknowledgeandpersonal experiencesofArtpoolandher Thanks alsotoJulia Klaniczay, codirectorandcofounder ofArtpool,foreditorialsuggestionsonthis experimental artandforherthoughtfuleditorialsuggestionsonmultipledrafts ofthisarticle. like tothankmyadviserProfessorKristine StilesforintroducingmetoArtpoolandHungarian in Hungary andYugoslavia circa1968–1989,whichIwilldefendatDukeUniversityin 2013.Iwould also asynopsisofchaptermydoctoral dissertation,IntheSpecterofSovereignty: ExperimentalArt panel attheSocialEastForum ontheArtandVisual CultureofEasternEuropeinLondon.Itis I firstpresentedthisessayasapaperin 2010 fortheNetworksandSociabilityinEastEuropeanArt intellectual, anddissident,laidbaretheeffect oftheomniscientcollective In hismemoirofEasternEurope,György Konrád,theHungarian novelist, Introduction G International Hungary! yörgy Galántai’s Networking S György Konrád, recognize theliar? —what isleft toinformabout?Whereisthetruthwherebywecan has become common currency—and theinformeramodelcitizen a recklessanarchist.But onceinforming and everyonebehindthem that everyoneinfrontofthemwasaninformer imagining each als, real dictator,There wasno onlyalonglineofdowntroddenindividu- butalsotoquestionwhatitisbehuman. backwardness and defeat Living inEasternEuropemeantbeingconstantlypreparedfor wn Country wn O My in Guest A T echnology trategies Jasmina Tumbas 87 87 tumbas | international hungary! 88 artmargins 1:2–3 some formofresistanceisalsoubiquitousineverydictatorialregime. who liveunderthetraumatizingleadershipofauthoritarianregimes,but The abdicationofpersonalresponsibilitiescharacterizesmanycitizens ruthless communists,buthundredsoflesserknownindividuals.” certed action.Theactorsarenotfamousdissidentintellectuals and the cesses. efforts ofsocialmovementsthateducatedpeopleaboutdemocraticpro- tion withoutafoundation,butratherthemanifestationofconcrete have understood,Kenney affirms that1989wasnotamomentofrevolu- and pavingaroadofresistancethatledtotheevents1989.Asmany resisted “organized irresponsibility,” fuelingthedemocraticopposition discussion ofsomethesocialmovementsinCentral Europethat 6 5 4 3 2 1 tion of Moscow andSovietSupremacy inCentral andEasternEurope.” for it“meantaclear, unconditionalrecognitionoftheglobalpowerposi cemented in1956,whenSoviettankscrushedtheHungarian revolution, relationships withmistrustandparanoia.Thisfearofthestatewas socialism, thatinvadedtheprivatelivesofcitizensandimbuedeveryday gaze, abettedbytheomnipresentsurveillancemechanismsofstate one’s control(disavowalofresponsibility).” of laissez-faireattitudetowardspoliticalandsocialphenomenabeyond autocratic power(abdicationofresponsibility)whilethesecondisakind to producetwotypesofpsychologicaladaptation:Oneissubmission “A societywhichtendstopunishindependentdissentandconflict onherexperience in Hungary,Reflecting psychiatrist Eva Katonastated, avowal ofresponsibility” iswhatleadsto“organized irresponsibility.” is often omittedinsuchscholarlydiscussions. thecontributiontosocialtransformationbyartisticcommunities societies, butseminalmovementsthatbroughtdemocraticchangein socialist known Kenney’s bookisconsideredtohavepioneered thediscussionoflesser-

Ibid., 16. Padraic Kenney, A but theetiologyoftraumarequirestoomuch explanationtogointoindetailthisessay. My dissertationexaminescloselytherole ofsovereigntyandtraumainEasternEuropeanart, Ibid., 39. Jacob D.LindyandRobertJay Lifton (NewYork: Brunner-Routledge, 2001),38. The PsychologicalLegacyofSovietTrauma, EastEuropean TherapistsandTheirPatients, ed. Nora CsiszerandEva Katona,“Hungary: ReplacingaMissingStone,”inBeyondInvisibleWalls: Ludwig, 1999),267. Hegyi,Lóránd DunjaBlažeric´, andBojanaPejié (Vienna: Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung to Political Changes,”inAspects/Positions: 50Years ofArtinCentral, ed. Europe1949–1999 Lóránd Hegyi, “Hungarian ArtoftheEighties—ArtinTransition: From ReformCommunism In 5 A Carnival ofRevolution,Padraic Kenney offers arichanddetailed “Therearenomiraculouseventshere,butmanyyearsof con-

Carnival ofRevolution(Princeton,NJ:Princeton UniversityPress,2002),13. 2 Shesuggeststhatthis“dis 6 While 3 4 -

- 1

Eastern EuroperhizomaticallywithinthedevelopingGlobalVillage.Eastern (1987), Röderalsoobservedthatmailartenableddemocratization in Deleuze andFélix Guattari’s concept of therhizomeinAThousandPlateaus freedom ofopinion,press,assemblyandtravel.” motivated .in thecountriesofEasternEurope” dueto“thelackofbasic states. Indeed,forKorneliaRöder, mailartwasespecially“politically andcritiquedthesuffocation ofpersonalsovereigntybytotalitarian ties tal artforms(particularlymailart)thatfosteredalternativecommuni minimal,conceptual,andbodyarttoFluxusmailart,experimen - from state, remaininginconstantdialoguewithinternationalartpractices very nontraditional,experimentalmodespoliticizedandbannedbythe then-existing socialismoftheEasternbloc.Instead,hepursued the Eastern Europe. ment ofintellectual,artistic,andsocialnetworkswithinbeyond nizing mailartexhibitions,andinstigatingeventscentraltothedevelop- Artpool servedasGalántai’s vehiclefordistributingsamizdatworks,orga- After thestateshutdownBalatonboglárChapelStudioin1973, writer, editor, andcuratorJulia Klaniczayamassedfrom1979untiltoday. now internationallyrenownedarchiveofexperimentalartthatheand city ofBalatonboglárinthewestHungary. IthenturntoArtpool,the mental artin1970:theBalatonboglárChapelStudiolocatedlakeside formation ofanabandonedchapelintoexhibitionspaceforexperi- change associatedwiththepoliticaleventsof1989.Ibeginhistrans onward, eventsandexhibitionsthatanticipatedprefiguredsocietal garian artistGyörgy Galántai, focusingonhisartactivitiesfrom1970 9 8 Röder, 7 “irrecoverably involvedwith,andresponsiblefor, eachother.” that which“compels commitment and participation,”makingeveryone ethics ofaglobalsociety, orwhathecalledthe“newenvironment,”is notion isindebtedtoMarshall McLuhan’s 1967propositionthatthe 1967), 24. Marshall McLuhan andQuentinFiore, The Medium IstheMassage (NewYork: Penguin, .de/wp-content/uploads/ 2010/10/Summary12.pdf . (University of Bremen, 2006),3,accessedJanuary 10,2012,http://www.museum-schwerin Salon Verlag, 2008).Quote takenfromRöder’s(Cologne: summaryofherdissertation for EasternEuropebetween1960and1989 , Schriftreihe fürKünstlerpublikationen vol.5 Kornelia Röder, Topology andFunctionality oftheMail ArtNetworkandItsSpecific Significance I arguethatinhisworkGalántai resistedthepoliticalclimateunder This essayconsiderssomeoftheculturalinterventionsbyHun­ Topology andFunctionality, 15. 7 DrawingonGilles 9 8 This This - -

89 89 tumbas | international hungary! 90 artmargins 1:2–3 14 13 12 11 Ibid. more manipulativeinHungary” thanintheSovietUnion,whichhad meanstokeeptheneo-avant-gardeincheckweremoresubtleand “[T]he rary lenienceaimedatmollifyingdissidentartists.AsForgács hasargued, unofficial artondisplayatthistime. science, andnomorethanahandfulofexhibitionsattemptedtoput artists acrossgeographicalboundaries. nication bymeansofmetonymy, conveyingcorporealsovereigntyamong artandsamizdat publicationsexpandedartists’mail that commu propose confinesoftheirrestrictedpoliticalandaestheticcircumstances.Ialso the work heestablishedempoweredhimandotherartiststoreachoutside stakesaffectedpolitical hislifeinHungary andbeyond,howthenet- as Galántai’s principalmodesofcommunication,howtheirsocialand 10 and artists’ accesstostudiospacesandstipends.” state’s inpurchasesofartworks,controlexhibitionvenues, monopoly transformed socialistinstitutionsassociatedwiththearts,leadingto“the in Hungary. Between1958and1960,theJános Kádáradministration experimentalartafterential, World War IIweremetwithfirmresistance The possibilitiesforbuildingalternativenetworksandpracticingexperi- The Balatonboglár ChapelS had professionalcareersasartists. ated fromtheAcademy ofFine ArtsortheAcademy ofDecorativeArts membersoftheAssociationHungarianwere Artistsandwhogradu during 1956. thepublicwhileattemptingtomakeupforbrutalexecutions pacifying art. graffiti works,allofwhichdivergedfromstandardofficial Hungarian ,” showedamultiplicityofstyles,frompopandartepoverato official venue” atan “architectural planningoffice inthecenter of

14 Sasváry, “Moment,”85. referred toas“goulash socialism.” Nikita Khrushchevcoinedthisphraseto describeHungarian socialismunderKádár. Also Antonia Majacˇa, andVesna Vukovic´ (Zagreb: BLOKandDeLVe, 2011),85. 1960s and1970s,”inRemovedfromtheCrowd: UnexpectedEncounters,ed.IvanaBago, I Chapel StudioinBalatonboglárandthe Social MilieuofCounter-Culture inHungary inthe Edit Sasváry, “A MomentofExperimentalDemocracyintheKádárEra:György Galántai’s Garde throughouttheLate1960sand1970s,” Centropa 8(2008):38. Éva Forgács, “DoesDemocracyGrow underPressure?StrategiesoftheHungarian Neo-Avant- Kádár’s “goulash communism” inthe1960swasanactofguiltycon- My essayconsidershowmailartandsamizdatpublicationsoperated Such unofficial artworksweretolerated,adeliberatenodtotempo- 12 11 13 After 1963,theKádárregimebegan tudio: ALegacy ofResi stance InDecember1968,Iparterv, a“semi- 10 Only those artists who Onlythoseartistswho - -

as asynonymofthe‘avant-garde,’ornon-official art.” outofpublicvenues,andtheterm‘underground’forced cametobeused forced thedividebetweenofficial andunofficial art;“vanguardartwas the government“declar[ed] thereturn tohardlinepolitics,”whichrein ceptual andperformanceartistsinHungary andEurope. began usingin1970asanexhibitionspace,organizingshowsforcon- renovated, andrentedtheabandonedchurchinBalatonboglár, whichhe reception andtreatmentofGalántai’s artworksfouryearsafter hefound, all fearofstatereprisalsagainstabstractandexperimentalart. Hungary, sustainedbyacademicdistrustin,disrespectfor, andmostof in wereridiculed andsocialrealismremainedthedominantstyle Iparterv 1974 (nowreferredtoas“TheBulldozer Exhibition”). destroyedanunofficial artshowwithbulldozersonSeptember14, publicly 19 18 17 16 15 the moment.” or tightenedalwaysdependedonthepoliticalandsocialconstellationof ancing: makeallowanceshere,clampdownthere.Howtheleashrelaxed Sasváry, “Thecontrolofartwasinformedbythepoliticalprinciplebal ical sketch,Galántai describedtheactivitiesatchapelasfollows:

biography.html. Explains Art,Art Life,accessedJuly 12,http://www.galantai.hu/appendix/ 2011, Enciklopédia Kiadó,1996),300;György Galántai, “Biography,” inGyörgy Galántai: Life György Galántai andJulia Klaniczay, eds., Lifeworks1968–1993(Budapest: Artpool, Bethanien GmbH,2007),145. Petra Stegmann,FluxusEast:NetworksinCentral EasternEurope(Berlin:Künstlerhaus Forgács, “DoesDemocracyGrow?” 47. Sasváry, “Moment,”85. of visitors,whichsomerefertoas“Russian (orSoviet)Woodstock.” toputuptheexhibitiontwoweekslaterforfourhours,whichresultedinthousands decided a numberofarrests.Becauseinternationalcriticismthiscensorship,theSoviet Union Rukhin andOscarRabinwasdestroyedwithbulldozerswatercannons resultedin September 14,1974,whenanopen-airexhibitionofexperimentalartorganized byEvgeny Ibid. “TheBulldozer Exhibition” intheSovietUniondescribeseventsthattookplaceon State antagonismtowardexperimentalartturnedtransparentinthe exhibition ofvisualpoetryinHungary; etc. 1972–73: performancesbythebannedKassákTheater; 1973:thefirst Budapest); IstvánHaraszty’s kineticstatues(bannedinBudapest); tual artinHungary; Avant-Garde Festival (whichhadbeenbannedin from abroad.Somehighlights:1972:thefirstexhibitionof concep best ofHungary’s (undesirable)avant-gardeartists,andguestartists mances, andfilmshowingswereheldinthose4years,featuringthe Altogether 35exhibitions,concerts,poetryrecitals,theatricalperfor 16 After a1972Hungarian SocialistWorker’s Party meeting, 19 15 According toEdit 18 17 Inhisbiograph Exhibitslike - - - - - 91 tumbas | international hungary! 92 92 artmargins 1:2–3 to advancejustsuchexperimentalartatthechapel. to conceptual,performance,installation,andvideoart.Galántai wanted tion, curatedbyHarald Szeemann,thatfirstbroughtworldwideattention dencies that Galántai saw at Documenta5in1972,thelandmarkexhibi European countries,worksbelongingtointernationalconceptualartten contained worksbyfifty-nine artistsfromnumerousEasternand Western 22 21 20 international exhibitionofvisualexperimentalpoetry.” at theBalatonboglárChapelStudio,ashowthatwasbilledas“thefirst later mailartactivities. networks throughnumerousexhibitionsthatwouldunderpinGalántai’s tion ofHungarian andinternationalartistsvisitorsalike,building tered anopenandcollaborativeenvironment,encouragingtheparticipa- At theconceptualcoreofBalatonboglárChapelStudio,Galántai fos bystanders,certainlytheauthorities,andevensomeparticipants. curious Studio legitimatedtheirrolesasoppositionalfiguresinthemindsof explored conceptualandaestheticquestions,theBalatonboglárChapel instantiated withinstateculture.Nevermindifsomeoftheartistssolely visible signofresistance,evincingthepresenceanalternativeculture a quickly becameidentifiedasaspaceofconfrontationinwhichartwas Exhibiting “undesirable” worksofart,theBalatonboglárChapelStudio memorable worksfromMirror. artists likeJános Tölgyesi, whosePostcard (1972)isoneofthemany artworks byartistsfrommorethanthirtycountries,aswell as Hungarian Mirror, whichincluded postcards,collages,photographs,andconceptual László Bekealsoorganizedaproto-mail-artexhibitiontherecalled ChapelStudiowascloseddown,Hungarianthe arthistorianandcurator Hungary, January 12,2012. for Galántai’s Budapest, in mailartpractices. Galántaiauthor inconversationwiththe of KlausGroh, whoprovedtobe an importantconnectionfor Eastern European artists and exhibition, EndreTót sharedalotofcontactswithGalántai, including the mailing address R-Exhibition ended up being organizedthisfor bypreparations the AttilaDuring Csáji. ber of artists in the process. Held in buildingRoftheTechnical UniversityinBudapest, the a ChapelExhibitioninBudapest andcollaboratedwithanum- show to wanted also Galántai Gustave Cerutti (Switzerland),andJerzy Kiernicki (Poland). In1970, (Japan), Shiomi Mieko (England), Ben Vautier (France), KlausGroh (German), SándorPinczehelyi(Hungary), Aquino (Brazil),Jirˇí H.KocmanandPetr Štembera(Czechoslovakia),DavidMayor Among theartistsexhibitinginthisshowwereJörgSchwarzenberger(Austria), Angelode Julia KlaniczayinconversationwiththeauthorBudapest, Hungary, January 14,2012. Balatonbóglar 1970–1973(Budapest: Artpool-Balassi,2003),177. Kápolnamüterme 1970–1973/IllegalAvant-Garde: ChapelStudioofGyörgy Galántai in Júlia KlaniczayandEditSasvári,eds.,Törrénytelen Avantgárd. Galántai György Balatonboglári In 1973,DóraMaurer andGábor Tóth organizedtheTexts exhibition 22 21 In1973,theyear 20 Theexhibition - - - and thepostcard’s reflection.Beke explained, thatwouldallowaviewertolookthroughitseehis orherown both monumentsattheBalatonport.Tölgyesi alsomarkedaholeinthe table, reflectingthepostcard’s image of“The Ferryman” and“Fisher,” side facingoutward,andamirrorwasplacedontheopposite sideofthe postcardwassituatedverticallyontheedgeofatablewith back- The larger holeequaltothe‘durch-sicht’—forlarger sureyouwillgetarealview.” view.reality-like Iftheview isnotresemblingenoughyoumaycutouta postcard infrontofamirrorandlookoutthroughthehole:youcanget 23 mirror.html. Artpool’s website,accessedJanuary 10,2012, http://www.artpool.hu/boglar/1973/tukor/ details, suchasalistofartistsandimages ofartworksandtheexhibition,canbefoundon Klaniczay andSasvári,Törrénygtelen Avantgárd/Illegal Avant-Garde, 168.Alloftheexhibition rational andmysteriousinthe sametime.Thesinglepossibilityto one side,brilliantandincomprehensible ontheother. Itiscoldly The mirrorhasadualisticcharacter, beingdulland everydayonthe The postcardthatTölgyesi addressedtoBekeinstructed,“Put the Budapest. PhotographbyGyörgy Galántai. János Tölgyesi. Postcard,1972.14.7∞10.4cm.ImagecourtesyoftheArtpoolArtResearchCenter, 23

93 93 tumbas | international hungary! 94 artmargins 1:2–3 and con-textuality.” age, butinstead“theircontiguity, suchassyntacticalorphysicalproximity metonymy, itisnotthevisualorsemanticsimilaritythatconstituteslink- in linguistics,theexampleoften givenisthecrown for theking.)In else.(Stilesusedtheexampleofone’sthing shadowasaclassicmetonymy; cannot standonitsown,beingalwaysinrelationto,andpartof,some- of bodyartforsubject-to-subjectcommunication.” subjectsandtherebycontributingto“theradicalpotential performing to nicating mechanismsofmetaphorinbodyartbydirectlylinkingviewers in 1987suggestedhowmetonymyappendedtheconventionalcommu- with sociopoliticalramificationsthatwarrantmorediscussionhere. was facilitatedbytheobject’s metonymicalcapacityforlinkage,afunction viewer, andinstallationinoneexperiential,dialogicartwork.Thispurpose Tölgyesi’s workofartreinforcedthepurposemailart:touniteartist, viewing it from bothsidesatthesametimeinamirror. Inthiskey way, andsentbytheartist—toviewer,written, whoattemptedtheactof such,As the mirror connected thephysicalartobject(postcard)—selected, Stiles followedRomanJakobson.Stiles and—I wouldaddhere—theindividualtowhomitrefers. a partforthewholebyvirtueofbeingveryobject,idea,word, heexplained,metonymyoperatesthrough“combination,”tution,” namely (to re-presentanartist’s ideasinobjective form)andmetonymically(to andmailart,likeTölgyesi’scations postcard,perform bothmetaphorically 28 27 26 25 24 most transitoryimage. .Themirrorisamagicobject. face ourselfisthemirror. Thereflect[ion]isthemostperfectand In formulating a political role for mail art, I follow Kristine Stiles, who In formulatingapoliticalroleformailart,IfollowKristineStiles,who Ibid., 3. January 20,2012,http://somatosphere.net. Sadeq Rahimi,“TheUnconscious:Metaphor and Metonymy,” Somatosphere , accessed Hague: Mouton,1956). Ibid. SeealsoRomanJakobson andMorrisHalle, TheFundamentals ofLanguage(The Significance,” TheAct 1,no.2(1987):29. Kristine Stiles,“SynopsisoftheDestruction inArtSymposium(DIAS)andItsTheoretical January 12,2012,http://www.artpool.hu/boglar/1973/ 730805e.html . publications canbefoundattheArtpool ArtResearchCenter. Also,Mirror, accessed Center. The1992catalogueisnotpaginated,buttheoriginalEnglishtextonpage11. reorganizedtheshowfor opening oftheArtpoolArtResearch Artpool when 1992, in English versions with someillustrationsandanewintroductionbyBeke,waspublished on page1.Afacsimileofthese“catalogues,” was includingboththeHungarian andthe text ten “catalogue” offourA4sheets,inaHungarian versionandinanEnglishversion.His László Beke,“Introduction—Mirror,” 1973.Beke’s introductionfirstappearedinatypewrit- 28 WhatIamsuggestinghereisthatsamizdatpubli 26 Whilemetaphoroperatesby“substi 25 Inhertheorization, 27 Metonymy 24 - - pointed out, also operatedunderthegazeandcontrolofauthorities. AsGalántai possibilities forintellectualandartisticcollaborations exchanges, it mechanisms ofthegovernment.Whilethisparticularnetwork openedup official postalsystem,theveryinstitutionthatmaintainedpolicing thecontextofHungarianbeyond, socialismthroughhismailartpractice. absence. ThiswasparticularlytrueforGalántai, livingwithin,andyet distances andpoliticalchallengesparadoxicallymorepalpableintheir ing effect, butalsohowit,followingLacan’s logic,madegeographical metonymy makesitpossibletograspitssociopoliticalimageandbridg- not situatemyselfthere.” thatmetonymyis“apoint lackofbeing .whereIamnot,becausecan- tran to viewer, artist a embodying(intheconditionofitsunstablereflections) between twoelements.Inthisway, ence Tölgyesi’s mirrorpostcardjoined or theother, one metonymyconcretizesfeltabsencethroughitsownpres- metonymy alsoreinstatesabsence:apartofboth,butnever connect, and “metonymy istheplaceofsubject’s lackofbeing.” chainofunsatisfieddesire[that]canneverbefulfilled,”suchthat slippery neatly summarizedbyPaulina ArochFugellie inherdescriptionof“the aesthetic visualandlinguisticmessages). concretize thecontingencyofartists’ ontological,epistemological,and as a formofsimplesubstitutionorequivalence.” a as substitutesapartforwhole(aneyeanI)”and“mustnotberead that similarlyin1994,writingthatmetonymyis“aargued figureofcontiguity 31 30 29 ­sitory, unfixedstate,whichcouldbesaidtohaverealizedLacan’s soul’s innercornersareunderobservation.Steppingoutofprivate Of course,nothingistrulyprivateunderdictatorship—even your In thisregard,itiscriticaltorememberthatmailartusedthestate’s Jacques Lacanwroteabout theroleofmetonymyin1957,anargument Ecrits: ASelection, ed. and trans. AlanSheridan(NewYork: Norton,1977), 171. See also Lacan’s Agency oftheLetterinUnconscious orReasonSince“The Freud,” in match iscalled,therewhereIamnot, becauseIcannotsituatemyselfthere.” the until played links my fatetothequestionofdestiny, this game, inallitsinexorablesubtlety, is the activeedgethatsplitsmydesirebetween arefusalofthesignifierandlackbeing, Lacan wrote,“Thissignifyinggamebetween metonymyandmetaphor, uptoandincluding Homi Bhabha, TheLocationofCulture(NewYork: Routledge, 1994),78. ference, Amsterdam,2007),8. De-realizing Politics andOtherAcademic Events” (paper, EncuentroIIMigratoryPolitics con- Paulina ArochFugellie, “ThePlaceofMetaphor inaMetonymic World: OfHomiBhabha’s 31 Consideringmailartthroughthetropeof 30 While serving to bind Whileservingtobind 29 HomiBhabha 95 95 tumbas | international hungary! 96 artmargins 1:2–3 sharing ideasandexperiences,allovertheworld.” through themail,butartistsestablishingdirectcontactwithotherartists, barriers. Asonemailartmanifestourged,“Mail artisnotobjectsgoing separationbybreakingthroughmetaphoricalandactualpolitical cultural through thepostalwindowofanation’s boundaries, mailartlaidbare censorship. Perhaps likearhizome,butmoreanartisticrockthrown delivered, itsobscurevisualandtextualreferenceshelpedartiststoevade postings, interruptingtheirmetonymiccirculation.Whenmailartwas andactions,itssurreptitiousnetworkfrequentlyinterceptedartists’cepts served astheprimarymeansoftransportingandextendingartists’ con- hands,” actionsthatwerephotographed.Bekeremembers, Czechoslovakian artistsfirstengagedina“tugofwar” followedby“shaking creating internationalartisticdialogue.IntheseeventsHungarian and Shaking Hands (1972)attheBalatonboglárChapelStudio,bothaimed Hungarian artists’ contactsintheEasternbloc.” networking thatmailartallowed,andtookcaretointerfereparticularlyin Heremembers, “Thesecretpolicewerequicktonotetheinternational 35 34 33 32 On anumberofoccasions,mailingstoandfromGalántai neverarrived.

Galántai, MA: MITPress,2005), 101,emphasisadded. Art andActivism ontheInternet , ed.AnnmarieChandler andNorieNeumark(Cambridge, John Held Jr., “NewYork Correspondance SchoolExhibition,”inAt aDistance:Precursorsto 2, ArtpoolArtResearchCenter, Budapest, Hungary. Galántai inconversationwiththeauthorBudapest, Hungary, January 12,2012. der Buchhandlung Walther393–95. 2002), König, andSitesPractices sischen Kunstfeld/Archival intheContemporaryArtField (Cologne:Verlag Wuggening, eds., Hans-Peter Feldmann, Hans UlrichObrist,Beatrice vonBismarck,DiethelmStoller, andUlf in TheNewHungarian Quarterlyno.125(Spring1992):96–100.Republishedandeditedin Excerpt fromalongerinterviewwithGyörgy Galántai inDecember1991,originallypublished lining uptoplayagamecalled“tug-of-war,” immediatelybeforeor of the unifiedtroops,whichhadjustmarchedintoCzechoslovakia, with aspecialissueonCzechoslovakia.Itfeaturedfascinating photo I somehowhappenedtocomeacrossanEnglishlanguageperiodical Just suchaimsinspiredLászló Beke’s Tug ofWar Action (1972)and mailings wereunderobservation. with somerestraint,therewerenogreatdifficulties, though my larger societyprovedalwaystobeproblematic.AslongasIworked circles requiredsomecaution,sincebringingmyconcepts to the Resistance as“Behavior-Art”: TheDissidentHungarian Avant-Garde (manuscript,1999), Interarchive. ArchivarischePraktikenund Handlungsräume imzeitgenös- 32 34 While the postal system Whilethepostalsystem 35 33

36 tern ofsquares.Gyula Pauer recalls thattheseriesofphotographssignified Beke thenassembledtheclose-up photographsofeachhandshakeinapat- Hungary, 2011),33. Traditions: HowArtBecomesPublic. AnExhibitioninNewspaperFormat (Budapest: Tranzit Illegal Avant-Garde, 141,translationtakenfromParallel Chronologies:“Other” Revolutionary “An InterviewwithLászlóBeke,1998,”inKlaniczayandSasvári,Törrénygtelen Avantgárd/ effect inBalatonboglár. after occupyingavillage.Thus,Iorganizedtableauvivanttothis Image courtesyoftheArtpoolArtResearchCenter, Budapest.Photograph byLászlóBeke. László Beke.ShakingHands,1972.Actionboard,photoreproductionoftheoriginaltableau,approx.31∞40cm. 36 97 97 tumbas | international hungary! 98 artmargins 1:2–3 was unabletomaterialize[thatfreedom]insociallyfeasibleterms.” monumental sloganthattheavant-gardecouldconjureup .butit In 1985,however, Bekewarnedthat“[t]otalfreedom[is]perhapsthemost abroad and,insodoing,helpedthemtowithstandtheirpoliticalisolation. early opportunitiesforcontactbetweenartistswithinEasternEuropeand respective countriesoforiginmadedifficult. marking amomentofphysicalcontactandcreativeimmediacythattheir photograph servedthen,asitdoestoday, asanextensionoftheirmeeting, action wasbriefandtheartistsdispersedafter theirtemporaryunion,the phoric meaning,thephotographsplayedametonymicrole:evenif which began asearlyJune which 1973. repeated checkups,andarrestsattheBalatonboglárChapelStudio, dation, 40 39 38 37 We madepeace,andthatwasimportant.” Czechoslovakia. time whenourpoliticalsystemwasstillinconflictwith how thetwocountrieshad“symbolicallymadepeacewitheachother, ata excesses ofartists. that of the people,andcertainlyoverwhatwereperceivedtobe over and exhibitingofthefinearts,”assertedsovereignty ofthestate “thecentrallyorganizedstateinstitutionsfortheteaching,funding tained much ofthe1980s,Aczél implemented“guidelines” fortheparty, sus- Serving asthe“chief CommunistParty ideologue” duringthe1970sand was closed,inpartthroughthepoliciesandpracticesofGyörgy Aczél. appearing tomockstatedictates,astheChapelStudioinBalatonboglár the putativelackoftheir“socialfeasibility” inthatrepressiveclimate. opened opportunities foralternativethinkingand,insodoing,resisted it how madetheBalatonboglárChapelStudioaradicalexperimentwas what Garde, 1966to1975”(MAthesis, Central European University, Budapest, 2009),70–74. Brouillette, “Remapping Samizdat:UndergroundPublishing andtheHungarian Avant- ing Tamás Szentjóby, who left Hungary forSwitzerland bytheendof1974.SeeAmy associated withtheChapelStudiohadbeenarrested bythepolice,includ- artists of number a in aWorker’s State. Haraszti hadfrequentlyvisitedtheeventsat ChapelStudio.By 1974, political dissidentMiklósHaraszti wasalsoarrested forhissamizdatpublicationAWorker www.artpool.hu/boglar/1973/chrono73.html . Aroundthesametime,infamouswriter and Artpool, “ChapelExhibitionsatBalatonboglár—1973,” accessedAugust 10,2011, http:// Art: 1970–1990,”ArtMonthly(June 1990):12–13. Forgács, “DoesDemocracyGrow?” 43.SeealsoTom Mulligan, “Hungarian Underground László Beke,Hajas Tibor: 1946–1980(Paris: Magyar Mühely-d’Atelier, 1985),4. Illegal Avant-Garde, 142,translationtakenfromParallel Chronologies,33. “An InterviewwithGyula Pauer, 1998,”inKlaniczayandSasvári,Törrénygtelen Avantgárd/ The international exhibitions at Balatonboglár Chapel Studio provided The internationalexhibitionsatBalatonboglárChapelStudioprovided Galántai paidthepricefordefyingprescribedartisticnormsand 39 Thepolicecarriedoutthesepoliciesthroughintimi- 40 Such policeactivitiescontinuedalong 37 Inadditiontothismeta 38 Yet, - but tonoavail. Galántai andaskedthemagazineeditorstorehabilitatehispublicimage, selves forfearofreprisalsandbeingblacklisted. tion, sincefriendsandartistswithwhomhehadworkeddistancedthem and privatelife:hebecamea“personanongrata,” oftheChapelStudiohadanenormousimpactonhisprofessional closing for column writtenbyLászlóSzabó,editorinchiefofthecrimes had seriousconsequences. that artisticexperimentation,whichchallengedthestate’s politicalvision, discussed inthecrimescolumnofofficial partynewspaper, itproved But asJulia Klaniczayhasnoted,whileitwas“absurd” tofindanartist among others. in thefalseaccusationthatchapelwasclosedfor“reasonsofhealth,” a bureaucraticconflict(between with Galántai andtheauthorities)resulting 49 48 47 46 45 44 43 Ibid. 42 Ibid. 41 not prevail. did disputed theclosing,aswellaccusationsagainstGalántai, they this way: and censoredbythestateinaculturalclimatedescribed1986Konrád dominant partypolitics,wastheperfectvehicleforattackingartist. The “partydaily” Népszabadság,withitsroleinservingthePolitburo and Népszabadság, guaranteedGalántai’s professionalalienationandruin. Socialism (NewYork: BasicBooks,1987),xiii. György Konrád,“Foreword,” inMiklósHaraszti, TheVelvet Prison:Artistsunder State Hegyi, “Hungarian Art,”270. Klaniczay inconversationwiththeauthor, January 14,2012. Artpool, “ChapelExhibitions.” Klaniczay inconversationwiththeauthor inBudapest, Hungary, January 14,2012. Political Succession, 1957–1990(Cambridge: Cambridge UniversityPress,1996), 271–72. Rudolf L.Tökés, Hungary’s NegotiatedRevolution:EconomicReform, SocialChange,and Artpool, “ChapelExhibitions.” What Galántai didnothavetofacewasaprisonsentence.But the Only fourmonthsafter thechapelwasshutdown,anincriminating He whoagreestobeingcontrolledexists. sanct sinequanon. Instatesocialismthisisthebasicofbasics. eralizations—but thedominantroleofpartyremains sacro- it’s alreadyGorbachev. Movement,crisis,reforms,crackdowns,lib andthenSolidaritywent;itwasBrezhnev,came, now Solidarity 42 46 41 AlthoughGalántai andother artistsandintellectuals Szabó’sarticlemarkedthebeginningofGalántai’s isola- 45 SomewrotetoNépszabadságinsupportof 49 48 47 repeatedlyscolded - 44 43 -

99 tumbas | international hungary! 100 artmargins 1:2–3 was starved ofinformation!)” was inasmallspace.(Don’tinformation forgetwewereinanenvironment that Galántai statedin2007:“Isawthemagicalqualitiesofstamps:alot actually “starved” ofsuchareality. Ina1979diaryentry, Galántai asked, withothersaroundtheglobewhileknowingverywellthathewas virtually was miraculousindeed.Mail artpermittedhimtobecomeconnected small space” (assmallasastamp),allunderthegazeofgovernment, 54 53 52 Ibid. 51 50 Tökés, and beyondHungary. “For me,itwastheconnectionthatimportant,” his involvementinmailartwasthatGalántai earnedrespectbothwithin recognition, aswellanopenflowofinspirationalworks. Theresultof of artistsaroundtheworldoffered interpersonalcontact,support,and Galántai enteredtheinternationalmailartnetworkin1979.That After thesix-yearhiatusfollowingclosingofChapelStudio, Artpool inFlux accounts, despisedthem.” blesome intellectuals,”Tökés wrote,“Kádáronlydistrustedand,byall dissidents werenotdrastic.“WhereasStalinshotorimprisonedhistrou ical scientistRudolfL.Tökés hasarguedthatKádár’s measuresagainst and friends.Yet, despiteallthecensorship,arrests,andharassment,polit tunities toworkasanartist,anddeprivedofthesupportcolleagues country,own arrivingatasense ofpersonal“nonexistence,”deniedoppor Konrád pointstothecontradictoryconditionofbeingexiledwithinone’s some gaudysouvenirtablecloths.” from starvation,”Galántai continued,“wasanorderfromatradesmanfor by bureaucraticdemands,theartistmerelysurvived.“Whatsavedhim Pushed tothemarginsofculture,increasinglyinvisible,andharassed the street,hewaspenniless,andhisteethfelloutfrommalnutrition.” get nowork,hisacquaintanceswouldbeafraidtoseenwithhimon Galántai haswrittenofhimselfinthethirdperson,“For years,hewould meansofexpressionandself-determination.legal Thisexplainswhy, as existence bydelegitimizingtheirstatusinsocietyanddenyingthemall lectuals, Kádárpressuredtheseputativeenemiesofthestateintonon­ Ibid., 85. Museum, 2007),89. Parastamp: Four DecadesofArtistamps,from FluxustotheInternet(Budapest: Szepmuveszeti Kata Bodor, “InterviewwithGyörgy Galántai, theCuratorofParastamp Exhibition,”in Galántai, “Biography.” Hungary’s NegotiatedRevolution,156. 50 Insteadofexecutingtheinsubordinateintel 54 Theopportunityto“exist” a andtravel“in 52 - 53 51 - - - -

his early Balatonboglár Chapel Studio activities and his subsequent work his earlyBalatonboglárChapelStudioactivitiesandsubsequent work ration, voluntaryhardlabor, feedback,etc.” space, readiness,discipline,devotion,dailyexhibition,maximalinspi information, satisfactionofsecretdesires,constantpresence,expanded “What isMail Art/Network? Sect,sickness,[safety]valve,exchangeof 60 59 58 57 56 55 work of theFrench work economist,poet,andartistRobertFilliou. encountered Fluxusintheearlyandmid-1970s,especiallythrough the wasanelementofFluxusthatappealedtoGalántai,networks whofirst and publish. performance, video,installation,andmailartartist,aswelltocurate Artpool, theframeworkthatenabledGalántai toworkasaconceptual, hisartpracticebycollaboratingwithKlaniczayinthecreationof renewed the momentwhen,answeringhisownexistentialquestions,he marks ness” forhowitmakes“art impersonal.” East exhibition,Galántai describedtheessenceofFluxusas“undefined- the individual,andeverchanging.In2007onoccasionof theFluxus foundation dedicatedtoglobal,democraticartisticpractice, respectfulof squarelyintheinternationalcommunitywithanethical Artpool tioned sensitively detectingchangesandadjustingaccordingly.”sensitively operation isthewholeworld;itworkswithanexactaimand direction, andopenartworkoranactivistkindofartpractice.Itsfieldorganic of Artpool archiveas“a livinginstitutionthatcanbeinterpretedasan group ofartistshavecollaborated.” has observedthatFluxusis“a networkofideasaroundwhichavaried of mailart,asinitiatinganethicalbondwitharecipient.OwenSmith Galántai’sinspired ownconceptofart,andhisemphasisonthemedium going around[one]allthetimeinpartsofworld.” accept theideathatartmakingisasharedprocess,“Fête Permanente had conceivedof“TheEternalNetwork,”aconceptrequiringartiststo with George BrechtinthesouthofFrance inthesummerof1965,Filliou

Ibid., 142. Stegmann, Community,” inChandlerandNeumark,At aDistance,118–19. Owen F.Smith,“FluxusPraxis:AnExploration ofConnections,Creativity, and and Neumark,At aDistance,102. John Held Jr., “TheMail ArtExhibition:Personal Worlds toCultural Strategies,” inChandler Stegmann, Galántai, “Diary,” inLifeworks1968–1993,243.AlsoGalántai, “Biography.” The processoffinding“maximalinspiration” andestablishing creative Fluxus East,145. Fluxus East,143. 58 Similarly, Galántai conceivedofthe 60 At thesametime,heviewed 55 Thistime,1978–79,also 59 Galántai posi 57 Thisidea 56 Together - - 101 tumbas | international hungary! 102 artmargins 1:2–3 Soviet Union. Union, urginghimtoadaptFluxusasanofficial culturalpolicyofthe retary oftheCentral CommitteeoftheCommunistParty oftheSoviet Maciunas wroteFluxusletterstoNikitaKhrushchev, thentheFirst Sec distribution.” order toreflectcontent,[andin]theverymethodoftheirproductionand was, asSimon Anderson haswritten,inits“attempts tosubvertformin those thathelddarklyobscuredinnuendos.” flimsythrowaways;fromvainlyambitiouscommercial projectsto erately to tableclothsandfilms;fromluxurious,handcrafted furnituretodelib Lithuanian émigréGeorge Maciunas ranged“frompamphletsandflyers publishing .at itsveryheart.” 66 65 64 63 62 61 as “an institution-work.” Artpoolas“awith uniqueFluxusProduct,”namelytherecognitionofart associated identityandwork. Czechoslovakia over300timesbetween1959and1989for hisFluxus- that ofMilanKnížák,whowasarrestedandimprisonedin theformer artists intheEast.Few examplesmakethispointmorepoignantlythan the mischiefofMaciunas’s to actionswaspossibleforFluxus-associated stant surveillanceuntil1988inHungary. Nothingevenremotelysimilar underthepoliticalspecterofSovietUnionandcon- lived who and Fluxusexhibitions. ing out Fluxus boxes,films, publicationsandephemera, under Henry Flynt’s moreradicalpoliticalinfluence)allthewhilechurn with aMarxist critiqueofcapitalistmodesartproduction(especially for Artpool,buthiscontextwasprofoundlydifferent. Maciunas flirted ventional publicationsoftheinternationalFluxuscommunityasamodel

February 2,2012,http://georgemaciunas.com/?page_id=1880. Happening”: “Mapping Maciunas” and“Exercise,”George Maciunas Foundation, accessed Astrit Schmidt-Burkhardt, “Maciunas’ ‘Atlas ofRussianHistory,’” inExhibitions—“Fluxus Music after DavidTudor,” Leonardo Music Journal14(2004):62–63. Alive, Free, and without Need of Culture,”inthespecialissue“ComposersinsideElectronics: Flynt’s of subject influenceandpolitics,seealso Stiles’sthe On 62–99. essay“David Tudor— Metaphysics a ofActs,” inArmstrongandRothfuss,IntheSpiritofFluxus, Performance, George Brecht andotherFluxusartistsin“BetweenWater and Stone:Fluxus Kristine StilesdiscussesHenry Flynt’s influence on Maciunas andtheconflictsitcausedwith Ibid., 40. Ibid., 40. Joan Rothfuss(Minneapolis,MN:Walker ArtCenter, 1993),40. Simon Anderson,“FluxusPublicus,” inIntheSpiritofFluxus,ed.ElizabethArmstrongand Ibid., 145. Galántai alsoidentified with “Fluxus .asapublishingventure[with] 63 66 FluxuspublicationsproducedintheUnitedStates by Such playfulaestheticswereunthinkableforGalántai, 65 61 Moreover, intypicalabsurdistFluxusfashion, 62 The innovation of Fluxus publications TheinnovationofFluxuspublications 64 Galántai usedtheuncon - - - ­ distributed totheHungarian artcommunity. art journal,eachcopycertified asart,numberedandsigned,”whichthey moreelaborateAktualisLevelorArtpoolLetter ( the nonexistent, leadingGalántai andKlaniczaytopublish from1983to1985 experimental arteventsandhappeningsinHungary remained almost international artscene.Nevertheless,publishedmaterialabout existing aimed atinvolving—andthusrepresenting—Hungarian artistsinthe issuesofPoolthirty-one Window wereprimarilypublishedinEnglishand reported onArtpool’s activities.Inthespiritofinternationalism, listedaddressesandnamesofmailartistsfromallovertheworld and also and calledforparticipationininternationalmailartexhibitions. They dat newsletterPool Window. ItwasinitiallydirectedatHungarian artists 1979 to1982,Galántai andKlaniczaybegantodistributetheirfirstsamiz national andinternationalartevents.For thisreason,fromDecember 67 Galántai, “Biography.” Klaniczay inconversation withtheauthorinBudapest, Hungary, January 14,2012, and One ofthechallengesinHungary wasalackofinformationabout 11.4 ∞16cm.ImagecourtesyoftheArtpoolArtResearchCenter, Budapest. György GalántaiandJuliaKlaniczay, eds.TheArtpool(PoolWindowno.1),1979.16pages,offset, 67 ALcontainedupdateson ), “a Xeroxed samizdat AL), “a Xeroxedsamizdat - 103

tumbas | international hungary! 104 artmargins 1:2–3 rubber stamp,15x21cm.ImagecourtesyoftheArtpoolArtResearchCenter, Budapest. Artpool Letter,editedandpublishedbyGyörgy GalántaiandJuliaKlaniczay, photocopy, Ben Vautier. “Everything MustBeSaid,”1983.Cover ofAL1,firstissueAktualisLevel/ moral crisiswhichentailsthecorruption ofthemoralnormsavant- Birkás surmisedthatthe“Hungarian avant-gardetoday findsitself in a ones thathindereditsfurtherdevelopmentandfinally ledtoits fall.” thatformedtheinternationalandHungariancauses avant-gardeandthe in December1982bytheartistÁkosBirkáswhichhe“analyzed the 68 “unofficial” Hungarian artscene. publication inHungary thatreviewed,announced,anddocumented the and alternativeinternationalarttendencieswastheonly current by oppositionalwriters,andHungarian translationsofarticles aboutnew the undergroundactivitiesofartists,unofficial exhibitions,criticalessays

the ArtpoolArtResearch Center, Budapest, Hungary. from http://www.artpool.hu/Al/al.html. AllcopiesofALarealsoavailablefor researchat same year. Artpool, the Chapel guestbook,inwhichhecommentedonTibor Hajas’sin happeningofthe entry of thelastyearof Balatonboglárchapelin1973,ALprintedMiklósHaraszti’s written For example,intheALsummerissueof1983,dedicatedtocelebrating thetenthanniversary In thefirstissueofAL,Galántai andKlaniczaypublishedatalkgiven Artpool Letterno.5(1983):55,accessedNovember26, 2011,available 68 publications posedadditionalchallengestotheHungarian government. spoken often resultedinaconfrontationwiththeauthorities,Artpool’s “Everything mustbesaid.”Inacountrywherewhatwaspublishedor the French artistBenVautier, whoironicallyproclaimedinHungarian, non-Hungarian readers. artists andincludedanEnglishsummaryofthecontentseachALfor rent with changingartisticevents. with rent experimental artthatwasotherwisemissing,andkeepitsreadershipcur topublishasamizdatartjournalthatencourageddiscussion about them garde.” 73 72 71 70 69 political éliteinpowerdid.” cratic limitations,takingsocialistideologymoreseriouslythan thecynical complete self-realization ofindividualsandculture,againstrealbureau- has argued,“Thepoliticalpracticeofartwasrealizedasafightforthe temporary Zagreb-based curator’s collectiveWhat,HowandforWhom of theproductionsamizdatpublicationsinEasternEurope,con- risk ofattractingfurthergovernmentharassment.Referringtothatperiod considerablyexpandedthepossibilitiesforcollaboration,at Klaniczay to producesamizdatisitselfanactofnoncompliance. The pointisthatwhenlifeviewedprimarilyinpoliticalterms,thedecision and itsblocwerealsoconfiscatedregularlyasdamagingtothenation. regimes, whereartists’ samizdatpublicationsthroughouttheSovietUnion but withaesthetics,itisimpossibletomakethatdistinctioninsocialist samizdat, arguingthatartisticsamizdatwasconcernednotwithpolitics While somehavepointedtodifferences betweenpoliticalandartistic

NSK Not Fascists?” in in NSK NotFascists?” greatestthreattothegovernmentitself.See his essay“WhyAreLaibachand the poses ideology essays/whw.cfm. SlavojŽižekhasarguedthat“overidentification” withanyregime’s political Printed Matter, accessedJanuary 10,2012,http://www.printedmatter.org/researchroom/ HowandforWhom,“Artist’sWhat, Books in(WhatWas Formerly Knownas)EasternEurope,” writers inHungary, seeBrouillette’s “RemappingSamizdat.” For adiscussionofpolicesurveillance,intimidation, interference,andarrestsofartists Klaniczay inconversationwiththeauthorBudapest, Hungary, May 27,2008. Klaniczay inconversationwiththeauthor, January 14,2012. 285–88. since the1950s,ed.LauraHoptman andTomás Pospiszyl (NewYork: MOMA,2002), In creatinganddistributingtheirsamizdatpublications,Galántai and translation amended by the author. the by translation amended Should BeDone?” Birkás’s lectureonthedeathofavant-garde, “Who’s theVictim? WhoDidIt?What Klaniczay inconversationwiththeauthor, January 14,2012.TheEnglishsummaryofÁkos 69 Similar questionsoccupied Galántai andKlaniczaymotivated AL 1(1983).ArtpoolArtResearchCenter, Budapest, Hungary, original Primary Documents:ASourcebookforEastern andCentral EuropeanArt 71 Thecoverofthefirstissueborework 73 Indeed, like so many artists in the Eastern Indeed,likesomanyartistsintheEastern 70 Artpool also reached out to foreign Artpoolalsoreachedouttoforeign 72

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tumbas | international hungary! 106 artmargins 1:2–3 her sovereignty.her intermediary(religion,forexample)betweentheindividual andhisor an enable the“positivesupersession” ofthestate,eradicating theneedfor as believinginsocialistand/orcommunistvalues. by the regime to have made art contrary to the state but seeing themselves conundrum throughoutmanysocialistcountries,namelyofbeingperceived people.” Buck-Morss haswritten,“itis infactattestingtoitsnonidentitywithinthe as thelegitimateembodimentofpeople,”culturaltheoristSusan sovereignty confrontsthepeoplewithallviolencethatitmonopolizes of Marxism experiencedthispurposeasanightmare.“Whendemocratic Hungariansernments, likeGalántai andartistswhohadadifferent vision and theactuallivingperson.Despitestatedaimofsocialistgov zen collapse thegapbetweenpublicandcivilself,idealciti 78 77 76 Ibid. 75 74 his workasanticommunist. labeled communist theories,frequentlychallengingtheauthoritieswhenthey bloc, Galántai intensivelystudiedMarxist aestheticsand identified with ist government. vulnerable tothemisleadingnarrativesadvocatedbysocial- becoming families, ledtothesubsequentsusceptibilityoffuture generationsto wish toforgetormovepasttheexperienceofthoseevents,especiallywithin aftermath oftherevolution1956,asKatonahassuggested,where and political dissident, explainedin1986, political and self associal,i.e.human,being.” Csiszer andKatona, “Hungary,” 40. (Cambridge, MA:MITPress, 2002),7,emphasisoriginal. Susan Buck-Morss, DreamworldandCatastrophe: ThePassing ofMass UtopiainEastandWest Karl Marx, EarlyWritings (NewYork: Penguin, 1992),348. Galántai inconversationwiththeauthorBudapest, Hungary, January 5,2012. Karl Marx hadpositedinhisearlywritingsthatcommunismcould this illusionevenafter theself-critical discoveryof“mistakes” and of therulepeople,andtheyhavehadtocontinueinsist on by socialism.Even now. . Theyseetheirownriseasaconsequence Their emancipationseemedsynonymouswiththeliberation offered They weremembersofaclasstowhomeducationhadbeen denied. Many artistsofthefirstgenerationhadgenuineproletarianorigins. The adventofstatesocialismheraldedariseinsocialmobility. . 77 Such acircumstancewasespeciallyevidentinHungary inthe 75 78 Marxhim urged“thecompleterestorationofmanto Inarelatedcomment,MiklósHaraszti, thewriter 76 By thisaccount,communismaimedto 74 In fact, artists experienced this Infact,artistsexperiencedthis - - -

. 81 80 79 Haraszti, the worldofourparents.” cal acts,asiffollowingWalter Benjamin’s decree:“We mustwakeupfrom and thatArtpool’s mailartandsamizdatpublicationsrepresentedpoliti I havearguedthatGalántai andKlaniczayresistedthiscompliantattitude able; “theyhadtogainresponsibility.” As Klaniczayputit,suchparticipantsintheirworkhadtobe heldaccount their publicationswererequiredtoleavesignatureswith Artpool. sion theymadewastostipulatethatthosewhoboughtacopy ofone as exhibition spaces for Artpool were few and far between and constantly as exhibitionspacesforArtpool werefewandfarbetweenconstantly and beyondHungary. that wouldpermitthemtoproduceanddistributesamizdat artworksin Galántai andKlaniczayeducatedthemselvesaboutthelegalambiguities one’s autonomyandsovereignty, oritexposedtheduplicitous.Inthisway,

Klaniczay inconversation withtheauthorinBudapest, Hungary, May 27,2008. Buck-Morss, DreamworldandCatastrophe, 209. (Frankfurt: Suhrkamp Verlag, 1982),1048.This quotewasbroughttomyattentionbySusan Walter Benjamin, “DasPassagen-Werk,” inGesammelte SchriftenTiedermann , vol.5,ed.Rolf parents, withoutthemyoucertainlywouldneverhavebeenborn. “crimes.” Therevolutionislikefamily: nomatterhowterribleyour Galántai andKlaniczayoperatedArtpoolfromtheirapartment, Velvet Prison,51–52. 80 Image courtesyoftheArtpoolArtResearchCenter, Budapest.PhotographbyGyörgy Galántai. Everybody withAnybody,1982.RubberstampingeventattheYoung Artists’Club,Budapest. Perhaps themostaudaciouspoliticaldeci- 81 For theactofsigningreaffirmed ­- 79 - 107

tumbas | international hungary! 108 artmargins 1:2–3 time inHungary. thus creatinganatmosphereofplayandconnectednessrareatthat juried, this spontaneousartmakingandsimultaneousexhibitioncouldnotbe Anybody offered anextraordinarymomentofreleasefromcensorship,as each other’s facesandbodies.KlaniczayremembersthatEverybody with ceiling, andwhentheactionbegan,peoplestampedsheetsofpaper the stampsillegally. a numberofartiststodesignstampsandhiredoneengraverproduce in mailart,ofcourse,theywere,andwereintendedtobe),Galántai asked fearingthattheywouldbeconfusedwithofficial stamps(which individuals, endured bythepublicfordecades. weapon underscorestheseverityofpedanticbureaucraticaggravation everyday objects,Erdély’s descriptionofthestateasabodyholdingloaded 85 84 83 82 tinction betweenstampsusedbythestateandartists. atelephoneinterviewwithGalántai,In MiklósErdélymadeacriticaldis- with rubberstamps,whichwerehardtocomebyinHungary atthattime. Budapest, artistsandviewers wereinvitedtocreateimprovisedartworks which tookplaceonFebruary 26,1982,attheYoung Artists’ Clubin odical Spaces.For example,intheArtpooleventEverybodyAnybody, with flux,theyreferredtotheirsituationandpresentationsasArtpool in Peri is bureaucracy.” somebody’staking life.Pulling thetriggerandthat’s allthereistoit.That thing extremelysimpletosolvedifficult problems,suchas When employedbythestate,Erdélyinsisted,stampingrepresented“some ened thepossibilitiesforcontactbetweenHungarian artistsandartcon with thesignofabsent,yetpresent,Dutchartist. with DutchmailartistKodeJonge’s OpenHere, markingitscompletion asheetofstampswas“finished,” whenever Galántai rituallystampedit mail artbridgedtheabsenceofthoseunabletobephysically present.For Klaniczay inconversation withtheauthorinBudapest, Hungary, January 10,2012. Periodicals 1968–1988 (Cologne:Soft Geometry, 1993),82–83. Géza Perneczky, TheMagazine Network:TheTrends ofAlternativeArtintheLight of Their 26, 1982).Thecataloguewasaccessedat theArtpoolArtResearchCenter, Budapest. Artpool’s Periodical SpaceNo.11,exhibitionatthe Young Artist’s ClubBudapest, February lished inMindenkiMindenkivel/Everybody withAnybody(samizdatexhibitioncatalogue, Miklós Erdélyintelephoneinterviewwith Galántai, translatedbyGyörgy Somogyiandpub- György Galántai inconversation withtheauthorinBudapest, Hungary, October26,2011. in Hungary, andespeciallyforGalántai’s development ofexperimentaltechniquesinart. Miklós Erdélywasinstrumentalforthewholegenerationofartistsin1960s and1970s Because thegovernmentdidnotpermitrubberstampsforprivate Galántai organizedanumberofotherimportantprojectsthatbroad- 83 Inviewofthepowersuchseeminglyinsignificant, 85 Such anexhibition/happeningdemonstratedhow 84 Galántai hungtheartist’s rubberstampsfromthe 82 - ­

- bered. one definiteplaceattime,” GalántaiandKlaniczayremem thirty countriestoHungary. Fészek KlubinBudapest in1982,hebroughtartworksfrommorethan throughouttheworld.Withtexts hisWorld ArtPost exhibition,heldatthe itself hadbecome“a conceptualsculpture.”Wessely added,“Theaction in thecatalogue,concludingthatexhibitionandsamizdat catalogue on itsspatialexistence,”arthistorianandsociologistAnnaWessely wrote Art Post wastofacilitate“a communicationnetworkwithspecialemphasis weekend, whenthefactorywasofficially closed.“Theresult” of World whom heconvincedtoprintthecatalogueillegallywithhis helponthe which heproducedwiththehelpoftwoprofessionalfactory printers ers. Galántai showedeverysingleworkofthe550artistsincatalogue, - of establishingnetworksbeyondsocial,geographical,andpolitical barri time zones—notborders—markedinordertosymbolizethepossibilities 87 86

Catalogue accessedatthe ArtpoolArtResearchCenter, Budapest. Galántai andKlaniczay, “World ArtPost,” inWorld ArtPost (Budapest: Artpool,1982), n.p. Union, Spain,Sweden,Switzerland,Turkey, theUnitedStates,Venezuela, and Yugoslavia. Netherlands, New Caledonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania,SaudiArabia,theSoviet Germany, (East) (West) Germany, Great Britain,Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Austria, Belgium,Brazil,Bulgaria, Canada, Czechoslovakia,Denmark,Finland, France, Artists fromthefollowingcountriesparticipated inWorld ArtPost: Argentina,Australia, 87 Fittingly, thesamizdatcataloguecoverfeaturedworldwithonly Image courtesyoftheArtpoolArtResearchCenter, Budapest. György Galántai,World ArtPost,1982.Catalog cover, offset,serigraphyonplasticfoil,29.6∞20.7cm. 86 “We wantedthewholeworldtoappear in - 109

tumbas | international hungary! 110 artmargins 1:2–3 social orderaswellthestatesecurityorgans.” social of thosemadebyHungarian ‘artists’—mock andattackourstate lematic, [asthey]destructivelycriticizeand,moreover—primarilysome (in realityplainbotch-works)hadbeenprovidedthatarepoliticallyprob “Zoltán Pécsi,” stated,“For Galántai’s competitionseveral‘worksofart’ Ministry ofInteriorReportonthebannedexhibition,writtenbyone International Hungary attheYoung Artists’ ClubinBudapest. police immediatelyclosedhismailartexhibitionHungary Can BeYours! again moreactivelyinGalántai’s mailartactivities.InJanuary 1984,the butinonevoiceofmanydialects. languages of artistscommunicatingwithoneanotherinmultipleverbalandvisual mining the“monolithicvoice” ofthegovernmentwithheteroglossia sibilities for“speakingmanylanguagessimultaneously,” therebyunder statement speakingmanylanguagessimultaneously.” which, asawhole,becomessignificantonnewlevelonesingle as deliveredbythepostman,realizesarandommontageofpictorialforms had atimedimensionaswell.Thetemporalsequenceofartists’ stamps to theopposition” werepresentattheexhibition. noted that“enemy ideaswereonshow” andthat“enemy personsbelonging exhibition anditscataloguearepostedonArtpool’s website. or hadaccesstoacopyofthecatalogueor, today, theInternet,where creatingapermanentexhibition,opentoanyonewhoowned participants, emphasized thisconnection,asGalántai andKlaniczaysentittoallthe 93 Ibid. 92 91 90 89 88 As mightbeexpected,beforelongtheauthoritiesbegantointerfere One couldalsopositthattheWorld ArtPost projectpresentedpos- Gustav M.Habermann. He wasatrusted memberinartcirclesandknownasLászló Algol. .artpool.hu/Common­press51/report.html . “ZoltánPécsi” wasthesecretagentnameof theArtpoolArtResearch Center,at available accessedNovember22,2010,http://www exhibit isdated1984andtitled“MINISTRY OFINTERIOR,III/III-4-b-Sub-department,” This official Ministry ofInteriordocumentdiscussingandevaluatingthe Hungary Is Yours Ungarn (Berlin:AkademiederKünste, 1999),12. László F.Földényi, “DerWeg derungarischenKunst,” inKunst derNeunzigerJahre in 2012, http://www.artpool.hu/Artistamp/WAP/default.html. The exhibitionanditscataloguecanbefoundonArtpool’s website,accessedJanuary 12, 1996), 52. Jean F.O’Barr, andNancyRosebaugh(ChapelHill: UniversityofNorthCarolina Press, Talking Gender: Public Images,Personal Journeys,andPolitical Critiques, ed.NancyA.Hewitt, méditerranéens [Paris] 64–65(July–December 1993):95–117,reprintedwithanewforwardin Representations fromCulturesofTrauma,” originallypublishedinStratégieII:Peuples Bodies: monolithic voiceofexternalauthoritybreedstrauma.”In“ShavedHeads andMarked Kristine Stileshasnoted,“Thestrugglebetweenthemultiplicityofinternalvoices andthe Anna Wessely, “Untitled Statement,”inWorld Art Post, n.p. 89 What’s more,thecatalogue 92 93 SecretagentPécsi also Political dissidents 88 90 91 The

- - were displayedinsidetheBlack RoomwiththeTVset,whichscreened by videobetweenforeignartists andHungarian artists.Works byforeigners thetwoexhibitionrooms servedasaone-waycommunication connected these artist’s worksintheexhibitionstandout.ATVinstallationthat 94 International Hungary. foreign countriestoBudapest tobepartofHungary Can BeYours! subversives presentattheexhibition. Miklós Haraszti andGábor Demszkywereamongthoseidentifiedas Földényi, “DerWeg derungarischen Kunst,” 11. The worksofsomefifty “enemy persons” weresentfromeighteen 94 Galántai’s curatorialdecisionsforthedisplayof Image fromGalántai’ssamizdatpublicationCommonpress 51,1984. Photo, drawing,collage,21∞24.2cm.ImagecourtesyofArtpoolArtResearchCenter, Budapest. György Galántai,PhotographandDiagramoftheExhibitionSpace“HungaryCan BeYours!,” 1984. 111 tumbas | international hungary! 112 artmargins 1:2–3 cial” coloroffsetprospectus,21∞24.2cm.ImagecourtesyofArtpoolArtResearchCenter, Budapest. György Galántai.Commonpress 51,1984.Catalogue cover, serigraphy,- andspray-onplasticfoil,“offi way. and couldencounterHungarian cultureonlyinamediated andartificial placedinthedarkaboutnatureandhistoryofHungarian literally art, East andWest. Galántai’s ownartistic contributiontothismailartexhi video screenemphasized theproblemsofcommunicationbetween ment.” era wasplacedalongwithaudiotracksof“songsthecommunist move the Hungarian artworksexhibitedinsidetheWhiteRoom, wherethecam- 96 95 96 Klaniczay inconversation withtheauthorinBudapest, Hungary, January 10,2012. bers, asvideowasa difficult mediumto acquire anduseforfilmmakersartists. Video installationswereuncommonanddifficult toexecuteatthetime,Klaniczayremem- accessed October18,2010,http://www.artpool.hu/Commonpress51/defaulte.html. To seedocumentationofthisevent,“Hungary Can BeYours! International Hungary,” The frequent delay of information traveling from the camera to the Thefrequentdelayofinformationtravelingfromthecamera tothe 95 Inthisinteractivevideoandsoundinstallation,Westerners were ­ - international art. jointed culturalrelationsandasametonymyforunitingHungarian and bition wasasacuratordesigningtheinstallationmetaphorfordis University, Galántai foundedBuda RayUniversity, an“institutionof spirit ofbothJohnson’s NewYork CorrespondenceSchoolandhisBuddha to otherartiststheopportunitycollaboratewithJohnson. Then,inthe him aworkwiththeinstruction“add toandsenditback,”Galántai extended tact withtheAmericanartistRayJohnson.In1982,after Johnsonsent and emotionallyproductiveinthe1980s,enabledhim tomakecon- lishment ofBuda RayUniversity, aprojectthat kepttheartistmentally Klaniczay, persisted.Perhaps thebestsynopsisofhisefforts wastheestab sionally isolatedlifeinHungary, Galántai, withthepartnershipof Although bannedrepeatedly, blacklisted,andlivingasociallyprofes- C mented theworksof110artistsinvolvedinshow. Hungary Can BeYours! InternationalHungary, thissamizdatbookdocu- a humorous,satiricalsocialcritiqueofthebanningexhibition in 1984,entitled:‘Hungary Can BeYours/International Hungary.’” thatthelastexhibitionbannedbyregimewasamail artexhibit bolic sequent samizdatpublicationwhenhecommented,“We cantakeitassym world. Galántai summarizedtheeffect ofthismailartexhibitionandsub tributed andmailedthemouttoindividualsinHungary andaroundthe assembled twenty-fivephotocopyeditionsofCommonpress51anddis- ther reprisalsfromthegovernment.Undaunted,Galántai andKlaniczay to provideArtpoolwiththatmaterialpulledoutoftheprojectfearingfur Hungarianturing touristpropaganda,theindividualwhohadpromised reproduced.” Whiletheyhadplannedtocollaborateonthecoverbyfea- ising, “Any media,anysize.Every materialrelatedtoHungary willbe issue,Galántaithe andKlaniczaysentinvitationstotheparticipantsprom 99 98 97 onclusion

That sameyear, ArtpooleditedandpublishedCommonpress51. Galántai, States. Germany (1979),RussellButler (1980),andJohnHeld Jr. (1984),bothfrom theUnited of thejournal,includingKoDeJongefrom theNetherlands(1978),KlausGroh from 1977 byPolish artistPavel Petasz, whoinvitedartistsfromaroundtheworldtoeditissues This wasaseparateissueoftheinternational mailartmagazineCommonpresslaunchedin Commonpress 51incolor. tion Hungary Can BeYours! For thisoccasion,theyprinted threehundredcopiesof Exhibition inthe Young Artists’ Club,whichwasanexactreplicaofthe1984bannedexhibi- After thepoliticalturnin1989,pairorganizedexhibition ReconstructionofaBanned Resistance as“Behavior-Art,” 2. 98 In preparing Inpreparing 97 99 In ------113 tumbas | international hungary! 114 artmargins 1:2–3 he added, Uni­ Johnson SpaceinordertodisplaythecorrespondencesofBuda Ray 104 103 102 101 100 theBudafor RayUniversity. Some 300artistsfromoverthirtycountriessentartworkstoGalántai of collectivecommunicationjustlikearadio.” Buda RayUniversity,”understandinghismailartinstitution“as amedium to thestartingpoint.”Galántai explained,“Anything ispossibleinthe where everythingistransformedintovariousmediaandevengoesback continuity, asamodelofworldwhereeverythingisincontinuouschange, commented inalettertoArtpool, tionship betweenJohnsonandGalántai, thewriterWilliam S.Wilson

versity andtocuratemailartexhibitions. published extensively onJohnsonandamassedasingulararchive ontheartist. William S.Wilson inanemail correspondencewithArtpool,November 25,2011.Wilson has Netherlands, Italy, Ireland,Czechoslovakia,andHungary. SeeGalántai, “Biography.” Galántai hascuratedsuchshowsinthirteencountries, includingFrance, Canada, the Switzerland, theUnitedStates,Uruguay, Yugoslavia. Netherlands, Poland, Romania,Russia,Saudi Arabia,Slovakia,Spain,Sweden, (West) Germany, Great Britain,Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Brazil,Canada,Belgium, Cuba,CzechRepublic,Denmark,Finland, France, (East)Germany, Artists fromthefollowingcountriesparticipated inBuda RayUniversity: Argentina, Australia, .hu/diary/Network_Institutions.html. Galántai: LifeExplainsArt,Art,accessedJanuary 12,2012,http://www.galantai Galántai, “Diary,” inLifeworks1968–1993,252.SeealsoGyörgy Galántai, “Diary,” inGyörgy Ray UniversityLeaflet(Budapest: ArtpoolArtResearchCenter, 1989). Association AnnualConference,Chicago,2010).ThequoteisfromGyörgy Galantai, Buda Europe” forthe“HowtoDrawaBunny: ReconsideringMail Art” panel(CollegeArt Quoted inKorneliaRöder’s presentation“Relations betweenRayJohnsonandEastern asks andanswersquestions.Thequestionsarevisual. ference betweenteacherandstudent.Every memberoftheuniversity people inallofus:theteacherandstudent;thus,thereisno dif Here, asinreallife,onekeepsswitchingroles.For therearetwo himself fromabridge.IhavejustbridgedRayandBudapest. visual andverbalthinking,hislife,asitendedinaleap throwing his meditationonbridgesilluminatesRay’s art,ashismethodsof river. Heidegger ontheDanubehoversinbackground,because images, ashebridgesgapsandoppositeslikeoppositebanksofa mention ofbridges.“Bridge” isanimagegoverningmanyofRay’s Buda andPest areboth twoandone. .[M]entionofBudapest is 102 Galántai eventuallyinitiatedArtpool’s Ray 103 100 Thinkingabouttherela- In a diary entry of 1982, Inadiaryentryof1982, 104 101 - network ofrelationships.” stated, “you’re neveranyoneinyourself[but]only[someone]aspartof a artistic relationsbetweenHungary andtheworld.“After all,”Galántai allthewhile beingrecognizedinternationallyasanartistwhoaltered ities, worldwide,Galántaiartists hadremainedathornintheeyesofauthor to bridge Embracing mailartandsamizdatpublicationsasaperpetual networkofexperimentalartandinternationalartisticcollaboration.global the support, official recognitionthatinEasternEuropeitinstantiated after 1989whenArtpoolbegantoreceivemodestfinancialgovernment existence inHungary andcontinuousstrugglewiththeauthorities. he livedafter 1968untilhissuicidein1995)toGalántai’s sequestered correspondence coursepracticesinasmalltownonLongIsland(where liorated anartist’s senseofisolation,fromJohnson’s ownhermetic bitions. Theyareyetanotheriterationofhowthemail artnetworkame he includedinBuda Ray University andArtpool’s RayJohnsonSpaceexhi- tiedto“Buda”pest,metonymically asGalántai wastoRayandtheartists modes ofthinkingandcreatingartworks.Althoughfarremoved,“Ray” was geographicaldistancewiththeconceptualproximityofbothartists’their Johnson andGalántai, like manyartistsinthemailartnetwork,linked 105 Stegmann, The politicaldimensionofGalántai’s artisticstrategieswasrewarded Fluxus East,142. 105 Galántai hasheldfasttohiscourse. - - 115 tumbas | international hungary! This article has been cited by:

1. Juliane Debeusscher. Mediating Alternative Culture: Two Controversial Exhibitions in Hungary During the 1980s 161-188. [Crossref] 2. Katalin Cseh. 2014. Chained Bodies and Monuments of Hierarchy in Hungarian Performance Art. Art and Design Review 02:04, 73-77. [Crossref] 116 artmargins 1:2–3 “nomadic” postulates. 1972 byarthistorianIdaBiardinaParis apartmentbutgovernedbyfully 1980, andLaGalerie desLocataires(TheTenants’ Gallery), foundedin Community ofArtists,anartist-runspaceactiveinZagreb from1978to the 1970s arejuxtaposedinthistext:Podroom (Basement)—TheWorking Two examplesofself-organized andexperimentalinstitutionalpracticesof project wasnotconceivedonthebasisofstablemembership. artists withwhomPodroom wouldcontinuetobe identified,althoughthe May 1978withthegroupexhibitionFor ArtintheMind,involving twenty where theartistswouldsocialize,work,anddiscuss.Podroom openedin form theirstudiointoanindependentexhibitionspace,aswell asaplace and DaliborMartinis, whoinvitedanumberofcolleaguestojointlytrans L des C Working e Th Negotia A Windo 2 1 © 2012 ARTMargins and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology© 2012ARTMargins andthe MassachusettsInstitute of

Ivan Dorogi,Ladislav Galeta, Tomislav Gotovac, VladimirGudac, SanjaIvekovic´, Željko artist JosipStošic´, withtheparticipation ofthefollowingartists:BorisDemur, Vladimir Dodig, The titleoftheshow(notreachedwithout contestation)wasproposedbyarthistorianand introducing theEnglishtranslation. original nameofLaGalerie desLocataires oflanguageandtranslation,Iwillalsokeep the question the within embedded highly is pitality throughout therestoftext,instead translatingitintobasement.Since thetopicofhos- its connotationsofprivacyorsimply“space,” Iwillusetheoriginalnameandspelling the Croatianword here as originalnameisRZUPodroomThe ( “Podroom” isanAnglicizedspellingoftheCroatian wordpodrum,whichmeans“basement.” a oc Podroom—The Working CommunityofArtists.Becausethepunimpliedbymerging ting Hospit t ires ires a w andB pod—(adv) under, (n)groundorfloor—andtheEnglish wordroom,with ommunity of Artists of ommunity 1 Podroom wasstartedin1978bySanjaIvekovic´ And ality odroom— P Radna zajednicaumjetnikaPodroom ), whichItranslate , orusetheGalerie asanabbreviation,insteadof sement t lerie lerie Ga La 2 Ivana Bago - capitalist mode of institutional critique are crucial for understanding this modeofinstitutionalcritiquearecrucialforunderstanding this capitalist ties totheYugoslav artsceneanditsmarkedlyantibourgeoisanti- part ofaninternationalmomentinthehistoryart.Nevertheless,its belonged tothesamehistoricalandconceptualnarrativethatis,inturn, groups. ious involving directlinksthroughindividualswhomadeupthecoresofvar onesthatfollowedeachotherorganicallyandchronologically,but often Thishistorywasformednotbysynchronousandseparatestories, ization. the beginningoftheirdissolutionthroughgradual(self-)institutional - inZagrebtives duringthe1960sand1970s,atsametimeitmarks sents theculminationofrichhistoryself-organized artists’ initia- 4 3 understandings ofcommunity, autonomy, publicspace,andaudience. significantlyintertwined—isalsoahistoryofalternativemembers als, withprivateandprofessionalrelationsinterestsamongthe tives—which evolvedinephemeralcommunitiesofartistsandintellectu betweenworkonartandofart.Thehistorytheseinitia tinction of Podroom, thestudio—thussymbolicallymarkingend of the dis theshop,ahousingfacility,street, the ajournal,andfinally,case the in of nonart spaceswhereartisticactivitywasmergedwitheveryday life: I alsothankAntonia Majacˇa forher dedicatedreadingandcommentingon thistext. the frameworkof RemovedfromtheCrowd project,initiatedby Antonia Majacˇa andmyself. text is strongly by thecollaborative processofresearching,thinking,andwritingin informed Majacˇa, and VesnaAntonia Vukovic´ (Zagreb: BLOKandDeLVe, 2011),250–309. Thepresent 1970s inYugoslavia,” inRemovedfromtheCrowd: UnexpectedEncounters I,ed.IvanaBago, Action andDelayedAudience: BetweenAction andExodusinthe Art ofthe1960sand See IvanaBagoandAntoniaMajacˇa, “DissociativeAssociation,DionysianSocialism,Non- predominantly malegroup. with IdaBiard’s practiceandSanjaIvekovic´’s positionof“standingout” amongPodroom’s here agency, case the is as women regularly appeared through exceptional individualistic partnerships withthemaleartists.Asprotagonists, professional) also (sometimes sonal of male circles and male friendship, towhichwomenoften hadaccessonlythroughper becoming part of the mainstream institutionalsystem.Allthegroupscontinuedtradition Podroom (1978–80)andthePM(ExpandedMedia) Gallery (1981–),thelattereventually Group ofSix Artists(1975–79),andtheirsamizdatjournalMaj 75[May 75](1978–84),to in the doorwayof2AFrankopanska Street(1970–72),thestreet“exhibition-actions” ofthe activitiesorganizedbyBracoDimitrijevic´,exhibition NenaDimitrijevic´, andGoranTrbuljak From Gorgonaandtheirexhibitionsinthe“SalonŠira” frameshop(1959–66),toone-day Trbuljak, andFedor Vucˇemilovic´. Goran Petercol, RajkoRadovanovic´, MladenStilinovic´, SvenStilinovic´, JosipStošic´, Goran Jerman, ŽeljkoKipke,AntunMaracˇic´, VladoMartek, DaliborMartinis, Marijan Molnar, Although beguninaParis apartment,LaGalerie desLocataires Active fortwoyearsuntil thebeginningof1980s,Podroom repre- 3 All these projects were based on temporary appropriations Alltheseprojectswerebasedontemporaryappropriations - - 4 - - - 117 BAGO | A WINDOW AND A BASEMENT 118 artmargins 1:2–3 institutions intheWest, ontheother. increasingly spectacularizedandprivatizedsystemofartgalleries patronage ofYugoslav self-managed socialism,ontheonehand,and contexts: thatofathrivingneo-avant-gardeartsceneunderthestate 1968 theperspectiveoftwodifferent artisticandsociopoliticalpost- from ing andstudiedinParis,lived Biardwassimultaneouslylooking atandlook 6 5 lifetimeprojectofIdaBiard. unique, ence. Iwilladdresstheissueofwork/laborasonetheir key preoccu- tive ofvisibilityandaccessibility, aswellconventionalnotionsofaudi- themainstreamsystemofartattime,challenging impera from alized theiraimsandmethodsofwork,articulatingaradical distancing textual recordsofhowtheprotagoniststhemselvesframedandconceptu sus public,hostversusguest.Myanalysiswillrelyprimarilyontheexisting sus venue-freeexperiment,theindividualversuscollective,privatever positions atthebeginning:artistversuscurator, institutionalizationver their protagonistswentbeyondthebinaryoppositionsthatdefined Podroom andLaGalerie desLocataires,mindfulofthewaysinwhich the systemofart. around deconstructingtheinstitutionalandideologicalpreconditionsof artistGoranTrbuljak,based whosepreoccupationsatthetimerevolved others. Itsbeginnings,however, aretiedtothecollaborationwithZagreb- 1970s, includingDanielBuren, AlainFleisher, AnnetteMessager, and become leadingprotagonistsoftheWestern Europeanartsceneofthe perhaps bestknownforitscollaborationswithartistswhowouldsoon management inYugoslavia. which explicitlyproposed asitstopicacriticalanalysisofthe relationsbetweenartandself- accessed February 4,2012.Seeparticularlythe discussionoftheexhibitionOctober75, ŠKUC, isavailablefordownloadathttp://www.prelomkolektiv.org/eng/PPYUart.htm , last previous versionofthisresearch,published intheframeworkofexhibitionSKC (Post)Yugoslav Art,ed.ZoranaDojic´ andJelena Vesic´ (Belgrade:PrelomKolektiv, 2010). A of OneWall: TheCase oftheStudentCulturalCenter inthe1970s,”Political Practicesof progressive artisticandcuratorialpractices, seeJelena Vesic´ andDušanGrlja, “Two Times contemporary artanditsinstitutions,specifically the Yugoslav studentcentersashubsof For researchonthelinkbetweenself-management asofficial statepolicyandthefieldof Roxanne Hamilton (SantaCruz: UniversityofCalifornia, SantaCruz, inpreparation). in Olifvares, a specialsegmentguesteditedbyLucianLissette Gomolland Exhibition: CuratorialExperimentsinZagreb, Belgrade and Paris,” practice isverymuchinlinewithBiard’s own.See mytext“Dematerializationofthe chure, asKošcˇevic´’s experimentalandpoliticized approachtocuratorialandinstitutional art—Information surletravaildesjeuneartistesYougoslaves (1973)—inthegallery’s bro- Men,” 1969),andnotanartisticwork,wasselected toillustratetheshowonYugoslav and It issymptomaticthatacuratorialexperiment(ŽelimirKošcˇevic´’s “ExhibitionofWomen In thistext,Iproposeacomparativereadingofthesetwoprojects, 5 AnarthistorianfromZagreb who 6 LaGalerie desLocatairesistoday Curatorial Interventions, Viz. Inter-Arts, ed. - - - - - its post-Fordist its form. self-managementist thatbroughtiteverclosertocapitalismand,indeed, social increasedliberalizationandbureaucratizationofthesystem of low reform of1965isusuallycitedasthecrucialdatefromwhichwecanfol- 1960s and1970s. tactics ofresistancetheyouths’, workers’, andartists’ protestsof the terrevolution thatappropriatedandco-optedrevolutionaryrequests In thecapitalistWest, thistransitionisgenerallyinterpretedasacoun 11 10 transition tothepost-Fordist erawithitsemphasisonimmateriallabor. of Fordist laborinthe1960sand1970s,aswellitsresolution pations, situatingitwithinthetheoreticalperspectivesthatdefinecrisis 9 8 7 instead asapoliticalprojectofgreatrelevance. hospitality, whichrevealshospitalitynotassomebenigngesture,but solidarity canberelatedtoDerrida’s discussionofthe“double bind” of lenges posedbytheGalerie’s andPodroom’s decisionforautonomyand pitality asdiscussedbyJacques Derrida. examine themherewithinanoverarchingconceptualframeworkofhos- autonomous andnonservilespaces—forart,work,life—Ichooseto accomplice, ofthedematerializationworkassuch. the 1960sand1970sshouldthereforebeseenasasymptom,ifnot an will attempttotackle—thedematerializationoftheworkartduring I Yugoslavia—albeitist orchestratedbydifferent dynamicswhosenuances

and hostility.” Ibid.,15. analogy intheircommon originbetween ( hospitality,guest the thepermeabilitybetween however, reading relies, onambivalenceas the undercurrentofconceptandetymology astrangernottobe treatedwithhostility.”of “right Derrida,“Hostipitality,” 5.Derrida’s own who discussestherightofallmento“communal possessionoftheearth’s surface” andthe Derrida baseshisanalysisofhospitality on thereadingofPerpetual Peace byImmanuelKant, of theTheoreticalHumanities 5(December2000):3–18. Jacques Derrida,“Hostipitality,” trans.BarryStockerwithForbes Morlock,Angelaki:Journal 2011), 253–302. Self-Management Socialism,”inPost-Fordism andItsDiscontents,ed.Gal Kirn(Lulu.com, See Gal Kirn,“From thePrimacyofPartisan Politics tothePost-Fordist Tendency inYugoslav Elliott (London:Verso, 2007). 2004), andLuc BoltanskiandEve Chiapello, TheNewSpiritofCapitalism, trans.Gregory trans. IsabellaBertoletti,James Cascaito, andAndreaCasson (LosAngeles:Semiotext(e), See Paolo Virno, AGrammar oftheMultitude: For anAnalysisofContemporaryForms ofLife, 30, 2012. http://www.generation-online.org/c/fcimmateriallabour3.htm, lastaccessedJanuary Maurizio Lazzarato,“ImmaterialLabour,” trans.Paul ColilliandEdEmery, availableat Since confrontingallthesequestionsinvolvedprimarilyasearchfor 8 InthecontextofYugoslav socialism,theeconomic 9 In the contexts of both Western Europe and social InthecontextsofbothWesternand Europe hostis ashostand asenemy, betweenhospitality ), as well as “the troubling hôte) andhost(),aswell“thetroubling 10 Thecomplexityofthechal 11 Inaneramarkedby - - - - 7

119 BAGO | A WINDOW AND A BASEMENT 120 artmargins 1:2–3 stant flight,anddeterritorialization, evadingandobstructingthepaths Gilles DeleuzeandFélix Guattari’s terminology—smoothspace, acon- window. Thisprincipleentailedanomadicpursuitof—to use The French Window—I willheredescribethroughthemetaphorof ciple ofhospitalitythat—takingasimplecuefromoneits projects, 13 12 newsocietysupposedtobringprosperityandhappinessall. the of assumingpersonalresponsibilityforhomelessness—atabootopicin peoplehometohiswifeandchildinNoviSad,agesture/statement less is,ahost—yieldsnosimpleanswersandrequiresconstantnegotiation. that while inordertodothatonemustnecessarilyalsobeamasterofspace, thequestion ofhowtoshare,workwith,andreceiveothersinspace— ing and morespacehasbeenoccupiedbywar, capital,andgentrification,pos divisionoflabor(itsmaterialityandimmateriality)whenmore political increased (andbynomeansonlyvoluntary)mobility, migration,andgeo- sary project. hospitality thatDerridaconstruesasanimpossibleandtherefore neces implied astubborndedicationtosolidarity, andtotheverydoublebindof tance tothesubjugationhegemonicpowerandalsoits assumption achieve autonomousandnonservileformsoflifework. Such resis for nonhegemonicwaystoinhabit,occupy, andsharespaceinorderto cesses forthenegotiationofhospitality. Theydidsothroughtheirsearch The Working CommunityofArtistsinitiatedsimilarlychallengingpro- or herproblem. own homeinordertotakeactionbecausetheother’s problemisalsohis letting othersin,butonethatrequiresthehosttoabandonhisor her private andpublic)revealedthathospitalitywasnotsimplyamatterof tality inthisfilm(infact,aradicalmergingofthespacesartandlife, nobody’s problem.Aradicalconfrontationwiththedoublebindofhospi- thing. But itturned out thatthiscommonsocialproblemwasinfact people inthestreet,andaskedpoliceiftheymightbeabletodosome a solution.He arrangedmeetingswithsocialworkers,randomlyaddressed and spaceofhisownfamilyagainsttheirwill—Žilnikleft inordertofind the guestsstayedathishome—andsametimeoccupiedlife “If thereishospitality, theimpossible mustbedone.”Derrida,“Hostipitality,” 14. hospitality andartin Yugoslavia. I amgratefultoSanjaIvekovic´ forreminding methatthisfilmisessentialwhendiscussing In hisfilmBlack Film (1971)ŽelimirŽilniktookagroupofhome- I wishtoproposethatbothLaGalerie desLocatairesandPodroom— 13 TheGalerie engagedinthisprojectbymappingoutaprin 12 While While - - - - - and flowsofcapitalistappropriation. 15 14 gave toTrbuljak’s surveywasaffirmative. Whenshesignedthe form,the public andprivategalleriesinParis. TheanswerLaGalerie desLocataires of asurveyconductedbetweenOctober1972andFebruary 1973inboth This isthetextualpartofworkthatGoranTrbuljak madeintheform form tobesignedbythe“anonymous artist” andthe“gallery director.” The questionandthethreeavailableanswerswereplaced on awritten one’s livingandworkingspace. possible inthefirstplace:inviting—orsimplyallowing—otherstoenter aries andpositions.Abasicgestureofhospitalitymadesuchencounters into discussionandallowfortheconstantshifting ofindividualbound- these processespossiblewereanencounterandareadinesstoenter In thecaseofbothLaGalerie desLocatairesandPodroom, whatmade Initia the communities’ dissolution. impossibility ofhospitality—thefailurewhichwouldfinallyresultin the breakingofcontracthospitality—asawayintensifying thecommunity;condition andthird,raisingthresholdsasaresponseto moning adesiredfuture;second,contractingworkingrelationsthat ect entailedinbothcases:first,namingasharedspaceaswayofsum- one’s ownlabor. Inwhatfollows,Iwanttoexaminethestepsthisproj- Marxist agendaofassuming controloverthemeansandproducts of tance impliedtheoccupationofabasethatismoreakintoclassical resis project ofhospitalitythemetaphorbasement,whoseform ofthename,IwillplaceaskeyvantagepointPodroom’spotentiality 2011, mytranslation. lagaleriedeslocataires.com/la_galerie_des_locataires/1/galerie.php, lastaccessedJanuary 6, Goran Trbuljak, reproducedintheonlinearchiveofLa Galerie des Locataires,http:// Smooth andtheStriated,”474–500. Brian Massumi (Minneapolis:UniversityofMinnesota Press,2005),seeesp.“1440:The Gilles DeleuzeandFélix Guattari, AThousandPlateaus:Capitalism andSchizophrenia,trans. by yes,noormaybe. exhibit thisworkinyourgallery?Thequestioncouldbeanswered sion-documentation), Iposedthefollowingquestion:Doyou wishto de l’Avre, Paris. Without identifyingmyself(name-surname-profes On the8thofNovemberIenteredLaGalerie desLocataires,14Rue Encounter I:Paris, privateapartment,14Ruedel’Avre, 1971: tory Encounters 15 14 Inananalogoustestingofthe - - 121 BAGO | A WINDOW AND A BASEMENT 122 artmargins 1:2–3 Image courtesyofIdaBiardandLaGaleriedesLocatairesArchive. Goran Trbuljak. 8.11.1972,1972.LaGaleriedesLocataires,14Ruedel’Avre, Paris. in question,butrathercalledfor theinventionof“art withoutartists,with for themythologyofauthorship andoriginality. He neverputartitself from thisperiod,Trbuljak deconstructedthefigureofartistasbasis 16 others givetheopportunitytobeanartist.” foundations fortheGalerie’s raisond’être: “Theartistisanyonewhom Trbuljak, but Ipositionithereasthesymbolic,initiatoryonethatlaid its director. Thiswas surelynotthefirstencounterbetweenBiardand with Galerie’s founderIdaBiard crossedouttheworddirecteur,replacingit were invitedtodecide whether“GoranTrbuljak” wasornotanartist. another workbyTrbuljak from1971, astreetreferenduminwhichthecitizens ofZagreb galerie.php, lastaccessedJanuary 20,2012.Thiscredoofthe galleryquotedthetitleof translation, alsoavailableathttp://lagaleriedeslocataires.com/la_galerie_des_locataires/6/ Cited inSimplon-Express (exhibitioncatalogue)(Rome:EditioniCarte Segrete,1989),1,my locataire, thusidentifyingherselfasthegallery’s tenantratherthan 16 Inanumberofhisworks - tions.” that whathehadbeenproducingwerenotartworksbut“works-exhibi- invite otherstojointhispursuit. the market;toprofessthatan“outside” waspossible;andtoconstantly of livedexperience;torenouncethesystemartdrivenbyspectacle and its entiremission:toconstrueagalleryasspacewithoutwalls,andone to beanartistandwhoseworkswerenotartworks.Thistaskwouldshape an impossibletask:communicatingtheworkofartistwhorefused the anonymousartist’s question,LaGalerie desLocatairescommittedto exhibit worksbutrather“communicated” them.By answering “yes” to lery bywhatitdidnotdo,anddid,insistingthat principle intocuratorialpractice,theGalerie toooptedforbeingagal- out criticism,withoutaudience.” 21 20 19 18 17 than bywhathedidthatmighthavebeenanartist. exhibition. AsTrbuljak himselfputit,itwasbywhathedidnotdorather catalogues—all partsofthebureaucraticandpromotionalmachinery when heexhibited“nothing” butsurveys,forms,promotionalposters,and lective BadCo.,conceived andoriginallystagedintheframework oftheprojectRemoved translated byHana Dvornik fortheprojectBADroombycollaborative performancecol- Sanja Ivekovic´, fromadiscussionpublished inPrvibroj[First Issue],samizdat(1980),n.p., Institution ofCritique,” Artforum44,no3(September2005):278–85. ble, thatthereisnooutside;cf.AndreaFraser, “From theCritique of Institutionstoan The axiomoftheconventionalinstitutional critiqueisthatan“outside” positionisimpossi - Ibid., 15. translation. Goran Petercol, “InterviewwithGoran Trbuljak,” Studentskilist,January 23,1981,15,my (exhibition catalogue)(Zagreb: Gallery ofContemporaryArt,1973),n.p.,mytranslation. The quotationbelongstoatext-basedworkbyGoranTrbuljak reproducedinGoranTrbuljak ments), etc.Andlaterwemetagain,andtalkedagainargued. activities thatwouldtakeplacethere(westillhavewrittendocu - a workingcommunityofartists.Thenwemadeconcept work and about whatshouldbethepurposeandcharacterofsuchaspace—of around theideaofPodroom. We usedtotalkalot,discuss,andargue nificant timeformebecausethatwaswhenwestartedgathering happened herein’76and’77,i.e.,noexhibitions .,itwasasig - (Spring), andthenagain’79fromFebruary on.Althoughnothing room, itconcernstheperiodsof’76to’77,andonlypartly’78 Sanja [Ivekovic´]: Concerning Martinis’ and my experience with Pod - 1976–77 Encounter II:Zagreb, basementstudio,Mesnicˇka Street12, 18 Indeed,itwasacuratorialpositionthatTrbuljak appropriated 20 17 Thiseventuallyledhimtoconclude 19 Translating this 21 123

BAGO | A WINDOW AND A BASEMENT 124 artmargins 1:2–3 Image courtesyoftheArchiveMuseumContemporary Art,Zagreb. Artists preparingthefirstexhibitioninPodroom—For ArtintheMind,May1978. Galerie desLocatairesandtheanonymousartist. might otherwisehavecomparedtothe“consent form” signedbyLa be atraceofthe“writtendocuments” thatIvekovic´ mentions,andthatwe activities atPodroom. However, thirtyyearslater, theredoesnotseemto consensus,wereidentifiedasacrucialpreconditionforallensuing alone described ascontinueddebatesthatdidnotyieldaclearagenda,let potentials ofanartist-runspacehadtakenplace.Theseearlyencounters, happened, butduringwhichheateddiscussionsabouttheaimsand During theconversation,SanjaIvekovic´ recalledatimewhen“nothing” “magazine-catalogue” Prvibroj(First Issue)inthebeginningof1980. initiative, recordedandpublishedintheirfirst—andlast—issueofthe This quoteistakenfromadiscussionamongthemembersofPodroom transcript oftheciteddiscussioncontainedinPrvibrojispreciousasit what issymbolicallytheirlast—ratherthantheinitial—encounter, the 23 22 ation oftheresearch mightbringmissingdocumentsorlinks tolight. topic ofPodroom. There were,however, manymoreprotagonistsinvolved, andthecontinu- Martek, DaliborMartinis, MladenStilinovic´, BrankaStipancˇic´, andDarkoŠimicˇic´am referringheretoAntoniaMajacˇa’s onthe andmyconversationswithSanja Ivekovic´, Vlado ture ofwhattheseinitiatorytalksandpropositions werepreciselyaboutisnolongerclear. I As isoften thecasewhen witnessingprevailsoverforensicevidence,itsprotagonists’ pic- ground forcontinuingtheprojectcould nolongerbeidentified. shortly after publishing thefirstone, Podroom experimentended,after acommon Its nameimpliedaserialcharacter, andmoreissues weresupposedtofollow. However, curated byJelena Vesic´ (Belgrade,2009). from theCrowd, asacontributiontotheexhibitionPolitical Practicesof(Post)Yugoslav Art, 23 Even when it documents Even whenitdocuments 22

desired futureupononeself(oronanother). their work. of thecollectivedynamicsPodroom groupandtheideasthatshaped remains theonlydocumentrevealing,informofdialogue,traces 26 25 24 these projects’ goalsandstrategies. here, Iproposetoreadthewindowandbasementasroadmapsfor As metaphorsderivedfromtheactualnamesofprojectsdiscussed Naming Sp interconnecting relationships.Isitanalternativespace?Yes, but more of havingextent.Itembodiesanelusive(andthereforefree) formof through withdrawalandrefusal:“Isitaspace?Yes, butnotinthesense ther conceptualize“communities without attachments” thatareformed “minor leagues,”atermRenaudEgoadoptedfromSteven Rand tofur precarity. TheGalerie isthenclosertotheless narratedhistoryofthe not alandladybuttenant;shewastiedtoproperty insteadto in theprivateanddomesticsphere.IdaBiard,onother hand,was upper-class women,whointhisway escapedfromtheirowninvisibility ticipation ofdifferent socialclasses. inciting bothaestheticandsocialtransformationsinvolvingthepar alternative spacesforthedevelopmentofradicalmodernistpractices, cally thenineteenth-centurysalonsthatRobertAtkins considerskey Locataires willbeenrichedwhenseeninrelationtothishistory, specifi- (1986) projectbyJan HoetinGhent. AnyreadingofLaGalerie des 1980s andtheless-spontaneous,museum-organizedChambred’amis tory spansfromthenineteenth-centurysalonstoMoscowApt-Art ofthe omy ofexhibitionsandeventsorganizedindomesticspaces,whosehis- us downthewrongpath,however, asitautomaticallytriggersthetaxon- The nameLaGalerie desLocataires—TheTenants’ Gallery—might lead tenant)orasaworkingspace(onegatheringproductivecommunity). a evoke privatespaces,spacesoneinhabitseitherasatemporaryhome(as des LocatairesandPodroom—The Working CommunityofArtists— (New York: apexart,2010). Alternative Thinking/Alternative Spaces,Kindleed.,ed.Steven RandandHeather Kouris Robert Atkins, “Alternatives andAphorisms, SalonandSpectacle,”inPlayingbytheRules: intheGerman heissen.Derrida,“Hostipitality,”(calling oneself) 11–12. Derrida alsoremindsusoftheunitynaming, calling,inviting,andbearinganame dow” relatesto theentireprojectofGalerie desLocataires. of theGalerie, TheFrench Window; however, Iwillgoontoshowhowtheprincipleof“win - In thecaseof“window,” asalreadynoted,itisin factthenameofonesubprojects a ce/ Calling for aFuture 24 26 By theactofnaming,onecallsa Thesesalonsweremostlyrunby 25 Bothnames—LaGalerie - - 125

BAGO | A WINDOW AND A BASEMENT 126 artmargins 1:2–3 forming itintoanopeninvitation: Window, throughwhichBiardandTrbuljak unlockedtheGalerie, trans- an apartment,theytookplaceinitsspecial“compartment,” TheFrench tomoveon.AndsoevenastheGalerie’sready activitieshappenedinside host;freeoftheboundsterritoryandpossession,heorsheisalways rary aspace.Thetenantispermanentguestand atempo pying/borrowing transient;incontrasttotheowner,is thetenantisonlytemporarilyoccu- munity ofitshostsandguestsisformed.Theverynotionthetenant isthe tenantswhoconstitutethegallery,it andwherevertheygothecom- thenameofgalleryshouldtriggeranentirelydifferent image: bitions, 29 28 27 conventional institutionalpreconditionsnotonlybecause it isnomadic unconditionally opentoartists’ proposals. This curatorialapproachdefies another seriesofmultipliedanddistributed“windows” thatremained Düsseldorf, Milan,Budapest, NewYork, Belgrade, Vancouver—serving as bythepostalnetwork,aseriesofpostesrestantes—inParis,mapped Zagreb, diverse rangeofspacesandconstellations.Itsmaneuvers weretobe activities left thewindowtobespreadandinsertedlikevirusesintoa The Galerie openeditself“exclusively ontothestreet,”andvery soonits window” intothe opacityofthe“freshwidow” wasreversedonceagain. Duchamp’s punwherebyhetransformedthetransparencyof“French like a‘possibility.’” no decrees.Itisnotimpossible.” of mind.Itmanifestsitselfwhereveritdecidestobe.hasnowalls,and nected playersoftheminorleague:“LaGalerie desLocatairesisastate Locataires willprovetheexistenceofsuchunattachedyetstrikinglycon- project toGoranTrbuljak, andtheconcept andrealizationtoIdaBiard. Galerija Studentskogcentra, 1973),n.p.,mytranslation.Thebookcredits theideaof The announcementwaspublishedinArtVivant , citedinTheFrench Window (Zagreb: impossibility aspossible. Simplon-Express, 1.Notealsotheresolutiontoovercome impossibility, thatis,toconstrue Playing bytheRules. Renaud Ego,“TheForest intheClearing,”trans. RobertBonnono,inRandandKouris, arrival totheaddresslistedbelow. (ArtVivant, Paris, February 1973) onto thestreet.Theworkswillbepresentedinorderoftheir existence ofFRENCHWINDOW. Thisspaceisexclusivelyoriented the aestheticandarerathersituatedinethicsinformedof The artistswhoseworks(work+action)transcendtheboundariesof Rather thanbringingtomindaseriesofapartmenteventsandexhi- 27 AcomparisonwiththemottoofLaGalerie des 28 - 29 openings inprivategalleries by creatingexhibitionswithin film screenings(CinemaBalkans,Zagreb, 1974);invadedexhibition itself intotheprogramofcinema,replacingadvertisements before in theurbanenvironment(TheYugoslav Vitrine , Zagreb, 1973);inserted 30 support fortheproject. ideas, workinstructions,orsimplynotesexpressingenthusiasm and of theminorleaguesspreadacrossglobe,whosharedwith ittheir TheGalerieaccess. counted onmutualrecognitionamongthemultitude but alsobecauseitrenouncestheregimeofselection, privilegeof and SztukiAktualnej. Renato Mambor, RadomirDamnjan,Katharina Sieverding, EndreToth, BalintSzombathy, Woodrow, AntoniMuntadas, Jan Dibbets,ChristianBoltanski,Jir´i Valoch, JosefMarkulik, Cadere, theZagreb andBelgradeStudent Center galleries,LászlóBeke,Petr Štembera,Paul ties wereGina Pane, Annette Messager, Daniel Buren, Sarkis,AlainFleischer, André Among theartistsandartcriticswhowere partoftheGalerie’s mailingnetworkandactivi- The Galerie “communicated” theartists’ proposalsthroughdisplays 30 of IdaBiardandLaGaleriedesLocatairesArchive. Jonier Marin.SituationPanama,projectforTheFrench Window,March1973.Imagecourtesy 127

BAGO | A WINDOW AND A BASEMENT 128 artmargins 1:2–3 one waswelcometocrossthethresholdandsetanotherprocess in gathered amoreorlessconsistentgroupofpeople,butinprinciple any- for potentialfutureuse. visitors, asecretbasewherethingsarestored,archived,andprotected ment islockedawayfromview: it’s athresholdbarredfromguestsand to apublicinstitution,itnonethelessremainsprivatespace.Thebase- podrum, abasement,unlikethelivingspaceoftenant,canalsobelong pitality inPodroom—The Working CommunityofArtists.Although selves whowerethejudgesofwhetherornottheyfulfilledrequirement. “work” and“action” inethics,ratherthanaesthetics,butitwastheythem- hospitality, however, haditsconditions:those invitedweretolocatetheir 33 32 31 window remainedopenandanyonecouldbecomealocataire. didn’t layclaimtotheexpertiseregardingwhatorwho wastoarrive,the asapermanentguestandtemporaryhost.Andprecisely becauseit itself had totravelandvisit,surprisethosewhodidnotexpectit,manifest Conversely—and paradoxically—inordertobecomeahost,itconstantly owned nospaceandsoitcouldnotreceivethewayonedidinasalon. an opening,apossibilityforbecoming,subjectivizationtotakeplace. Gallery inZagreb, theprinciplewassame:invitationawindow, galleries, asinAnotherChancetoBecomeanArtistattheStudentCenter trains, andtaxisofdifferent cities.Even whenitorganized exhibitionsin realized exhibitionsandinterventionsinstreets,markets,bathrooms, (André Cadere atAdami’s openingatMaeght Gallery, Paris, 1973);and and itsoverall“minoritarian” belonging. space, inanalogywiththeGalerie’s linktothenineteenth-centurysalons nurturing,enablesustoconceiveofthebasementalsoasa“female”and

Becoming-Imperceptible. . ,”inAThousandPlateaus , 232–309. -vegetable,andsoforth.See“1730: Becoming-Intense,Becoming-Animal, -animal, woman, the primarymodeofsubjectivation difference, whichsubsumesallothers:becoming- Deleuze andGuattari conceptualizethe“becoming-minoritarian,”or“becoming-minor,” as clandestine after-hours performancesandeventsforasmallgroupof colleaguesandfriends. of theMuseum ofDecorativeArtswhereŠtembera workedasanightguardtoorganize Prague (Petr Štembera, KarelMiler, Jan Mlcˇoch, andJir´i Kovanda) whousedthebasement beinvaded, and itsthresholdtransgressed,aswasthecasewithcircleofartistsin could Of course,asisthecasewithanyspace,even theprivacyofabasementinpublicinstitution him,” isessentialinhospitality. Derrida,“Hostipitality,” 8. toward theotherasabsolutestranger, asunknown,whereIknowthatnothingof Derrida statesthatthe“dimension ofnon-knowing,” anactandintention“beyondknowledge Podroom toodidnotcountonknowingwhoitsguests wouldbe.It Similar principlesofmutualrecognitiongovernedthelawshos- The Galerie’s principleofhospitalitywasawindow: itlookedout; 32 Thisaspectofprivacy, andespeciallyofstoring 33 31 Even such work, and because he“didn’t likegoingtocourt” (referringtooneofhis Podroomin becausehealonewanted toberesponsibleforhis worked discussion publishedin Prvibroj,MladenStilinovic´ notedthathe Podroom organism.InastatementthathereadduringthePodroom the to theformofstatethatispermanentlyactiveenzyme within goals andchances,theexistenceofchancesalwaysimpliedcompetition: what constantlychallengeditshorizontality, foritimpliedtheequalityof was graduallylosingground,assumingaliberalandcapitalistface. countrywhoseincreasinglybureaucratizedsystemofself-managementa socialist reterritorializationofcollectivityandcommunityinYugoslavia, individual oflatecapitalistsocietyintheWest, Podroom triedtotacklethe attempted toconfronttheproblemofestranged,deterritorialized ally andcollectively—withoutmakingitone’s own.WhereastheGalerie space withoutassumingsovereignty, orhowtoclaimit—bothindividu- lar agency. Thequestionwasthenhowtotakeresponsibilityforshared point connectedtoalltheotherswasspaceitselfratherthanasingu- contrast, impliedahorizontaldispositionofhostswherebytheonly and inwhomallthepointsnetworkwereconnected.Podroom, by who actedasanomadic,singularhostwithmissionto“communicate” motion. Thepositionofhostwasnotfixed,asitinthecaseBiard 35 34 the comingofState—astructured,centralizedrule. stant, andoften violent,renegotiationsofhierarchicalpositions,prevent on Pierre Clastres’sing writingabouttribesandclanswho,throughcon Deleuze andGuattari identifythisasafeature ofthe“warmachine,”draw munity willalwaysformnewalliances,agendas,andsecret aspirations. But absolutehorizontalityisneverpossible,andthemembersofacom- Machine,” 351–413. Deleuze andGuattari, AThousandPlateaus ; see“1227:Treatise onNomadology—The War Goran Trbuljak andDaliborMartinis, Prvibroj,n.p.,emphasisadded. [Dalibor] Martinis: Frustrations. . Now thereisnomorefight,sotospeak. we’re allalikeinthisrespect,thatwe’ve beenthroughthisphase. Gallery, somewerestillaspiringandsoon.Nowitseemstomethat that someofushadalreadyexhibitedattheContemporaryArt we hadtwoyearsago,becausethenwerealreadyintheposition [Goran] Trbuljak: Thisisonedifference betweenthisandtheone Podroom’s owncommunitywasa ofartists,andthisis 34 35 Itisthisresistance - - 129

BAGO | A WINDOW AND A BASEMENT 130 artmargins 1:2–3 Z of theArchiveMuseumContemporary Art,Zagreb. tions conceivedbyMladenStilinovic ˇ eljko Jerman.MySpace,contributiontothecatalogueWorks intheBasement,aseriesofexhibi- or hisprogram. organizerpersonallyresponsibleforher each individually, with funds labor were called in Yugo labor” (astheself-managed united unitsoforganized of organization that theydidnotformanofficial groupora“basic stressed they ties, “court,” thatisthestate,byapplyingforsupportPodroom’s activi- 37 36 Court”). iswhenyoudon’t quotes byAretinothat“life favorite havetogo ing allformsofacollectivecontractandby—if we recall its initiatory more andtowardbureaucratizationcentralization. By refus- headed yet units, state thatpromotedtheautonomyofself-managed way theveryparadoxesofasocialist own its in equality,tackled Podroom sharing thesamespacebasedon stubbornly yet and program mon Digitizing Ideasproject . be madepubliclyavailable athttp://www.digitizing-ideas.hr intheframeworkof the the Museum ofContemporaryArtforgivingme accesstothesematerials,whichwillalso trying toavoidofficial linkswiththatsamebureaucracy. Iamgratefulto Jasna Jakšic´ and Artists” tactfullyappropriatesthediscourseofbureaucracyself-management, while Contemporary Art,Zagreb. Itshouldalsobenotedhowthename“Working Community of Interest Community,’” February 16,1979,Podroom Archiveof GoranPetercol, Museum of See “TheLetteroftheWorking CommunityofArtists totheCityofZagreb’s ‘Self-managed Mladen Stilinovic´, Prvibroj,n.p. 36 ´ OntherareoccasionswhenPodroom artistsaddressedthe inPodroom,November–December, 1978.Imagecourtesy 37 By insisting that therewasnosuchthingasacom- ­slavia), andthattheywouldratherreceive in orhistribeandwishtocrossthethreshold:“Petercol:her Comein,come door couldbeopened,butittooka“basementist”The toreallyrecognize signs” oftheavant-garde,andapropensity forthelowvisibilityofweak community. BorisGroys writesofthereturningrelevance“weak time whentheyevolvedtherewasnoaudience,justthenegotiation ofa movement forwhichtherearenumeroushistoricalantecedents. “removed themselvesfromthecrowd,”amental,temporal, andspatial thecrowd.Theywerepartofhistoryandgeographythosewho ing desLocataires,playedintheminorleague,gameofunpleas Galerie art criticvisualizingagroupofartistssomewheredeepinmousehole. art referred toaspodrumaši,the“Podroomers” or“basementists,”withone became publiclymarkedbythespace:asifitwereastigma,they group ofartist-hosts,andanumberrecurringguests-visitors.Theyall a for futureuse.Thespacewasopentothepublic,butinrealitythere cussions, workprocesses,andtheirvariousmaterializationswerestored it wasalsounderground,azonewheretracesofencounters,ideas,dis- abasewhereeverythingarrangeditselfandgainedground.But basement, Podroom’s caseitwasthespacethat constant.Thisspacewasa inhabiting andsharingthesamespace. of hospitality, of a nodeintheprocessofnegotiatingconditions not asarecipe,constitution,butmerely (lost) documentation of drawer, the document, orthe“decree” in placed asBiardcalledit,was itsbureaucracy.and management fromitsappropriationbythestate The ing minutesanddocuments,Podroomto tried salvage the idea of self- meet the misplacing but encounter—constantly meetingandarguing, 41 40 39 38 lines oftheir“delayedlines audience,”asAntoniaMajac contours havebecomeincreasinglymeaningfultoustodayas weform the search forandformtheirpublic,alwaysfindingitinthefuture. the wayinwhichsuchaudience-freeconstellationsofpeople andevents Who wasthat?” . . Ibid., 280. See BagoandMajacˇa, “DissociativeAssociation.” Goran Petercol, DaliborMartinis, SanjaIvekovic´, andIvanDorogi,Prvibroj,n.p. Contemporary Art,Zagreb. Josip Depolo,“GoranPetercol,” Podroom ArchiveofGoranPetercol, Museum of It wasnoone,awrongnumber, becausePodroom, justlikethe In contrasttoLaGalerie desLocataires’s nomadicsingularagency, in . . Martinis: Enter! Sanja: Yes, please? X: Eeeh, no, no, noway. Dorogi: 39 ˇ a and I have described a andIhavedescribed 41 At the 40 Its - 38

- 131 BAGO | A WINDOW AND A BASEMENT 132 artmargins 1:2–3 was missingsomekindofcontract,oracommonprogram ofaction. A suspicionarosethatdespitetheinitialrejectionof“documents,” what their lastmeeting: would ceasetohaveanypurpose.Preciselythissuspicionaroseduring state andbecomingthedespoticmastersoftheirspace,thenPodroom members suspectedthattheythemselveswereassumingthelogicof practice the idea ofanalternativesocialstructure.Ifeverthe group’s ture ofhospitality, thepointwhentwoartistsinvitedotherstotestin guests werealwaysalsohosts.Becauseeverythingbeganwiththe ges becoming andmakingsurethatspectatorswerealwaysalsoartists, social isolationinthe“mousehole,”butratherwithveryprocessof members ofPodroom werenotconcernedwithanaudienceortheir 45 44 43 42 notbethesoleguaranteeofitsdifference frombusinessasusual. could The spacebecameastumblingblock;asMartinis warned,itsnamealone a spectatoronlywhenonealreadyhasbecomeanartist.” inwhichparticipantsandspectatorscoincide:“[O]necan become gestures should beaformof action.” IvanDorogi,Prvibroj,n.p. “It’s obviousthatthe spacecannotandmaynotbewhatconnects things.ThePodroom Dalibor Martinis, Prvibroj,n.p. agree. space,andnotagallery,”dence thatPodroom isalso a“living andonwhicheveryonecould Stilinovic´ humorouslylocatingitintheexistence ofasink,asatleastonecertainpieceevi- Goran Petercol, Prvibroj,n.p.Emphasisadded.Thediscussionabout difference endswith why theavant-gardeisunpopularamong the“democratic audience.” avant-garde impliesthateveryonecanindeedbe/comeanartist,andthisisparadoxically butratherademocraticidea,for,ist asGroys hasshown,theradicalreductionism of the Boris Groys, “Weak Universalism,”e-fluxjournalno.15(April 2010):n.p.Thisisnotanelit- space, thatis,itsohappenedwegotthespace. ago, wefoundedPodroom .and inadditiontothat,weown the past; thatis,onthefact,merit,twoyears,ayearand ahalf what happenedhereisacertainaccumulationofpowerbasedonthe tion isn’t onoffer. We shouldtreatthemonanequalbasis . Ithink what’s offered isthespace,and honortoexhibit,butcoopera- year ortwonot.Thisisakindofrelationshiptypicalgallery: whether theywouldcomebackandmakeanotherexhibitionina an exhibition,wehavetowaituntilsomeoneremembersaskthem port theideaofPodroom. But then,thishappens:whentheymake invite .we givethemspace,andthroughexhibitinghere,theysup very problematic,thatwestillactlikeagalleryfortheartists [Goran] Petercol: However, thereisanotherthingthatseemstome 42 43 Similarly, the 44 45 -

- motivations embodiesitsfounders’ initialenthusiasm: of rulesalsograduallyfaded.ThefollowingrecollectiontheGalerie’s Galerie La desLocataireswhosebeliefinradicalopennessandtherejection the group’s dissolution.We cantraceananalogousdevelopmentwith “impossibility” thatwouldreachitspeakbytheearly1980andresultin ability ofreceivingandvisiting,hospitalityhostility. Itisthis Podroom triedtotackletheimpossibleprojectofhospitality, theperme- Work andIts C 47 Virno, 46 value fromtheobjecttoknowledgeandinformation. camouflaged, decentralized,anddeterritorialized,shifting thesurplus means ofresistancetomaterialistoppressionandbecameitself immaterial, in theeraof“communism ofcapital” wherebycapitalco-optedthe des Locataires’s camouflagedactionsattempted toescape.Thisoccurred thiscaseitwasthetotalitarianismofcapitalismfromwhich La Galeriein countries,usuallyin order toreasserttheirtotalitariannature.However, ist romanticized whenarticulatingtheformsofartisticresistanceinex-social Youth Tribune, MilanKnížák’s “mindactions,”andsoforth—isoften Cˇedomir Drcˇma in Novi Sad after the state’s repressive intervention at the lective Actions inMoscow, the“invisibleart” ofSlobodanTišma and This kindofincognitoart—forexample,the“empty actions” oftheCol­ already bythemid-1970sGalerie anditsfounder Ida Biard witnessed than representationhasturned outtobejustpartoftheproblem.Indeed, Dematerializing theworkofart andinsistingoncommunicationrather cation, thathasbecomethetrapinlate,is,cognitive, capitalism. between laborandfreetime,thetransformationofworkinto communi- work thatmergesintolife.However, itispreciselytheindistinction Galerie desLocataires’s enthusiasmforliberated,dematerializedwork, See mind, allinordertoextractourselvesfromthesystem. nizing exhibitionsthatnevermaterializedanywhereexceptinthe stalls, theplacesoflife.Itistherethatwewent.We eventriedorga- the postsortrainstations,placesoutsidethesystem:market galleries, ofthemuseumshadbeenreplacedbyotherwalls,those that theworkofarthadbecomework/labor, thatthewallsof We startedtoputpreciselythisinquestion,declaringforexample http://lagaleriedeslocataires.com/, lastaccessedFebruary 5, 2012, mytranslation. Grammar ofthe Multitude, 113. ontra cts 47 We shouldnoteLa 46 - 133

BAGO | A WINDOW AND A BASEMENT 134 artmargins 1:2–3 society, andpublicitypracticesoflatecapitalism. chapterofhisstudyonthelinkbetweenconceptualart,consumer opening cisely inordertoillustratethe“contradictions ofconceptualart” inthe the socialiststate).ItisnotsurprisingthatAlexanderAlberroquotesitpre- Party cited co-optationoftheavant-gardebySovietCommunist and often more manifesto ofcorporateco-optation(andacounterparttothe 51 50 49 48 commercial function, butrather[as]anintegralpart.” to engaginginartisticactivitiesnotas“adjuncts toour committed was pany “new art”the newbusinessworldandthatthiswaswhytheircom- with and “experimentation” “innovation” wereindeedkeyelementslinkingthe WhenAttitudesshow BecomeForm, managers ofPhilipMorris,whosponsoredHarald Szeemann’s famous system. Thishadinfactbeenspelledoutalreadymuchearlier, whenthe how easilythenew, non-object-basedartaccommodateditselfwithinthe of hospitality as it wrote once again to its artists in order to confirm its own own hospitalityasitwroteonceagaintoitsartistsinorderconfirm its of an artisticcareer,” the Galerie startedcastingdoubt onitsinitialpostulates Locataires wasbecomingjustanotherbreakthroughinthe realizationof nants ofdefeat. less likerevolutionaryslogansandmorethedematerialized rem of Szeemann’s show—orPodroom’s read exhibitionFor ArtintheMind— co-optation andexploitation,sotodayLiveintheMind—thesubtitle However, incognitivecapitalism,eventhe“mind” isnolongerfreefrom of theenginesasignificantpartartisticandcuratorialproduction. andcommodificationofartwasnotamyth,butratherone mercialization been,certainlyinYugoslaviahave suchadissentingattitudetowardcom- but failed—wasamyth. art ever“soughttoeliminatethecommoditystatusofobject”— makes seriousgeneralizationsinassertingthattheideaconceptual tion inYugoslavia. ity wasoften directedtowardtheWestern systemof artandthethreatofcapitalistinfiltra- Since themarketdidnotexistinYugoslavia exceptinsome “emerging” form, suchnegativ- mercial success.”Ibid.,4. lamented thatthemovementhadrapidly capitulatedtomarketforcesandachievedcom- Ibid., 4.According tohim,thismythwasheralded byLucy Lippardin1972“whenshe 2003), 2. Alexander Alberro,ConceptualArtandthePolitics ofPublicity (Cambridge, MA:MITPress, (Bern: Kunsthalle Bern,1969). John A.Murphy, WhenAttitudes BecomeForm (exhibitioncatalogue),ed.Harald Szeemann We couldreadthisstatementbyPhilipMorrisasaneo-avant-garde In 1975,havingbecome“[a]wareofthefactthatGalerie des 50 WhateverthecaseinUnitedStatesmay wrote intheshow’s cataloguethat 49 Alberro,however, 48 - 51

society ingeneral. stance couldbetransformatorynotonlyfortheartsystembut sitional orwhether,collaboration conversely, theyfoundthattheGalerie’s oppo they sawtheGalerie’s noncapitalistprinciplesasobstaclesinthewayof difference frombusinessasusual. difference 55 54 53 Ibid. 52 conceptual artistsandthemarkethadbeenintensified. and theirveryemergencesignifiedthattherelationbetween Western agreements regulatedprimarilytheacquisitionandresale of anartwork, drafted inthesameperiodbySethSiegelaub andDanielBuren. Their Moral Contractradicallydifferent fromthemuchmorefamouscontracts ethical andideologicalprincipleswassigned.Thisiswhat makes this irrelevant ifacontractstatingthatthecollaborationwasbasedonshared betweenthecontractingsides—asisusualinacontract—was relations La Galerie desLocatairesimplicitlyassertedthatthepragmaticsettlingof Moral Contractwasrequired: proof thattheywereindeedartists.Nowasignatureoncontractcalled aesthetics,” andsignaturesontheirartworkswerenolongerconsidered ditional trustonwhethertheyfulfilledtheconditionsof “ethics andnot opportunities tobe/comeartists,butnowtheywerenotoffered uncon- to exist.With thisletter, thegallerycontinuedtoprovideindividualswith were negative,thentherewouldnolongerbeanyreasonfortheGalerie Institutional Critique andAfter, ed.JohnC.Weichman (Zurich: JRP|Ringier, 2006). tract, seeMaria Eichhorn,“On theAvertissement: InterviewwithDanielBuren,” in For SethSiegelaub’s contract,seeAlberro,ConceptualArt,123–70.For DanielBuren’s con- last accessedApril 4,2012, mytranslation. The textoftheMoralContract;examples areavailableathttp://lagaleriedeslocataires.com, accessed February 5,2012,mytranslation. athttp://lagaleriedeslocataires.com/la_galerie_des_locataires/2/galerie.php, last available The lettertotheartistsproposingMoral Contract;examples(andartists’ replies) are —  —  La Galerie desLocatairesisobligedto: —  —  By signingthisagreement,theparticipantisobligedto: artist andgalleries. intervene inthestructuresofexistingrelationsbetween remain anopenfieldofcommunication; exhibition venues. explain theaimsofher/hisinterventionsintraditional work thatisexhibited; analyze therelationofplacewhereshe/heexhibitswith 53 Iftheanswertolatterquestion,itwasimplied, 54 52 Ida Biard asked the artists whether IdaBiardaskedtheartistswhether 55 - 135

BAGO | A WINDOW AND A BASEMENT 136 artmargins 1:2–3 58 57 called. neo-avant-garde andprocess-based,post-’68practicesinYugoslavia were diluted modernism,andnottheso-calledNewArtisticPractice,as the media—thatcontinuedtosupport,andviewasart,onlyobject-based, system ofstateinstitutions—museums,awards,grants,acquisitions, tion a bytheartmarketsinceitdidnotexist;instead,theystruggledwith 56 increasingly capitalistforms,butitliterallyturnedalargepart ofthepop a seriouscrisisatthetime:notonlyinsensethatitwas showing acquiring controloverlaborconditionsandproducts—was undergoing ology, formulatedwithin thesystemofself-management—workers ure oftheworkerasbuildersocialism.AsIalreadynoted, thiside deconstructing theideologyofworkinsocialistYugoslavia, andthefig the time),butonotherhandStilinovic´’s long-termpreoccupationwith work (processualpaintingwasalsoaffirming itselfonthelocalsceneat reflected ontheonehandobsessionwithprocessualityofartistic of bureaucratsandtechnocratsinasupposedlyclasslesssociety. increasing socialdifferences andintheformationofa“red” upperclass and itsdisguisedcounterpartinYugoslav society, whichshoweditselfin with theredbourgeoisie!”suggests—rejectedbothcapitalisminWest dealt withthedefinitionandvalueofartisticwork/labor. ment, inwhichtheartistswereinvitedtopresentworksthatexplicitly ing ofaseriesshortexhibitionsandevents,titledWorks intheBase audience, forfutureuse. delayed market nor desiredbysocialistsociety, andcouldbeonlystoredfora theproductsoftheirworkwereneitherdestinedfor ment—where Podroom artiststhusfoundthemselvesinanempty space—abase-

specifically ontheissue ofthesymbolicandmonetaryvalue of artisticwork. Raša Todosijevic´. In 1979BrankaStipancˇic´ curatedthegroupexhibition Value, whichfocused in Podroom byIvanDorogi,Conditionsfor ArtisticActivity byBorisDemur, andLinesby Example projectsincludeTheArtistWorks EightHours aDaybyAntunMaracˇic´, Master­ See Kirn,“PrimacyofPartisan Politics.” (exhibition catalogue)(Zagreb: Gallery ofCon­ hensive overview, seeMarijaned., Susovski, considered bourgeoisandcomplacent.For they anearlycompre- that production art stream the minorityand,togetherwithartists, formeda“common front” inoppositiontomain- the “newart,”aswellforestablishinginternationalcontacts.But theseinstitutionswere in Galleries werecrucialforcontinuedorganizational,theoretical,andpromotionalsupport of Belgrade Museum ofContemporaryArt,andthe Zagreb andBelgradeStudentCenter port. Quitethecontrary. InstitutionssuchastheZagreb Gallery ofContemporaryArt,the This isnotatalltosuggestthatsuchpracticesinYugoslavia didnothaveinstitutionalsup- Meanwhile inYugoslavia, artistsdidn’t havetodealwiththeirco-opta- In 1978,MladenStilinovic´ conceivedamonth-longprogramconsist- 56 Yugoslav youth—asthe1968Belgradestudentslogan“Down The NewArtPracticeinYugoslavia 1966–1978 temporary Art,1978). 58 Theproject 57 The work work - ­ - - didn’t promisesuccess. way, almost likeasecret operationtakingplaceinabasement,evenifit state andpracticingitinanonbureaucratized,anarchistic,solidary to salvagetheideaofself-management socialism,detachingitfromthe for theminYugoslavia. Inaway, Podroom wasanexperimentthattried who left thecountryfromlate1960sastherewassimplynowork ulation intoguestsofthecapitalistWest—the guestworkers,orGastarbeiter 60 59 and thewaysitshapedsymbolic andeconomicalrelationofsociety dissenting voicesthatquestioned thestatusquoofculturalsystem Podroom anditsWorking“less,” Community werealreadyperceivedas However, evenifmost participantsinthediscussionprobablyoptedfor that wouldfinallyleadto Podroom’s dissolution in1980: orless around whethersuchactionwouldinfacteventuallymeanmore or, wemightsay, onthelevelofsuperstructure . Itwasthisconflict like abasethatcoordinateswideractiononthelevelofculturalpolitics thefactory,artists—leave sotospeak—sothatthegroupwouldfunction another thatclaimedPodroom shouldstrivetobemorethanjust and productsoflabor—thatis,literallyoverthebaseinMarxist terms;and to-go-to-court” attitude),andtheneedtoassumecontrolovermeans group,onethatadvocatedself-sufficiency,the autonomy(the“not-having- tohavealwaysbeentwoopposingvisionsbetweenthemembers of seem constant discussionofwhatitcouldbe,ratherthanwas.There existing recordedconversationshowsthatPodroom signifiedaprocessof pared construesPodroom asaformofpotentiality, andeventheone Sanja Ivekovic´ andMladenStilinovic´, Prvibroj , n.p. The metaphorofanundergroundbasewhereaplanactionispre Sanja: Moreorless.Inmyopinion,itismore. [Mladen] Stilinovic´: Less. ing tobesomethingmorethanthat. . artist today; inaway, weceasedtobemerely“artists,” andarestart- had changed,alongwiththesenseofwhatconstituted role of etc. . Andbesides,itwasalsobecausethecharacterofourwork space existswherewecanexhibitourworks,createcatalogues, Sanja [Ivekovic´]: For thenitdidn’t seemenoughtousthatthis are notinyourseither.” statement byStilinovic´: “Theconditions ofmyworkarenotinhands,butluckilythey Podroom’s work—evenwhenitentailed“nogain”—can bestbesummarizedbyanother Resistance tocollaborationwiththestate andtoanyformofco-optationastheprinciple of 59 60 , - 137

BAGO | A WINDOW AND A BASEMENT 138 artmargins 1:2–3 Image courtesyoftheArchiveMuseumContemporary Art,Zagreb. Prvi broj(FirstIssue),Podroom’scatalogue-journal,coverandinsidepage,February, 1980. 61 artists andtheimmediatesociopolitical contextdeterminingthecondi and futureofthePodroom initiativebutalsoontherelationbetween social, isolation. on themargins,thereforemeantpermanenteconomic,and notonly was alsosupposedtobetheirprofession.Remaininginthe basement, Community ofArtistswasessentiallyacommunityartists whosework bornly chartedavenuesleadingoutsideofthesystem, Working carious financialstatus.UnlikeLa Galerie desLocataires,whichstub- its denigratorytreatmentbythemainstreammedia,and artists’ pre- time—pointed tothelackofspacefortheirworkanditspresentation, interviews andtexts—publishedprimarilyinthestudent press ofthe ing oflargeexhibitionssuchastheyearly“Youth Salons”; andintheir value ofartisticwork;coordinatedactionsthatchallengedthefunction- to theirwork.Podroom’s membersproduced artthatquestionedthe as aneconomicsystem, insteadofremainingwithinaromantic ideaofculture.Prvibroj, n.p. cussed, andbyBoris Demur, who warnedthatoneshouldthinkofinfiltrating thegalleries This wasexplicitlypointedoutbyStilinovic´ inPrvibroj,whentheissueofisolationwasdis- was to reflect on the past The aimofthemagazine-catalogue Prvibrojwastoreflectonthepast 61 - to earnherorhissalary. public institutionswiththewidercommunity. Thisishowtheartistwas artist’s work,whichwashereconceivedasacommongoodsharedthrough but rathertheexchangeofmutualresponsibilityforpublicvalue Buren’s contracts,theirsdidn’t concernanexchangeintheformofasale, institution thatpresentedherorhiswork.Again,unlikeSiegelaub’s and the financialandotherpracticalresponsibilitiesofartist Dalibor Martinis drafted aproposalforcontractthataimedtoregulate (Željko Jerman). Asiftorespondalltheseissues,SanjaIvekovic´ and artist laboranditsvalue(BorisDemur),theartists’ lowincome quo (Marijan Molnar),the relationshipbetweenmaterialandimmaterial tions (Stilinovic´), thecomplicityofartistinmaintainingstatus censorship andwiththelackofprofessionalismmediainstitu- ments ofthe1960sand1970stheirsubsequentco-optation. Paolo great, andthisfactreflectedthechallengesfacedbyresistance move clearly defined,solidaryaction.However, thechallengeseemedtobetoo necessary todomorethanjustresist,andthatthis“more” requireda Locataires’sdes contractsposedachallenge,implyingthatitwasperhaps to“documents”resistance and“decrees.” BothPodroom’s andLaGalerie had beencreatedthroughthemergingofworkandlife shared gram ofaction—begantheprocessdissolutionforcommunities that pro andinthesymbolicsenseofrequiringconsensusoveracommon ally tions ofartisticproduction. 64 63 62 needed tobeclearlyvisible. clear that,eventhoughthedoorwouldremainunlocked,threshold and receiveguestsintheorderoftheirappearance.Instead,itbecame enoughtoleavethewindowandbasementopenorwelcome longer expressions oftheneedtoraisethresholdshospitality. Itwasno Podroom’sBoth ContractandLaGalerie desLocataires’s MoralContractwere Thresholds door, thereisnolongerhospitality.” Derrida, “Hostipitality,” 14. According toDerrida,“[F]or theretobehospitality, theremustbeadoor. But ifthereisa defining, andworkingtoward,acommon good. by thecommunity, orbythestate,buttodayitseems oncemorehighlyrelevanttoinsiston Naturally, suchaconceptofthevalueartisticwork canalsoeasilybeco-optedbysociety, and BorisDemur. Martek, Marijan Molnar, AntunMaracˇic´, BrankaStipancˇic´, GoranTrbuljak, Ivan Dorogi, Mladen Stilinovic´, andGoranPetercol. OthercontributorsincludedŽeljkoJerman, Vlado an “additional formofaction,” andwhoseeditorialteamconsistedofSanjaIvekovic´, Sanja Ivekovic´ andDaliborMartinis proposedtheideaforlaunchingofamagazineas 63 62 64 Theartists’ textualcontributionsdealtwith Theintroductionofacontract—bothliter - - - 139

BAGO | A WINDOW AND A BASEMENT 140 artmargins 1:2–3 well letter” toitsartists: Galerie desLocatairesthereforepronouncedaStrikebysending“fare - not movebeyondthe surplusvalueoftheartist’s signature. In1976La curatorial throughconstantshifting andtranslation;however, itcould of artisticauthorship. end literallyinvestedinreproducingandmultiplyingabrand, the logo mark ofpost-Fordist, immateriallabor—the Galerie’s laborwasinthe ment oftheproduct—creativeinvestmentonalllevelsbeing the experiment andtakecontroloverthisprocess,theresults theplace- during oneyear. Although theGalerie hadfull creativefreedomto to forgehissignatureandreproduceitanywheredeemed appropriate was aprojectwithSarkis,whoin1974authorizedIdaBiard/the Galerie foregroundintheactivitiesofLaGaleriethe desLocataires.Oneexample inwhichthecontractualmechanismofsignaturecameto instances “brand” thatproducedtheidea.Itisnocoincidencethereweremany to theinstitutionofartisticauthorshipanditssignature,thatis, tain instructions.However, theworks’ surplusvalueremainedattached as anoutsourcedcontractorthatproducedartists’ worksaccordingtocer the factorytoregaincontroloveritsproduction,Galerie functioned Fordist conditionsoflabor. IncontrasttothePodroom artistswhooccupied artists, LaGalerie desLocataireswasitselfentangledinthenetofpost- tain workprinciple.Initsownapproachtoandcollaborationwith warranty ofauthorshipforaworkartthanascommitmenttocer to facetherealitythatanartist’s signaturestillcarriedmoreweightas a Locataires’s questionnaireandsignedtheMoralContract,Galerie had 66 65 as such.” defending oneselffromtheState,fordissolvingbondagetoState possession oftheState,butaptitude(attimesviolent,certainly)for refining ofthe‘principleindividuation’; nolongerthedesiretotake criticism oflabor; anaccentuatedtastefordifferences, or, ifyouprefer, a expressed intheirnonsocialist,indeedantisocialist,demands:“radical Virno stressestheunderlying“communist inspiration” ofthemovements threat ofbeingco-optedbythecoming“communism ofcapital.” Podroom alikeastheirownmodesofresistancewereconstantlyunder Ibid. Virno, Ida Biard’s curatorialpracticeradically mergedtheartisticand the Despite thefactthatanumberofartistsrespondedtoLaGalerie des 65 Grammar ofthe Multitude, 113. Allthese“inspirations” wereatworktheGalerie andat 66 - - talk. Denegricame,butMartek wasn’t thereand thetalkcouldn’t begin. theorists andpromotersoftheYugoslav NewArtPractice—togivea Martek invitedJeša Denegri—theartcritic,curator, andoneofthekey for newspaces.InoneoftheeventsheldinPodroom space,Vlado as guestswereinvitedtobecomehostsandtheoriginal left tosearch and Podroom fromtheoutset.Spectatorswereinvited tobecomeartists impossible projectofhospitalityitself,whichhadmarkedboth theGalerie 68 67 was closed. window was judgedtobenolongerfollowingtheMoralContract. The The conditionsofhospitalityhadbeenviolatedasthe“other side”

current alsooftheGalerie de Locataires’s strike. stubborn beliefofmany Yugoslav artiststhatan“outside” waspossible,thatisthe under declined theinvitation,consideringĐordevic´’s attemptnaive.Itispreciselythisnaiveté,a Đordevic´ (InternationalStrikeofArtists).Itisinterestingthatmostartistsfrom theWest proposed anddistributedthroughamailingnetworkin1979bythe BelgradeartistGoran interestingexampleofastrike—oraninvitationto aninternationalstrike—was Another Reproduced inSimplon-Express, mytranslation. At thatpointthethresholdwasraisedandintensified wasthe March 1976. will notcommunicateanywork/so-calledartisticasofthe7th the artmarket,LAGALERIEDESLOCATAIRES is onstrikeand called dissentersandtheavant-gardewithincurrentsystemof In ordertoexpressitsdisagreementwiththeconductofartists/so- 68 67 1974. ImagecourtesyofIdaBiardandLaGaleriedesLocatairesArchive. Ida Biard/LaGaleriedesLocatairesrealizingworkbyDanielBurenonthestreetsofBudapest,

- 141 BAGO | A WINDOW AND A BASEMENT 142 artmargins 1:2–3 posed orrealizedinPodroom: toward aseriesofideasandprojectsthatIvekovic´ andMartinis hadpro- gavereferredtothehostilityofseveralPodroomthey members(cohosts) to revertthespacebackitsinitialpurpose(theirstudio). The reasons ter tothePodroom Working Community, informingthemofthedecision Ivekovic´ andMartinis endedtheproject.InFebruary 1980theysentalet- they werestillthe“primary” hosts.Ayearafter theirreturnfromCanada, responsibility forinstigatingtheprojectofhospitality, and,inthissense, become hoststhemselves. they had invitedbecausethoseguestswerepreciselyinorder to Western Front inVancouver, Canada. 1978, left asvisitingartistsandguestsofanotherartist-runspace—the almost immediatelyafter openinguptheirstudiotootherartistsinMay rors Podroom’s beginningswhenSanjaIvekovic´ andDaliborMartinis, with apossibleanswer: invitethemandthenleave.Theactionalsomir the invitedguestslikeequals,hownottobesovereignsofspace— Podroom. ItseemedtoprovideGoranPetercol’s question—howtotreat it illustratedtheimpossibleprojectofhospitalitythattookshapein 71 70 69 one whokeepshimathome.” one invited,oftheguest[hôte],hostagehereceives, hostashostage:“Theoneinvitingbecomesalmostthehostage ofthe the alence betweenguestandhost,hostilityhospitality, Derridaframes the plannedscenarioforevent. asked foranexplanation,Martek admittedthatwhatoccurredhadbeen by anothertime—madethevisitexceptional.Thenextday, whenhewas and thefactthathelivedinBelgradecouldn’t thereforesimplystop take responsibilityandbecomethehostforaguestwhoseauthority— After thirtyminutesofawkwardexpectation,Stilinovic´ feltpressuredto guests becamethehostagesofmissinghost.

idea concerning the potential of an artist-run space. artist-run idea an concerning the of potential initiatives theyhadvisitedinCanada,artistic whichhadinformed theirown self-organized returned inFebruary 1979,after whichtheygaveatalkabouttheirresearch,presentingthe membersofthegroup,notIvekovic´other andMartinis, partlydueto theirabsence.They In fact,theactualprogramsthattookplace inPodroom weremainlyconceivedandrealizedby It isrecountedherebasedonaconversation withMladenStilinovic´. Derrida, “Hostipitality,” 9. Ivekovic´ andMartinis weren’t kepthostageinZagreb bytheguests As heplayswiththeetymologyofterm“hospitality,” theambiv- This (undocumented)actionmaysoundlikeananecdote, 71 However, theywere kept hostagebytheir 69 InMartek’s reversaloftheequation, 70 but in fact butinfact - 72 that sheinsertedinitspages. designer ofthemagazine,didn’t signthetextualand visual“interventions” had returned,culminatingin1980withPrvibroj,becauseIvekovic´, as the test.According totheletter, thishostilitywasreactivatedoncethey monious and“free” to relations inthecommunityhadseriouslybeenput coincided withamomentwhenthecontractofhospitalityensuringhar left forCanada, soitcanbeinferredthatthe momentoftheirdeparture The CEACtalkwasorganizedinJune 1978,beforeIvekovic´ andMartinis 74 73 common ground. of thenegotiationhospitality, oftheborderbetweenindividualand a drawerasyetanotherpotentiality, adocumentednodeintheprocess cular interests.” ists’ solidarity, whichwas,inturn,constantlythreatenedbytheir“parti­ their owncommunity. Itcouldbeputintopracticeonlythroughtheart- only theartists’ relationswiththestate,butalsowithin thresholds. For thiscontractshouldbereadasanattempttoregulatenot a concretecontract(theonebyIvekovic´ andMartinis) onlyraisedthe between hostsandguests,nowperceivingeachotherasathreat. thepresenceofghosthostility,of whichreassertedacleardistinction ofhospitalityinthiswayfullyunraveleditself,anacknowledgment bind sition ofunwantedcollectiveownershipandresponsibility. Thedouble tract” thusfellapartoveralackingsignature,whichwasseenastheimpo

soon astheywereoffered participationin thenextexhibitionbyaninstitution. members; however, theartistsjokingly admittedthattheywouldprobably forgetaboutitas As canbeinferredfrom thediscussioninPrvibroj,itnominallyreceived thesupportofmost rhetoric abouttherelevanceofartinsocialist society. ists,” wascertainlyoneofthem,andprobably alsosomenewspapercutoutsquotingstate of awomanwithraisedfistandthetext, “Iadvocateanewlegislationonindependent art- It isnotindicatedwhatpreciselymeant bythis,butwecanassumethatthephotograph and beresponsibleforanyaction,exhibition,ormanifestation. advocated thateachmemberwasfreetoorganize,investhisowneffort have supportbyallRZUmembers.At thesametimemostmembers usurped powerwithinPodroom byorganizingtheeventthatdidn’t group CEACcausedseverecriticismandallegationsthatwehad Our engagementwithorganizingthetalkCanadian artist Podroom’s symboliccontracthadbeenviolated, andtheproposalof Experi Petercol, Museum ofContemporaryArt,Zagreb, emphasisadded.CEACistheCenter for Letter tothemembersofRZUPodroom, February 26,1980,Podroom ArchiveofGoran throw ofauthority. because theiractivitiesweredeemedradical andtheywereaccusedofpromotingtheover 1975 by Amerigo Marras, BruceEves, andRonGillespie, whichwasforcedtoclosein1980 ­mental ArtandCommunication,anartistgroupspacefoundedinToronto in 74 Andsothecontractwasneversigned;itplacedin 73 The“community oftheunsignedcon- 72 - - - 143

BAGO | A WINDOW AND A BASEMENT 144 artmargins 1:2–3 Image courtesyofDaliborMartinis. Discussion withtheCanadian artistgroupCEACinPodroom,June1978. 75 leaving behindnocertaintraces. inhabited spacethroughconstant distributionanddeterritorialization, the strategyofnomad,principlewindow: itoccupiedand In search fortherightmodeofstruggle,LaGalerie desLocataireschose within art,tryingtoliberateitfromtheremnantsofancienrégime. good participatingintheshapingofsociety, artistsfoughtforautonomy whereartwas(nominally)notseenasaprivateactbutcommon tries simply searchingfor“an outside” ofthe(art)system.Insocialistcoun ments oractivistinitiativesor, asinthecaseofLaGalerie desLocataires, tor, (some)artistsintheWest soughtautonomybyjoining the civilmove and itsowndoublebind.Co-optedbyinstitutionsthecorporate sec- less, necessarilyevokesanotherimpossibleproject,thatofautonomy, do more,orwhetheritrather, bytryingtodomore,infactendsupdoing the uncertaintyabouthowtofightthesebattles.Askingwhetherartcan battles thatneededtobefoughtintherelationbetweenartandsociety, and members, theconstantpressureofcompetition,butalsodifferent The conflict,however, impliednotmerelytheselfishneedsofindividual Ground

in space,adistribution thatoccupiesspace,butleavesnocertain tracesinaway. is itcharacterizedby movement;itconcernsfirstofalldeterritorialization andadistribution noting, however, thatforDeleuzeandGuattari, thenomadisnotsameasmigrant,nor Nomadology” and “1440:TheSmoothandtheStriated” inAThousandPlateaus. Itisworth This ishowDeleuzeandGuattari conceiveofthenomadicorsmoothspace.See“Treatise on 75 Podroom’s principle, ontheotherhand, - - Gržinic´ notes,wheneverythingcanbeco-optedbylimitlessinclusion (which affected itsgradualinstitutionalization). (Expanded Media Gallery) wasfounded,albeitwithin a state institution background, andintheframeworkofwhichartist-runPMGallery that accepted forthefirsttimeasmembersartistswithnoacademic Media” sectionwithintheCroatian“Expanded SocietyofVisual Artists retrospect besaidtohavebeencrucialforthefounding ofthe can in program.Althoughrelativelyshort,thePodroom experience common that could alwaysleavethemousehole,evenwithoutaclearagendaor only whentheyacquiredabase,becamepotentialthreat ers” scattered around squares, parks,andbuildings. Theybecame“Podroom- invisibility, “fromthestreet,”wheretheiractionsandinterventions were linked toa“stateapparatus” ora“propertyregime.” striated space—incontrasttothenomadic,smoothspace—isalways sedentary, butnotintheDeleuze-Guattarian sensewherethesedentary, and occupyingpreciselythroughsharing.Theirinhabitationofspacewas was thatofthebasement:occupyingandinhabitingsamespace— 78 77 76 invisibility, itwanteditspresencetobeclearlymarked. itinvolvednocommonprogramofaction.However,when italsorejected occupationofspacewasnothegemonic,butbasedonsolidarity,tary even is occupation—involvingsit-ins, is privatization, andwhenthekeywordforglobalresistancemovements more andspaceisravagedbyperpetualviolence,exploitation, we shouldreconsiderthepowerofsedentary. The StateofThings:http://www.oca.no/programme/audiovisual/the-state-of-things.2 ). term “forensicaesthetics” byEyal Weizman examplehere,within aprojectitselfcalled (for and AntonVidokle, “Editorial,”e-fluxJournal no.15(April 2010),or theintroductionof dematerialized asformsofresistance.See, forexample,Julieta Aranda,BrianKuan Wood, hood, thuscompletingthereversalof preoccupationwithboththenomadicand It issymptomaticthatthisturnalsosynchronous withtherenewedinterestsinobject- an Abstraction,” http://www.versobooks.com/blogs/728 , lastaccessedFebruary 5,2012. requires acommonprogram,or“internal consistency.” McKenzie Wark, “HowtoOccupy ment,” andstatestheanarchiccharacter ofoccupation,incontrasttothemovement,which OWS isnotamovementsince“[a]noccupationconceptuallytheoppositeof move for example,McKenzie Wark’s commentonOccupyWall Street,whereheremindsusthat It iseasytorelatethesestrategiesthepresentprevalenceofresistanceasoccupation. See, in space.DeleuzeandGuattari, AThousandPlateaus,381. while moving,”usingpreciselythemetaphorofsittingtodescribenomadic distribution plicate thematterbystating:“[T]henomadmoves,butwhileseated,andheisonly seated always mediatedbysomethingpertainingtothestateapparatus.However, theyagaincom- The sedentaryspaceischaracterizedbywalls,borders;therelationto spaceis Occupying abasealsomeantdrawingborder. Because,asMarina Many ofthePodroom artistsinfactliterallycametoPodroom from squatting, andstubbornlystayinginplace 78 76 Podroom’s seden- 77 Today, when - — 145

BAGO | A WINDOW AND A BASEMENT 146 artmargins 1:2–3 Locataires. PropertyoftheMuseumContemporary Art,Zagreb. x 21cm.AcquisitionfromthecollectionofIdaBiard—LaGaleriedes Alain Fleischer. ManièresdeporteI,1973–74.Printonpaper, 29.7 81 80 79 necessary pursuitspastandpresent. foramovementthatistotouchbase.Andmergeimpossibleand waiting the unvaluedlabor; tracts; intheground,undergaining filed agendasofcommonaction,thelostdocuments,unsigned con

some placedinthedrawer asevidence,in(the)caseofnegotiating hospitality. this day, nobodyhasarrived.Some keysmighthavebeenlost,othersthrown away, and held thekeywerenot guestsbuthosts.Intheendallsixty-eight keysweretaken,and,to necessary toannounceoneself:nobody would cometoanswerthedoorsincethosewho one ofthekeysandenterinstitute’s homeinLiverpoolatanytime.There,itwouldn’t be together theywouldformthewordUtopia . Visitors totheexhibitionwereinvitedtake ies ofthemasterkeyandhangthemon sixty-eightnailshammeredintothewallsothat they delegatedtherealizationofthiswork tothecurators,whoweremakesixty-eightcop- cient fundstoinvitetheinstituterealize theworktheyhadproposedforexhibition, HDLU [Croatian AssociationofVisual Artists],Zagreb, 2008).Since therewerenotsuffi- bition inZagreb (TheSalonofRevolution,curatedbyIvanaBagoandAntoniaMajacˇa, erty bedroominEverton, Liverpool,UK,sentakeytotheirhomethecuratorsofanexhi- In 2008theInstituteforArtandPracticeofDissentatHome,runoutacouncil prop- added, mytranslation. http://lagaleriedeslocataires.com/textes.html, lastaccessedJanuary 19,2012,emphasis Marina Gržinic´, “Art, Activism andTheory,” inRand andKouris,PlayingbytheRules. So onceagainwearebackintheground:plantedseeds, the ground.” promises. Iconsiderthemseedsplantedin things—the tracesarehere.Theywerenot— founder IdaBiardwrites,“And ofall those in the form ofanarchive,whichits finds oneofitsownbasesontheInternet, or Today, “less.” La GalerieLocatairesdes whether thiswasachievedbydoing“more” of certain thatartcouldbemore,regardless that theGalerie remainedabeliever, showed expansion. Thedecisiontoendthestrike andborderless inclusiveness unlimited more cautiously, awareofthetraps and pace slower activities butatamuch 1982. Inthe1980s,Galerie resumedits nounced itsstrike,lastingfrom1976 to La Galerie desLocatairesdidwhenitpro- to actpolitically.” within inclusionmeanstoact, the limitless within theinconsistencyofbigOther, necessary todrawaborder. Todraw a border and endlessexchange,“[i]nordertoactitis 81 80 79 This was precisely what Thiswaspreciselywhat - one coulddare toraiseuporclaimown,mail arthasbeenandisan correspondence. genres andtypesofactivity, butwithmarvelouspossibilities forbrotherly asequential andspatiallydislocalized “We,” practicingnobly diverse still formafraternalnetworkthat spanstheglobe.We lived a temporarily on allofus:thosewhoknoweachotherand we suspect and inthecurrentregionofMercosur/UNASUR) hasleft itsmark direction ofmylifetothepresentday. Ecuador, Argentina . .) andtheliberationmovementshavemarked (Cuba,Chile,Bolivia,Peru,side Nicaragua,Venezuela, Uruguay, Colombia, moresensitivecontext,thepopularstrugglesin country- ideologically poor areasoftheSouthernConeSouthAmerica.Inabroader and andlinkittoFluxusthehighlyinnovativepoetry practiced in to thefourthcenturyBC,butIwouldprefersituateitas a derivateof 1960s and1990s.Ifwesearchforbeginnings,thishistorycanbetraced trend ofglobalpoeticexchange-at-a-distancethatpeakedbetweenthe and thereforenevergivesrisetoanewcreation.Ibelongan(artistic) remarked, onlyindustrialwasteisperverse,becauseitdoesn’t degrade remains andresidualsthatfertilizenewcultivation.AsOctavioPaz once In therivers,evencontaminated,thereisalwayssediment:organic © 2012 ARTMargins and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology© 2012ARTMargins andthe MassachusettsInstitute of (My LifeinMailArt) The NetWithoutaFshermn. Invisble Artists, or Without directors,critics,patrons, nor anofficial historythat some- “Arte Correo” (theparticularwayofsaying“mailart” intheCaribbean GGMarx, Artist’sStamp,1978,2012.Courtesy ofGracielaGutiérrez Marx. Graciela G.GutiérrezMarx 147

gutiérrez marx | invisible artists 148 arTmargins 1:2–3 remain unfinished. nization areopenandrhizomatic:processesofco-creationthatalways always workinacollective,andthereforeboththeworkstheirorga- building diversedispositionsthathavetheirownmarginalcharacter. I revilement—or aresurrectionbytransformation. thatsamereasonitrunstheriskofdeathbydisappearance,execution, for art boundtolife.Asaresult,allofthismaterialexchangeisalive,and dictatorship led byGeneral Onganiaclosed theinstitute. which Ifrequented regularly. However, beforeIwasable to enter, the the stateofthings,theyinvited metotakepartintheDiTella Institute, time functionedasanentrance tothe“Ver yEstimar” prize.Thisbeing 1969 IhadanexhibitionatLirolay Gallery ofBuenos Aires,whichatthat splashes oflava.Iwasawarded someimportantprizes,andin1968 ensembles ofbitsscrapmetal,sewntogetherwithflashesfireand me, andafter someyears,Imadetheaudaciousmoveofconstructing wanted toemulateGiacometti, withalltherespectthatwas possiblefor thinking, bywhichweenterednewlevelsofpossibleconsciousness. were introducedtoHegelian theories,tophenomenologicalandsemiotic apprenticeship—the aestheticsofBenedettoCroce wereburiedandwe lege ofbeingastudentandassistantforsevenlongyears exceptional Aesthetics headedbyManuel LópezBlanco—of whomIhadtheprivi oftranscendentalinspiration.Atand theDepartmentofPhilosophyand classicists andratherRomantic,theyespousedtheideaofgenius(bybirth) who brokewithlongstandingacademicprinciples.Beingalmostneo- some artist-professorswhohadbeentrainedinEuropethe1950sand school oftheNationalUniversityLaPlata,inspitepresence dow openingtoindependentexperimentationthathadnoplaceintheart to gothere.In1962,the“SI”groupwasborninLaPlata.Itawin- of thegenerationalabyss. . Bergman andAntonioni;thenouvellevagueensconcedusindarkness ered theimmeasurableinfilmsof Federico Fellini, theineffable in Simone deBeauvoir, Cortázar, Neruda,andthePopol Vuh. We discov- roll, andread—betweentheagesofsixteentwenty—Jean Paul Sartre, They calledus“theuglyducklings”: wewitnessedthebirthofrockand sity ofLaPlata)forthebachelor’s degree,andfinallyIjoinedthefaculty. I amfromthe1960s.studiedatBellasArtes(theNationalUniver As apractitionerandheadofanarchiveephemeralworks,Iam I studiedsculpturewithAurelio Macchi, adiscipleofZadkine. I For us,Paris wasstillthecenterofartworld,andalluswanted - ­ in thehopesofbringingaboutatransformation. an example,andthepopularmovementswereincludingus,onebyone, French May of1968gaveuscourage.Theso-calledCordobazoservedas creation ofadifferent world,includingtheprojectofa“newman.”The to poetry, actionpoetry. which wasrelatedtonewforms ofconcretepoetry: processpoems,visual with EdgardoA.Vigo, andfromhismouthIheard theword“mailart,” for metogoandplay. ItwasthenthatIbecameintimatelyacquainted theless, waitingforme,justaroundthecornerwheredoors wouldopen know,yet somethingthat wasnotwell-knowntomebutthatwas,never creation begantodrawmein. body,” nortoproduce eternalworksofart.Insteadtheprocessescollective in. Ipreferredtofaceothertypesofdifficulty. Ididn’t wanttobe“some- art itwasn’t thegalleries,market,orprizesthatIwasinterested 1 (the name coined for mail art in Argentina) by sending me me Artecorreo (thenamecoinedformailart inArgentina)bysending Simultaneously, Fidel’s CubaandCheGuevara litthetorchesfor About halfwaythrough the1970s,HoracioZavala handed methekey It wasnecessarytodigdeeperandsearchforsomethingthat Ididn’t 1969, duringthemilitary dictatorshipofGeneral Juan Carlos Onganía. The Cordobazowas a civiluprisinginthecityofCórdoba,Argentina, attheendofMay GGMarx, Transcultural Landscape,2005.Collage. Courtesy ofGracielaGutiérrezMarx. 1 Ialreadyknewthatin - 149

gutiérrez marx | invisible artists 150 arTmargins 1:2–3 Edgardo A.Vigo, Abel or“pigeon,”aswetendedtocallhim. bachelor’shis degreeclass—myownstudents—andofthattheson fugitive studenttoldmeaboutthedisappearanceofhisfriendsfrom On March 24,theterroriststatewasinauguratedbyamilitaryjunta. began exercisingcensorship,anactivitythatsoonturnedintorepression. ÚLTIMA (last).At thisexhibitionthe“StateIntelligenceServices” already Buenos Aires(organized byVigo andZavala). Tellingly itwascalled interactivenetworks.In1975thefirstmailartshowtookplacein several munication atadistanceviathemail”) thathadalreadyhelpedcreate byUlisesCarrión.lands Ibecamepartofthemailexchangelists(“com an invitationtoexhibitionofrubberstamps,organizedintheNether had learnedfrom myparticipationinthemail networks,andcreatinga “G.E. MarxVigo” werelovinglyrolledup. lations ofpopularaltars—the bannersandburialsofourownremains. oftheRiodeLaPlataandat beachesofBocaCerrada;banks theinstal Fusion andAccompanied Flight, love forglobalbrotherhood,arethefollowing:projectsketches for Jorge Caraballo fromaUruguayanprison. its solidarityandstrengthwhenitmanagedtofreeClemente Padín and tolive thankstotheinternationalnetworkthathadalreadyshown tinued cal landscape.We, likeothers,were “thedisappearedliving,”andwecon- active andtoreconstructourselvesmetaphorically, amidahorrificpoliti ofthemcirculatingbymail)representedourchancetocontinue being (all graphics, woodengravings,declarations,andpoetic-political platforms Appointments, meetings,marginalpublications,visualpoetry, alternative That’s howweenteredintoanaestheticmarriagethatlasteduntil1983. using ajointsignatureandname(G.E.MarxVigo) togiveusmorestrength. conduct wasviewedasaproblemfor“nationalsecurity.” work thatIwasdoingfortheMinistryofCultureandEducation.My conies, andinparks,Iwasexpelledfromtheuniversityfired doors andwindows.Inthisscenarioofbloodshedonsidewalks,bal complete withinspectionsthatincludedbootkicksandrifleshots,into sity cityparexcellence,transformeditselfintoanocturnalexecutionfield, There weremanymoredisappearances.ThecityofLaPlata,auniver One July morningin1976,atthe sculpturestudioatBellasArtes,a In 1984Ireclaimed myidentityas“GGMARX” byapplyingwhatI With theturntoso-called democracy, we separated,andtheflagsof The imagesthatIrememberbest,asformulatethisdeclaration of On August 22,1977,EdgardoVigo proposedthatweworktogether The Appointments , orSpringRitualsonthe - - - - - ­ nature: CorrespondingBiographemes . while atthesametimeIpursueprojectsthatconsider partofmy archive, theworld.Todayuted allaround IworkinGalpón delaLoma’s mailart stillaliveandwhoduguptheirtreasures,thebookhasbeen distrib- are in thePostal Network.Thankstothecooperationofoldcomrades,who the networks.In2010IeditedabooktitledMAILART=InvisibleArtists version ofmailart. me tothis“virtualworld.”ThisishowIbeganassimilate tothisnew whenIwasalittlegirl;andthenheboughtcomputertointroduce like tricks onme.First hegavemeaboxofcolored pencilssothatIwoulddraw until theyear2000.ThenMartin Eckmeyer(myson)usedtwomagic those olddays,areconnectedtotheInternet.Irefusedcome online doors. Today almostallofourcomradesfromthemailartnetworks, tosilentlysliptheenvelopeswithinvoicesandtaxesunderpeople’s started at thepostoffices. Thepostalworkersquitdelivering metaphorsand were deactivated. At thattimetheyinstalledstampingmachines creation anylonger.tinue Thestreetbecamedesertedandthepracticesofcollective designed toletArgentinaenterthefirstworld,ouractionscouldn’t con - cerning the historyofmailart. and mediaeachtimeIamaskedtogiveseminarsortalkscon- formats HOJE- HOJA-HOY JuanFerreira, Martín Eckmeyer, Mamablanca, andmyself.Itwascalled GabrielaGlüzmann, Hermida, AlfredoMauderli, Susana Lombardo, odical thatwasself-managed byHilda Paz, Gustavo Mariano, Daniel and MissingPolitical Figures forOurAmerica. Teatrazo, ShadowsofHiroshima, AVotive forChile,BicyclestoChina, ourevents: projectsoriginated,weparticipatedinmanyactionartEl Actors, andfollowersofourtrends fromothercountries,wheresomeof I alsofoundedtheAssociationforUnlovedEarth. Marathon oftheAntiheroes, Poem-Pamphlet, andtheEditionsofConfusion Projects ofCollectiveCreation cameabout:theClotheslineforHistory , the new streetnetworkamongtheinhabitantsofmycity. Thatishowthe I have never abandoned the marginal practices and fraternal spirit of I haveneverabandonedthemarginalpracticesandfraternal spiritof In 1989,withthepromiseofafalse“productiverevolution” thatwas Between 1985and1986wepublishedfiveissuesofamarginalperi- Together withtheCAPATACO group,theAssociationofArgentinean . Istillreprintitwiththesamenameindifferent Translated byJenniferPetesonGarn . 151 gutiérrez marx | invisible artists 152 artmargins 1:2–3 article “Después delPop” Ideol Media Art inArgentina as mucharejectionofthesensorialimmediacyhappening asit © 2012 ARTMargins and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology© 2012ARTMargins andthe MassachusettsInstitute of InstitutoTorcuatothe DiTella’s Center forVisual Arts(CAV). capital’s experimentalartscene,often articulatedthroughandagainst Medios) tookshapeamidthecreativeandcommercialeffervescence ofthe ophy in1965,theArgentineanMedia ArtGroup (Grupo Artedelos Formed attheUniversityofBuenos Aires’s CollegeofLettersandPhilos­ INTRODUCTION together byPeronist hegemony. media, andtheirrepressiblemanifestationsofsocialdivisions onceheld growth ofconsumercapitalism,theinfluenceandubiquitymass the thesocialscopeofavant-gardistpracticeforvisualartsamid redefine the literarycriticandphilosopherOscarMasotta, thegroupclaimedto 2 1

As notedinthegroup’s manifesto,itscallforart’s disappearancewas ings yartedelosmedios enladécadadelsesenta(Buenos Aires:Edhasa,2004), 9–105. preliminar: Vanguardia yrevoluciónen lossesenta,”inRevoluciónenelarte: Pop-art, happen- For anintroductiontoMasotta’s roleasa criticofthevisualarts,seeAnaLongoni,“Estudio exhibition, inthepromotionofyoungartists amenabletotheinternationalartmarket. part itplayed,inacomplexbreakwithformal academismandsalon-stylepatronage was funded by a corporate foundation linked totheSIAMDiTella company—andforthe ofitsfinancial structurewithintheLatinAmericancontext—it notable bothforthenovelty to experimentaltheaterandtheothermusic.TheDiTella ters, onededicated Institutewas of downtownBuenos Aires,theFundaciónheart DiTellathe in boastedtwootherartisticcen­ Aires: AsuntoImpresoEdiciones,2007),80–85. Establishedin1958andfrom1962located See JohnKing,ElDiTella yeldesarrollo culturalargentinoenladécadadelsesenta(Buenos ogy andCritique 2 Karen Benezra 1 Formed by Karen Benezra art intoquestion. moment ofitsrealizationdisappears,”thegroupcalledautonomy ter ofmoretraditionalartistictechniquesandconventions. ter natureofcommunicationsignaledtheuniversallymediatedcharac­ gible plastic artswaslessabinarychoicethanpurposefuldecision:theintan and RaúlEscariprofessedtheirindebtednesstoRolandBarthes’s semi­ ifying myth” inthegroup’s firstcollectivework, artistsRoberto Jacoby contingent placedevoidofmeaning.Undertakingthepractice“myth­ produced differentially betweensignifiersandinrelationtoanempty interventionsstagedasemioticunderstandingofthesocial, collaborative news. —were increasinglytheproduct,ratherthansource,ofpop culture happenings—andthesupposedlyelitesocialscenearound them media, images ofmassculturefromtheirso-callednaturalcontextinthe was acriticismofpopart. was 3 media asitsprincipalfocus. social thanphysical.” of thegroup’s medium,intheartistRobertoJacoby’s words,was“more 8 7 6 5 4

Masotta noted,KaprowhimselfhadvisitedArgen scoring,plot,andthedispersionofaction.As varying degreesofaudienceparticipation, came todesignateakindofaleatoryperformancethatinvolved term The in 6Parts(1959). his essay“TheLegacyofJackson Pollock” (1958)andtohisearlypublicwork18Happenings the wordhappening ed. Jeff Art andLife, Kelley (Berkeley: UniversityofCalifornia Press,1992),1–9.Theoriginof bridge, MA:MITPress,2011),ix,12,30,32–33,andAllanKaprow, EssaysontheBlurring of JudithSee Rodenbeck,RadicalPrototypes:AllanKaprowandtheInventionofHappenings (Cam­ Taken atfacevalue,Masotta andtheMedia ArtGroup’s individualand nos. 9–10(December 2000–March 2001),46–50. Ibid., 126.For theoriginal coinageofthisphrase,seealsoEliseoVerón, “La obra,”Ramona itself, inoppositiontoothermedia,which ismeaningful.” (oil pluscanvas)doesnotonlytransmit meaningful messages;itisratherthemedium Roberto Jacoby, “Contraelhappening,”inHappenings, 127.InJacoby’s words,“A ‘medium’ Ibid., 122. All translationsfromSpanisharemine unless otherwisenoted. Happenings, ed.OscarMasotta etal.(Buenos Aires:EditorialJorge Alvarez,1967),119–22. Eduardo Costa,RaúlEscari,andRoberto Jacoby, “Unartede losmediosdecomunicación,”in appealed toatrendy, youthful,urbanaudience. ideologically alignedwiththedominantliberal,developmentalistideologyof period, García Canclini refersherespecificallytothecommercialmagazinePrimeraplana,which, “the phenomenon ‘DiTella’” were,toacertainextent, constructionsbythenewsmedia. (Mexico City: Siglo Veintiuno Editores,1979),118.Boththe frivolityoftheavant-gardeand See NéstorGarcía Canclini, Producciónsimbólica:Teoría ymétodoenlasociologíadelarte immediacy ofJean-Jacques Lebel’s interpretation ofthehappening. socially andtheoreticallyinformedmodelforavant-gardeart over and against the sensorial The Argentineancritic,however, wasmoredirectlyconcernedwithdevisinganalternative, 4 TheMedia ArtGroup tooktheideologicaloperationsofmass 6 Its preference for the mass media over the traditional Itspreferenceforthemassmediaovertraditional hasbeenattributedtotheAmericanartistandtheoristAllanKaprowin 8 3 Whilepop,theartistsargued,removed 5 Calling for“a ‘workofart’ forwhichthe tina and declared it a country of of country a it declared and ­tina 7 The materiality Themateriality happenistas. ­ 153

benezra | media art in argentina 154 artmargins 1:2–3 American conceptualism. sentatives ofauniquelyLatinAmerican,politicizedreworking ofAnglo- hand, theMedia ArtGroup anditssuccessorshavebeencastasrepre­ frontational successorspointsintwoproblematicdirections. Ontheone ship betweentheinitialpraxisofMedia ArtGroup anditsmorecon Carlos Onganía.Theradicalizedandself ern ArgentinianprovinceofTucumán duringthedictatorshipofJuan the repressivepoliticalatmosphereandheightenedpovertyofnorth­ one ofwhosecentraltargetswastorevealhowthemassmediaoccluded (Tucumán IsBurning, 1968)positeditselfasacounterinformationalwork, The collectiveethnographicstudyandexhibitiontitledTucumán arde ofthepoliticalradicalizationArgentina’semblematic neo-avantgarde. 11 10 9 had itselfbecomethesymptomaticsiteforgroup’s intervention. and massculturethewayinwhichthisnewamalgamof“culture” addressedboththequicklychangingrelationshipbetweenhighart group thiscase,thedoublynaturalizedhappeningsofDiTellain scene.The media producetherealityaboutwhichtheypurporttoinformreader; never takeplace.With this,theyrevealedthewaysinwhichmass 1966), theartistsadvertisedaperformanceinprintmediathatwould and Costa’s Happening paraunjabalí(Happening difunto foraDead Boar, otic analysisofreifiedculturalimagesinMythologies(1957).InJacoby experimentalism partoftheavant-garde’s politicaltask. the artwork’s own“politicalefficacy,” atermthatmeanttomakeformal and itsreformulationoftheartist’s politicalcommitmentintermsof gration ofartandlife,itsrebelliousattitudetowardtheinstitutionart, minated inTucumán ardecanbecharacterizedbyitscallsfortheinte ­

conceptual art” inArgentina:one morepolitical,asinthelaterDiTella avant-garde,andone To thisdivisionwemightalsoaddwhat Jacqueline Barnitzreferstoas“thetwotypes of argentino (Buenos Aires:Eudeba,2008),66–73and90–163. Mariano Mestman, DelDiTella aTucumán Arde:Vanguardia artística ypolíticaenel’68 Argentina’s “modernizing circuit” ofart institutionsaround1968,seeAnaLongoniand For adetailedaccountofnumberemblematic rebellionsagainstwhatGiunta referstoas value, ontheother. raneous spreadofmassconsumption,on theonehand,andreconfigurationofartistic circumstances placedtheMedia ArtGroup’s membersinanovelrelationtothecontempo ­ tion ofliteratureandthevisualartswerecreated.Thisparticularconcatenation of tal and the expansionofconsumermarkets,as new channelsforthefinancinganddistribu­ andautonomyafforded it,atleasttemporarily,production bythepenetrationofforeigncapi­ art andmasscultureinthecapitalcityoflate1960swaspremisedongreater artistic See García Canclini, Producciónsimbólica,110.Theincreasinglyporousborderbetweenhigh In thegrowingbodyofcriticalliteratureonperiod,relation­ The group’s influencecanalsobenotedintheworkthatismost 11 Othercontemporarycritics,bycontrast, -proclaimed avantgardethatcul 10 9 ­ ­ deservedly beenmadeofthecirculationFrench thought inthiscon­ and New Left duringthe1950sand1960s—injournalssuchasContorno with SartreanMarxism withintheintellectualmilieuofArgentinean hiseclecticinterestsandattemptsatarticulatingFrenchfor structuralism (Freudian SchoolofBuenos Aires)in1974. and writings,forfoundingtheEscuelaFreudiana de Buenos Aires work asatranslatorandcommentatorofJacques Lacan’s earlyseminars art. Masotta isperhapsbestknownintheSpanish-speakingworldforhis mediaandideologycritiquethatisatstakeinthepraxisof artistic writings onartinthislight,Iwillattempttotracetherelationshipbetween as well astheformalconventionsofartobject.Turning toMasotta’s within aconceptualistframeworkthatquestionedthetraditionalmedia the groundworkforrethinkingrelationshipbetweenartandpolitics zation. Asanovelkindofsociallycriticalart,theMedia ArtGroup laid parameters bywhichwedefinethesupposeduniquenessofthispolitici­ in the Argentinean context,Iwouldliketoreconsiderthetheoretical 13 12 Lacan’s returntoFreud. Masotta’s particularinterestinthedecenteringofsubjectimplied by as itwastoRolandBarthes’s critiqueofideologyinMythologiesandto cal actionandthesemioticconcernsofMedia ArtGroup, indebted insinuate amoreradicalbreakbetweentheavant-garde’s callstopoliti­

Clase obrera,towhichMasotta himselfcontributed.Much canandhas analytic CultureinArgentina (Stanford,CA:Stanford UniversityPress,2001),185–90. see Mariano BenPlotkin,Freud inthePampas: TheEmergenceandDevelopmentofaPsycho ­ On Masotta’s introductiontoandfirst incursionsinto Freudian andLacanianpsychoanalysis, Argentine ArtintheSixties ­ Fundación Proa,1998).SeealsoAndreaGiunta, Avant-Garde, Internationalism,andPolitics: Rizzo, OscarTeran, andLucas Fragasso, InstitutoDiTella: Experiencias’68(Buenos Aires: narrativesoftheavant-garde’salyptic politicizationinthelate1960s.SeePatricia Thompson Ana Longoni,Mariano Mestman, Patricia Rizzo, and AndreaGiunta providesomewhatapoc­ concepto (Madrid: Akal,2010). of theArgentineanavant-gardeasearly1972.SeeMarchán Fitz, Delarteobjetualalde of Texas Press, 2007). Spanish art historianMarchán Fitz concerns ideological the pinpoints Luis Art:DidacticsofLiberation(Austin:American Camnitzer,Latin University in Conceptualism (NewHaven, CT:Olea Héctor Yaleand Ramírez UniversityPress,2004),427; and Carmen in LatinAmerica,1960–80,” 1992), 35.SeealsoMari Carmen Ramírez,“Tactics forThrivingonAdversity: Conceptualism (Austin: Archer M. Hunt­ Camnitzer,Luis Jaar,Alfredo CildoMireiles,ed.Mari Carmen RamírezandBeverlyAdams Barnitz, “Con­ y Comunica­ more technologicalinscope,centered,from1969,aroundtheBuenos AiresCentro deArte Without rejectingtheevidentlypoliticalstakesofdematerialization ción (CAYC) undertheleadershipofJorgeGlusberg. Onthispoint,seeJacqueline Encounters/Displacements: ceptual ArtandLatinAmerica:ANaturalAlliance,”inEncounters/Displacements: ington ArtGallery, CollegeofFine Arts,UniversityofTexas atAustin, 12 (Durham, NC:DukeUniversityPress,2007), 267–79. Inverted Utopias:Avant-Garde inLatinAmerica 13 Masotta hasalsobeennoted , ed.Mari 155

benezra | media art in argentina 156 artmargins 1:2–3 17 16 15 14 problem orquestioncanbecomevisible. structuring principlethatdeterminestheformsthroughwhichagiven problématique), atermthatcanbedefinedasboththestructureand reading ismeanttorevealwhatAlthussercalls“theproblematic” (le light ofLouisAlthusser’s practiceofsymptomaticreading.Symptomatic estranging effect upontheviewer. of thinkingaboutamaterialistaestheticsthatgoesbeyondthework’s art, betweenthemassmediaandartisticmedium,pointstoaway unique understandingoftherelationshipbetweenmasscultureandhigh Masotta’s interestinredefiningavant-gardeart,Iwillsuggestthathis ogy critiqueintheMedia ArtGroup’s workandtheirmanifestowith ideological critiquepossibletoday. Combiningtheincipienttaskofideol­ penings andtheirpotentialimplicationsforrethinkingtheformsof text. Myfocushere,bycontrast,willbeonMasotta’s writingsabout hap­ work. tothewayinwhichweexperiencethisgesturerelationagiven and understandsasthehumanistideologyofindividualsubject Althusser function fromphilosophywithrespectbothtothecritique ofwhat ofagiventextremainsthesame,artfulfillsqualitatively different tions ceptualize thisoperation.Thoughthecalltoconceptualize theopera­ his orherownlivedideology, whileitremainsthetaskofcritictocon in itsnecessarilyphantasmalpresence,distancingthespectatorfrom themselves thatmakeusseeandperceivethecauseofagivenstructure “presence inabsence” ofthecausallogicagivenstructure. ofthisproblem,thesymptomaticreadingalsomakesvisible presence of adifferent problematic. relatingittoadifferentby text—inotherwords,viewingitinthelight reading “divulges” the“fleetingpresence” ofthisstillinvisiblesolution ‘painter ofabstraction.’” Cremonini, who,inAlthusser’sa words,“isnotanabstractpainter .but readinginhisessayontheItalianexpressionistpainterLeonardo tomatic 2001), 158. Louis Althusser, LeninandPhilosophy andOtherEssays(NewYork: MonthlyReviewPress, Materialism (London:Verso, 1987),272. Michael Sprinkler, ImaginaryRelations:Aesthetics andIdeologyinthe TheoryofHistorical Ibid., 29,28. Louis AlthusserandEtienneBalibar, ReadingCapital (London:Verso, 2009),26,28. The noveltyoftheMedia ArtGroup’s approachbecomesclearerin In Althusser’s writingsonartandtheater, itisinasensetheworks 16 NowhereisthismoreobviousthaninAlthusser’s practiceofsymp 17 WhatCremonini makesvisiblewithhis dis­ 15 By detectingandconceptualizingtheabsent 14 In this sense, the symptomatic Inthissense,thesymptomatic ­ ­ sets, oranactingstyledevoidofpathos—theV representation throughtheuseofexaggeratedcostumes,sparse theatrical whatheorshehadtakenasself to regard the logicinherentininseparabilityofcausal“matter” andform. elty canthusbeseeninthewayitsoughttoredefineartby historicizing its roleinthetransformationofspectator. Thegroup’s criticalnov­ tothecentralplaceofdefamiliarizationindefiningbothartand challenge workings oftheartworkitself. tance betweenthespectatorandworkinwardtowardinternal effect throughtheirowninternalstructures,inasensedirectingthedis­ however, liesinhowworksofartworthythenameaccomplishthis The specificityofAlthusser’s renderingofBrecht’s estrangementeffect, 21 Brecht’s or distancethespectatorfromhishereverydayideologyBertolt that otherwiseremaininvisibleinoureverydayperceptionof“reality.” and dividedhumanfiguresistherealabstractionofsocialrelations torted 20 19 18 the workofartthatrenderitvisible. tionship betweenastructure’s absentcauseandtheformaldistortionsin tator. However, thesymptomaticreading can drawnonecessaryrela­ the decenteringofstructuredeterminingbothworkanditsspec­ myths, andsoforth—suchatransformationoccurs,forAlthusser, as form itsviewerthroughsemanticcontent—sociohistoricreferences, tor can perceivehisorhernecessarypathofpoliticalactionwithclarity.tor rary problemintohistoricalperspectiveandviceversasothatthespecta­ spectator anactivecriticofsociety.”

For Marx, 182–93. titled “TheProcessof TheoreticalPractice” in“OntheMaterialist Dialectic.” SeeAlthusser, omy andthelaboroftheoryon“raw material” ofideologycanbefoundinthesection As Sprinklerhasnoted,Althusser’s mostdevelopeddiscussionofthematter ness atthestructurallevel. theplay isthedevelopmentofthisnewandincompleteconscious­ into thisdistanceitself”; Althusser’s interpretation ofit,theeffect ofdefamiliarizationmust“make[thespectator] bypresentinghimwithadistortedmirrorofhisfamiliarreality,situation own according to 151. If, forBrecht,theV ‘PiccoloTeatro’:“The BertolazziandBrecht,”inFor Marx (London:Verso, 2005),145,146,148, Warren Montag,LouisAlthusser(Houndmills:Palgrave Macmillan, 2003),28;LouisAlthusser, TDR 15,no.1(1970):124. Ernst Bloch, “‘Enfremdung,Verfremdung’: Alienation,Estrangement,”TheDramaReview: Bertolt Brecht,“A ModelforEpicTheater,” TheSewaneeReview57,no.2(1949):432. The Media ArtGroup anditsavant-gardistsuccessorsproffered a Althusser borrowshisunderstandingofart’s abilitytodefamiliarize Verfremdungseffekt. TheaimoftheV -effect attemptstotransform thespectatorintoanactivecriticofhis 20 Similarly, whileaworkofartmaytrans­ 21 18 By shockingthespectatorwith evident—by signaling the fact of -evident—by signalingthefactof -effect isto“makeofthe -effect placesacontempo -form dichot­ 19 ­

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benezra | media art in argentina 158 artmargins 1:2–3 images.” advertising fashion, andinthemovieswethoughtwerebad,pocketnovels museums” butrather“inthestreet,inlife,oncovers ofmagazines,in ness andStructure),“art isneitherinmakingoilpaintingsnor ing” tohis1967anthologyofessays Concienciayestructura(Conscious­ semiotics oversubjectiveexperience.AsMasotta declaresinthe“warn­ however, Masotta’s positionprovesirreducibletoamereprivileging of reality alreadyreifiedbythemassmedia. insofar astheypretendtorepresentandpresent,respectively,task asocial For Masotta, bothpopartandhappeningsfailintheircritical,historical choiceleft foranavant-gardetrulycognizant,ifnotahead,ofitstime. only borrows fromtheRussianconstructivistartistElLissitsky, remainsthe of thepastinordertoproducegenuinelynewobjects.” themosttotalizing,onlyonecapableofcollectingteachings sive, subsumption ofsocietyunderthemassmedia. porate thefactandlogicofwhatMasotta seesasthecompleteformal art’ssense, abilitytobecomepoliticalcannotbutacknowledgeandincor the wayinwhichartisticmediumcomestobeunderstood. Inthis popular worksandtheirmeansoftransmission,allthewhile redefining its ends.Artshouldtakecuefromtheintimaterelationship between of themodelsorconditionsforart,thusredefined,ratherthanasone thetic productioninsuchawaythatworksofmasscultureserveasone 25 Masotta, 24 23 Masotta, 22 popartandthehappening. both is framedasthesearchforatrueravant-gardeagainstpopularityof stakes ofthealreadytwo-year Pop: We Dematerialize),Masotta articulatesthesemioticandsociological his1967essay“Despuésdelpop:Nosotrosdesmaterializamos”In (After DEMA only become“susceptibletoreceivingpolitical .contentsandreally life. Masotta’s emphasisisnotonthemergingofartandeverydaymodern 24 nants governingthe happening’s form. of everydayobjectsand gesturesmightescapefromtheideological andeconomicdetermi that whathecriticizesispreciselythepresumption thatevenanaestheticexperiencewoven Indeed, averygenerousreadingofMasotta’s reproachestothehappeningwouldconclude (Buenos Aires:Corregidor, 1990),235–64. Oscar Masotta, “Despuésdelpop:Nosotrosdesmaterializamos,” inConcienciayestructura Over thecourseofhiswritingsonvisualartandavant-garde, An artwork“of themassmedia,”Masotta writes,“isthemost inclu­ Masotta insists,instead,onmaintainingaseparaterealmforaes­ TERIALIZA Conciencia yestructur a, 14. Conciencia yestructura,13. TION 23 Contrary to what these lines might seem to suggest, Contrarytowhattheselinesmightseemsuggest, -old practiceofmediaart.Masotta’s essay 22 Dematerialization,atermthatMasotta 25 Mass media works Mass mediaworks ­ ­ 28 27 26 Ibid. performed bythesubjectin filmagainstoneofthewallshall. Juxtaposed withthefilmwasaliveactorwhoreplicatedsame gestures in whichabandagedsubject thrashes aroundtryingtofreehimself. or quotation of a film by the American popreplica artist Claes Oldenburg, music, flashinglights,andtheprojectionofafilm.Thefilm itselfwasa public isseatedandenvelopedinamultisensorialenvironment oflive to arrivelatetothehelicopterlanding.WhileinsideTheatrón, copter arrive,whilethefirst,trappedinTheatrón,ispurposefully made upper fortheabandonedAnchorenatrainstationincity’sheaded northern, Fe andPuerredón inapopularshopping andbusinessdistrict,theother ballroomsituatedinashoppinggalleryonthecornersofSanta Theatrón headed fortwodifferent destinations,withoneofthemgoingtothe fate,Masottatheir dividesthemintotwogroupsandputsonbuses talks onthehappening. an audienceofabouteightypeopletotheDiTella aspartofaseries (The Helicopter), in “Despuésdelpop.”InElhelicóptero Masotta invites popular printmedia. art throughideology’s materialinstances,inthiscasetelevisionand work onideologyasart’s ownphysicalmatterorsupport,andtotransform might meanforavant-gardearttotakeideologyasitsownmedium, proposal foramaterialistaesthetics,mediaarttriestoanalyzewhatit as mightseemtobethecaseatfirstglance.InsameveinAlthusser’s and thesupposedlyimmediate,sensorialexperienceofhappening, more thanunderliningthesocialcodethatmediatesbetweenspectators in asecondaryrole.Masotta’s contribution,inthisregard,amountsto ture thatplaceseitheraestheticexperienceorthework’s physicalsupport be reductivetothinkofdematerializationasasemioticapproachcul­ the factandlogicofmedia’s totalizingeffect. to beinternallytransformedbytheneedtomakethemrelevantboth tantly, healsosuggeststhatart’s ownartisticmediaandaims beallowed technical meansofthemassmediaasart’s own;however, moreimpor own conceptandstructure.’” own fusing ‘revolutionarypraxis’ with‘revolutionaryaesthetics’ throughtheir Ibid., 249–50. Ibid., 247. We findthestakesofthisproposalintwoworks Masotta recounts In revisitingMasotta’s antihappeningsandmediaartworks,itwould -middleclass neighborhood.Thesecondgroupwitnessesaheli ­ 27 Without informingtheaudiencemembersof 26 Masotta proposesusing thelanguageand 28 ­ 159

benezra | media art in argentina 160 artmargins 1:2–3 analysis. myriad sociohistoricconnotationsexceedthebinariesofhisown structural ture” withintheapparentdisorderofhisantihappening,Anchorena’s matic demonstrationofthemyth’s compositionrevealsthe“rationalstruc neutralizes andequatesthesemanticcontentsofeach event’s ele­ these sensationsconveynomeaningoftheirown: ownwork. Despitebeingexposedtoaplethoraofsoundsandimages, his of Asdiwal.” Claude Lévi-Strauss’s structuralanalysisofmythinhisessay“TheStory have beenconstructed,modelinghisstructuralsynthesisofmyth on historical-technical, andcultural—aroundwhichthegroup’s storywould ofbinaryoppositions—geographic,economic,socioeconomic, categories geographicalsites.Masottaoverdetermined carefullystagedthedifferent the irreduciblesocioeconomicconnotationsembeddedinsituation’s of synchronic,structuraloppositionsthatnonethelessfailtoaccountfor meaningofanarrativeormythcanfirstbebrokendownintoseries sive El helicóptero,Masotta’s intentionwastoshowhowtheapparentlycohe­ 32 31 30 29 pants could“see” the totality oftheevents. In anearlierpassage,Masotta similarlystressesthatnoneofthepartici­ Masotta, “Despuésdelpop,” 246,252. Anchorena station. of theTheatrónballroomversusromanticism ofthebucoliclandscapearound versus allusiontothetoiletor“water” intheOldenburgfilm;andexpressionistscene status inthenorthernsectorofAnchorena; thehelicopterflyingoverheadatAnchorena of classconnotationinthegalleryversus theimplacableconnotationofupper the residentialversuscommercialneighborhoods ofeach;thesupposed“neutralization” Masotta lists these oppositions asfollows:theAnchorena skyversustheTheatrónbasement; ed. EdmundLeach(London:Tavistock, 1967),1–47;Masotta, “Después delpop,”253. Claude Lévi-Strauss,“TheStoryofAsdiwal,”inTheStructuralStudyMythandTotemism , Ibid., 247. Ibid., 250. respect towhathappenedatAnchorena. happened intheTheatrónwasnothingbuta“differential” with not sionism. IsimplywanttosaythattheeventsatTheatrónwere it [notienemuchoquever],giventhatIdidnotbelieveinsuchexpres But itisnecessarytopointoutthatdoesn’t havemuchtodowith ist styleofthesituationwasresultwhatImyselfhadplanned. It iscertainthatthiswhatthepublic“saw” andthattheexpression The subjectofOldenburg’s filmcaptureswell Masotta’s intentionfor all ofthehappening:frompointviewtotality, what 32 Initiallymeanttofunctionasthedifferential elementthat 31 Masotta goesontopointout,however, thatwhile thissche 30 According hisdescriptionof 29 -middleclass ­ ­ ­ ­ ción enelarte(BuenosAires:Edhasa,2004),n.p.PhotographbyPabloSuárez. previouslypublicized.Blackandwhitephotograph.Artist’sarchive.ImagefromOscarMasotta, Oscar Masotta.Elmensajefantasma(ThePhantomMessage),1966.Channel11televisionbroadcastofthe 2004), n.p.PhotographbyRubénSantonín. Aires. Blackandwhitephotograph.ImagefromOscarMasotta,Revoluciónenelarte(BuenosAires:Edhasa, of thesamewordsonChannel11pastedabuildingatcornerCórdoba andMaipúAvenues inBuenos Oscar Masotta.Elmensajefantasma(ThePhantomMessage),1966.Posteradvertisingthetelevisionbroadcast Revolu- 161 benezra | media art in argentina 162 artmargins 1:2–3 own ‘materiality.’” sculptures, so‘worksofcommunication,’too,definetheareatheir materials constitutethe‘material’ withandonwhichitispossibletomake the sameway, bronze,orwood,marble,glass,newsynthetic as the‘material’ ofmusicisfoundincertainsonorousmaterial .or, in guishes betweenthemediaartwork’s material,media,andobject:“Just whose mediumtheworkwouldappropriateasitsown.Masotta distin­ trast bothtotraditionalartisticobjectsandcommercialadvertising, tocapturetherealcriticalandaestheticnoveltyofmediaartincon posed semiotic aspectsatplayinthehappening,Elmensajefantasmawassup July 20.” Buenosdowntown Aires:“ThisposterwillbeprojectedbyChannel11on Masotta publicizedatelevisionbroadcastonthewallsofbuildingin the operationsandstakesofart’s dematerialization.Inthislaterwork, Masotta recountsin“Despuésdelpop,”shedsamorecomplexlighton of ideologyatworkinbothpieces. tomarkitselfasthesimultaneouslymaterialandsublime condition order beyond the objective,physicaltraits ofitstechnological transmission in nature ofthemediaartworkasexemplifiedinElmensajefantasma moves cal statement.At thesametime,specific“materiality” orimmaterial the heartofsocialcodeinElhelicópterointoasenseless,tautologi at tasma transformsthesimultaneouslyhistoricalandirrationalconnotation code threatenstobreakdowninElhelicóptero.Similarly, El mensajefan mensaje fantasmaradicalizestheoverdeterminedsiteatwhichsocial and inlieuoftheselectelitegroupaficionadosat Di Tella, El 36 35 Ibid. 34 33 them intermsofclassconflict. back onthesupposedlyneutraltermsofanalysis,recodifying doubles ahistoricalcontradictionbothexceedsstructurallygivenlackand where ments withrespecttooneanother, thehelicopterturnsouttobesite announces theapparitionofaposterwhosetextweproject.” the self advertising agency, Masotta thenbroadcastthemessageannouncing Ibid., 244. Ibid., 259. Ibid., 255–57. While Elhelicóptero,asMasotta clarifies,wasmeanttobringoutthe El mensajefantasma(ThePhantomMessage), thesecondartwork - referential wordsontheposter. Thespotread,“Thismedium 34 Having boughttwocommercialtelevisionspotsthroughan 36 In addition to addressing the masses as its audience, Inadditiontoaddressingthemassesasitsaudience, 33 35 - ­ ­ ­ habitual structures.” habitual bility thatareobtainedthroughthe‘transformations’ ofthemassmedia’s [in themassmediawork]hasmoretodowithcertaineffects ofintelligi­ “beauty” indirectreferencetoElmensajefantasma:“Whatisperceived tive byMasotta’s attempttoclarifywhathemeansbymediaart’s lackof more broadlyspeaking.Thisnondistinctionismadeallthesugges­ in mindissomethingclosertotheappearanceofmediaartwork to theformalqualitiesofagivenadvertisement,orwhetherwhathehas fully elusiveaboutwhathemeansby“beauty,” thatis,whetheritrefers to“what isperceived”Referring inthemediaartwork,Masotta ispurpose its characteristiclackofbeautyitretreatsfromsymbolization as such. because itdealswithideologyinitsmaterialinstances,nor only uptoapoint.For Masotta, mediaartismorematerialortangiblenot plane, Masotta insists insteadonthematerialqualityofideology, but dematerialized artworkandfromplacingitsuseoflanguageonanideal media’s ideologicalprocesses.Far fromdenyingthephysicalityof and wilinessinhisreferencestothepurportedmaterialityofmass final product—acommercialorbillboard—thatresultsfromthis. considered themeansemployedtoreachthisend,and“object” the ness ofthesubjectstowhichitisdirected,”whileitsmediumcan be with advertising,advertising’s “material” canbeconsideredthe“conscious regardless oftheirsocialregister. lacks theperceptiblebeautythatmightcharacterizetheseotherforms, contrast, unlikebothtraditionalsculptureandadvertising,media art 40 39 Ibid. 38 Ibid. 37 media againstitself. ing formediaarttoturn the naturalizeduseofmeaning in the mass (Against theHappening), Jacoby referencesBarthes’s Mythologiesincall­ condition, ifnottheeffect, ofintelligibility. In“Contraelhappening” culating art’s stakeinideologycritique. Whatwearemadetoseeisthe fully complyingwitheitherBarthes’s orAlthusser’s frameworksforarti­ or herasitwereto“see” ideologyinthemediaartobjectitself. vieweroutofhisorherspontaneousperceptionreality,the forcinghim drawn betweenthework’s sensualqualitiesandtheeffect ofshocking Jacoby, “Contraelhappening,”126. Ibid., 260n8. As Masotta elaboratesfurther throughacomparisonofmediaart resists At thesametime,itisforthisreasonthatElmensajefantasma resists 39 40 Masotta appearstosuggestherethatnolinecanbe Working uponapregivenlanguageofsignsor 38 Masotta maintainsacertaindistance 37 By By ­ ­ 163

benezra | media art in argentina 164 artmargins 1:2–3 41 language” andthesimultaneouslymaterial,sensible, negative,medi between what the artist Juannection Pablo Renzi calls “violence as aesthetic “commitment” atthecost of aestheticinnovation.Key hereisthecon­ of contingent,materialconcernsand,second,leftist callsforart’s political experimental artfromthedoubleburdenof,first,formalist exclusion mount inthiscontext,standingasacodewordthatmight release According tothem,thequestionofartwork’s efficacy becomespara­ radicalizedavant-gardeofthelate1960sinBuenospolitically Aires. Mestman haveprovidedthemostcomprehensiveaccountyetof contextofthelate1960savant-garde.AnaLongoniandMariano rhetorical mass mediaartworkbecomesallthemoresalientinheightened the Masotta’s suggestive,ifsomewhatobscure,reframingofthemediumin MEDIUM AND necessary relationshipbetweenformandmeaning. which theywereassignedandshowingintheprocesshowthereisno task thereforeistoseparatesignsandmeanings,analyzingthelogicby assigned toitappearnaturallygivenandinseparable.Themythologist’s relationshipbetweenthecompositeformandcontingentmeaning the of themeaningsindividualsigns.Myth,accordingtoBarthes,makes myth,forBarthes,functionsthroughaselectionandconfiguration forms, brute materialityofitscontingence. ity.” Whatwe“see” istheunderpinningofideologicalcapturein but inthiscasecannot,bepresupposedordertoproduce“intelligibil­ through reality, butratherasthenonsensicalpresentationofwhatmust, cause assuch,notthepresuppositionofaphantasmalstainpeeking the artwork’s operations.At thesametime,itmakesus“see” theabsent of Cremonini, Elmensajefantasmaprivilegestheempty, structurallevelof lack atthecenterofElhelicóptero.Furthermore, likeAlthusser’s reading trast, takesthisdifference asitsfocus,renderingpositivethestructural differential ofthehelicopteratitscenter; Elmensajefantasma,bycon­ become woventogetherintoasupposedlymeaningfulnarrativewiththe how aseriesofbinaryoppositions(poorvs.wealthy,see landvs.air, etc.) nothing otherthanitsownactofsignification.Elhelicópteroallowsusto ally foreclosesmeaningwithitsownself Roland Barthes,Mythologies (NewYork: Hill &Wang, 1972),109,124,128. What isstrikingaboutElmensajefantasmathefactthatitstructur TERIALITY referential presence, signaling -referential presence,signaling 41 ­ ­ eration.” sameimpactasaterroristattackincountrytheprocessoflib­ the has plished workofartwouldbeonewhich,“withintheartist’s ownambit, significados” (TheArtof Meaning). According to Ferrari, theaccom­ boundaries ofthemedium’s materialityinhis1968talk,“Elartede los of theyoungartisticavant-gardeoflate1960s,similarlytested Art Group. nature of the medium glimpsed in the work ofMasotta ated and the Media 42 44 Ibid. 43 Ibid. to the armedstrugglearenotonlymetaphorical.” to throughart,they nonethelessemphasizethattheartists’bution “allusions of political violenceisusedtoreaffirm theartists’ revolutionarycontri­ may alsofunctionastheinscriptionofsubjectivecause: materiality, suggestingthattheimmanenceofawork’s physicalsupport medium alsolendsitselftoamoresubtleapproachthemeaning’s literal, ratherthanmetaphorical,interpretationofmeaningasart’s new according toPeter Bürgereludedthehistoricavant-gardes. theyperceiveasthesuccessfulcollapseofartintopolitics,afeatthat what are referringherebothtosomeartists’ to directpoliticalmilitancyand

Longoni andMestman, DelDiTella, 162.Renziusedthephraseduringhistalk atthePrimer sored bytheinstituteatanotherspace. Ciclo de Arte Experimen tion intwoyoungartists’ shows:Experiencias’68(Experiences ’68)attheDiTella itself;and DiTella.the The symposiumfollowedthecensorshipanddirectpoliceinterven­ around and colloquium organizedinAugust 1968inRosariobyanumberofyoungartistsworking in Nacional deArtistasVanguardiaEncuentro (First NationalMeeting ofAvant-Garde Art),a León Ferrari, who,likeRenzi,figuredcentrallyintheradicalization . Forgetting thatthereisnothingcannot beusedtomakeart, rejected oneofthemostimportantaestheticmaterials:meanings. or tooilpaintandbronze.But added byamplifyingthelist,theyforgot work isexhibited,themassmedia,self rags, cans,“locursi,”light,sound,time,theenvironmentwherea art andtoconstantlyreinventthelawsthatorganizethem.That ishow done istoconstantlybroadenthelistofprimarymaterialsusable in bythatauthor,borrowed wecanprovethatwhattheavant-gardehas selected byitsauthorandrealizedaccordingtorulesinventedor weconsidertheworkofartasanorganizationaestheticmaterials If Against thegrainofLongoniandMestman’s reading,Ferrari’s own 43 WhileLongoniandMestman acknowledgethatthelanguage 42 ­tal Rosario/1968 (Cycle ofExperimentalArtRosario/1968),spon­ destruction, action, etc. were -destruction, action,etc.were 44 Longoni and Mestman LongoniandMestman

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benezra | media art in argentina 166 artmargins 1:2–3 would callthemostdurableandunmovableanti-aesthetics.” meanings, socialcommitments,ideologies,thusconstitutedwhatNoé “reveal images” oftheunspokenandcollective wishesofthemoment: artistic, andsocialidealscalledontheartistnottocreate, butto for formalstylisticchange.Likemanyothers,Noésawacrisis offormal, aswemightexpect,aprescriptionforthedematerializationofart,nor not, arevisionofavant-gardeartalongFerrari’sfor lines.Noé’s“antiestética” is whoatthetimelivedandworkedinNewYork.painting Antiestéticacalls young Argentineanplasticartistcloselyassociatedwithneo-figurative 47 Ibid. 46 45 Antiestética (1965). critique inafleetingreferenceto Luis Felipe Noé’sbook-lengthessay material mediumandmeaningwithintheframeworkofart’s ideology made of. a tangible,physicalpresence,theverymaterialthatavant-gardeartis its spectators’ consciousness,Ferrari describespolitics,likemeaning,as in Masotta’sAs earlierdefinitionofthemediaartwork’s rawmaterialas overcoming themarket’s acceptanceofformallytransgressive gestures. craft ortechniqueofmakingavant-gardeartthatwouldbecapable Ferrari usesinterchangeablywith“politics” and“ideology”—and to the which refersbothtoanartliterallymadeofmeaning—anexpression Ferrari playsoff thedoublegenitiveofhistalk’s title,“theartofmeanings,” Ferrari, “Elartedelossignificados,” 26. that suchaworkseeks torejectortransform. conventions formal of language the to given piecemustbesoughtdifferentially inrelation recent, experimental artworks. In such nonfigurativesuch In artworks. experimental recent, avant makes senseinlightofFerrari’s discussion ofhowmeaningshouldbeunderstoodin lates mostcloselytotheEnglishsignifieds . Thoughanawkwardwordchoice,signifieds the singularandpluralusesofword meaning.Theplural,meanings(significados)trans­ Art ofMeanings,” inRamírezandOlea,InvertedUtopias , 533–34.Ferrari alternatesbetween Editores, 2005),26.AnexcerptofFerrari’s texthasbeentranslatedasLeónFerrari, “The León Ferrari, “Elartedelossignificados,”inProsapolítica(Buenos Aires:Siglo Veintiuno avant-garde is. patible withartandarenotaestheticmaterialsdon’t knowwhatthe those whoaffirm thatred,time,meaning,andpoliticsarenotcom­ expressive workofindividuals,butrathertherelations individ­ that canonlybereachedfromacertainperspective. .Artisnotan artist loseshisopportunity, anothertakesit.But thereareimages In thissensetheprocessofrevealingimagesisinexorable. When an Ferrari alsodevelopsthepossibilityofarelationshipbetween 46 45 Following thepassagequotedabove,weread,“Clear - garde works, the meaning of a 47 Noé was a Noéwasa not modifyinganything.” he reproduces.The“magic” thesesculpturesresides“inapparently in potential. Rather, Noé popartistseekstotranscendthereality asserts,the ithad,nortoannihilateart’sknow aesthetic not did viewer ordinary imbue thequotidianobjectwithalevelofformalsophistication the what hemightseemtobedoing.Oldenburg’s pointisthusnotto simplypresentthingsastheyappear,not does evenifthisis Oldenburg sure they might elicit.Inabrilliantreading,Noéinsiststhat telephones, lipsticks,toilets,andsoforth—nordeniestheformalplea­ According toNoé,Oldenburgneitheralterstheobjectshereproduces— consists innotchanginganythingtheseobjectsattheformallevel. 1950s and1960s,NoéarguesthatthespecificityofOldenburg’s project flaccid, inflatablesculpturesofquotidianAmericanobjects from the Althusser’s approachtoCremonini. Evoking theimageofOldenburg’s in reverse” thatrejects theeffect ofideologicalestrangementwefind in second halfofAntiestéticaspeakstoamethod“symptomaticreading idea bothNoéandAlthussersharewithMasotta. a different notionofhowartfulfillsthetaskaestheticestrangement,an in Althusser’s essayonCremonini, Antiestéticaasawholepointstoward and thepaintingofdeterminateabsencethatgovernsourvisionreality 51 50 Noé, 49 48 ing image. exist bringingtolightinvisiblebutdeterminantforcesinanalready as Working onsociety’s “spontaneousillusions,”Noédefinesartisticpractice cream orthingsfromlavidaconfort .” “The selectionoftheseelements isfundamental:thehamburger, ice viewer: the in evoke they for theirsocialvalue,thecharged associations difference. Theobjectsarechosen some slight,butundetectableinternal lure withoutaveil,andtheirunique effect derives from the insertion of the viewer. Theartist’s sumptuousmass cultural reproductions are a deceive or estrange to meant altered not texture, Oldenburg’s are objects Ibid., 155. Pierre Macherey, ATheoryofLiteraryProduction (NewYork: Routledge,2006),67–68. Luis Felipe Noé,Antiestética(Buenos Aires:EdicionesVan Riel,1965),35. The example of the North American pop artist Claes Oldenburg in the The exampleoftheNorthAmericanpopartistClaesOldenburgin conditions thethingsinthemselves,structureofanepoch. surroundings arenotobjectsinthemselves,buteverything that themselvesthroughtherelationsbetweenthem.And express uals called“artists” withtheirsurroundings.Thesurroundings Antiestética, 154. 49 Despitetheapparentsimilaritybetweenpassageabove 50 For Noé, despite their hyperbolic size and despitetheirhyperbolic sizeand Noé, For 51 48 ­ 167

benezra | media art in argentina 168 artmargins 1:2–3 analytic terms,tothesymbolicasdefinedbylack. structurally possiblerelationtoathirdspaceofseeming,or, in psycho lar imaginaryitassumes,thoughthisimageryalwayssustains some cause ofagivensymbolicstructureremainsinseparablefrom thepopu­ ation ofideologicalestrangementatabroadlevel.For Noé,thegazeor whose political“efficacy,” in Ferrari andRenzi’s language,rejectstheoper ical theory. Infact,Noé’s moresweepinggestureistoproposeanart ever, detractsfromtheperspicacityofNoé’smoreimmediatelyparadox­ the efficacy ofafictionaboutclassarrival. Suchacynical reading,how­ is notsofarbehindthem,orthattheironicveneerofkitschdependson the culturetheyclaimforthemselves,thatprocessofmodernization to estrangingeffect ofvanitas:towit,thatitsmembersstillaspire the is What theseobjectsseekfortheirlate-twentiethcenturyAmericanpublic of view, theyarereallyaimedatanenlightened,bourgeoisaudience. objects seemtoconstitutethemselvesinandthroughthispopularpoint withahigherdegreeofskepticism,thateventhoughOldenburg’s suggest, where poparthomogenizesconflictingclassideologies. We mighteven thatitassumesadistinctively“popular”fact point ideologypreciselyatthe Noé affirms, “whatremainsistheformofpopularvision.” criteria ofthehegemonicclass.“Here inpopart,ontheotherhand,” social realist,traditionallycorrespondtotheideologyandformalartistic classes themselves,sincesuchportrayals,whethertheyarefolkloricor appearance. Inthissense,popartelidestherepresentationofpopular exemplifythewayartshouldapproachconditionsofits nonetheless of artmightrevealitsideologicaldeterminations,Oldenburg’s objects 54 53 52 by “apparently notmodifyinganything.” the originalobjectanditsrepresentation,atransformationthatoccurs as anempty, formalgesturethroughtheslightdifference itinsertsbetween remaining there,wemightadd,popartinstitutesthis“popularvision”

Lacan, the symbolicOther, Lacannonetheless askshowwemight“trytoimagine it” (83).See Jacques “the undersideofconsciousness,”theplace ofdesiringlackinwhichthesubjectisanchored and thuslimitedinhiscapacityforself one whodoesnotsee”—the gazeistheplace fromwhichthesubjectisdeterminedasdesiring the subjecthimself—“infinalresort our positioninthedreamisprofoundlythatofsome­ fuses hisownfailingorsplitnaturewith the vanishingpointofscene(83).Asplace Lacan definesthegazeasillusoryplace withinthefantasysceneatwhichsubjectcon­ Ibid., 161. Ibid., 157. The contradiction within Noé’s reference to popular vision lies in the The contradictionwithinNoé’sreferencetopopularvisionliesinthe Lacking thedoublevalencesanddistortionsthroughwhichwork The Four Fundamental Conceptsof Psychoanalysis(NewYork: Norton,2005). representation (75, 83). Though he defines the gaze as -representation (75,83).Thoughhedefines thegazeas 53 54 52 Ratherthan ­ ­ Oscar Bony. La familia obrera (The Working-Class Family), 1968/1999. Black and white photograph on paper, mounted on wooden frame with bronze plaque and inscriptions about the work, 200 ∞ 180 cm, print 2/5. Eduardo F. Constantini Collection. Image from Oscar Bony: El mago (Buenos Aires: MALBA— Fundación Constantini, 2007), 77.

169 170 artmargins 1:2–3 the contraryastheabolitionofthesedeterminations. ofart’scritique institutionaldeterminations—asinaready-made—oron a obrera becauseofitsusehumanactors,whetherthiswasintendedas José Herrera haveidentifieda“resistancetointerpretation” inLafamilia tion oftheshow. his jobforremainingonexhibitionwithwifeandsonthedura­ Rodríguez, machinistbyprofession,wouldearntwicewhatheearnedat ary paidtotheheadoffamily. ThelabeldeclaredthatLuis Ricardo ing fortheArgentineanleft atthesametime. once promisedbyPeronism, aprojectwhosepoliticalcrisis wasunfold add thatthepiecealsoalludestofeelingsaboutkindofsocialmobility 59 58 57 56 55 wife andsonseatedathisfeetonthelowerblock. circulatedprint,thefamily’swidely fathertakeshisplaceontop,with forms. Thoughphotographicregistersoftheperformancevary, inthemost three actorssitatopapedestalcomposedoftwodifferent coveredplat­ view ofart’s lar dematerialization.IntheperformanceofLafamiliaobrera thatcharacterizesNoé’s“antiestética”consistency andMasotta’s particu photographs, captureswellthecoincidenceofrealcauseandimaginary the DiTella’s Experiencias’68exhibitandlatercirculatedasaseriesof Oscar Bony’s Lafamiliaobrera(TheWorking-Class Family), performedat F LA tape ofhouseholdsoundsin the background. (Storefront andItsDescription)(1967),

geois audience. Foraudience. geois Giunta, Bony exhibits“thepeople” whileatthesametime he“exposes” folkloric arttothepeople, Bonychosetobringa“module” ofthepeopletoDiTella’s bour According toAndreaGiunta, ratherthandiffusing bourgeoisnotionsofhigh,modernist, or See Herrera, “Arte yrealidad” andLongoni,“Action Art.” (London: Verso, 2007). see JohnRoberts,TheIntangibilitiesofForm: SkillandDeskillingin Artafter theReadymade ent viewoftheworking-classfamily’s laborasaready -made commodityunlikeanyother, formance piecesandphotographstitled Vivo-dito (LivingFinger), ontheother. For adiffer of human subjects andsignage,ontheonehand, andAlbertoGreco’s earlierseriesof per Maríalike JoséHerrera, haspointedtotherelationshipbetween Bony’s incorporation Longoni, ed. DeborahCullenandMaris Bustamante (NewYork: ElMuseo delBarrio,2008), 85. Ibid. AnaLongoni,“Action Art,”inArte[noes]vida:Actions byArtistsoftheAmericas1960–2000 2007), 208. Andrea Giunta, andFernando Garcia (Buenos Aires:MALBA Victoria Giraudo, “Cronología biográfica,”inOscarBony: ElMago, ed. Marcelo E.Pachero, Arte, 1993),174. tiembre de1993,ed.Graciela Schuster(Buenos Aires:Centro ArgentinodeInvestigadores de Jornadas deTeoría eHistoria delosArtes,Facultad deFilosofia yLetras(UBA)del8al11desep- María JoséHerrera, “Arte yrealidad:Lafamiliaobreracomoreadymade,”inArtepoder:5as. With different objectivesinmind,bothLongoniandcriticMaría Placed besidetheboy’s feet,asignidentifiesthenamesandsal­ A R E OBR A I L MI A 56 AsinBony’s earlierinstallationLocalysudescripción La familiaobreraalsoincludeda 59 57 Lafamiliaobreraissimi­

—Fundación Constantini, Constantini, —Fundación 55 58 To thisI must ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ , , to findperformers, payingtheminadvancefortheirworkattheDi to Tella. for theirespeciallydecadentlook.He eventuallydecidedonthesumof extras asetofactorsfromcastingagencywhomMasotta hadnoticed name theybear.name of theperformersaseitherworkersormembersclasswhose made, as“art” whileatthesametimesubvertinganyfacileidentification viewer withthepurportedpresenceofworkerslabeled,asaready- larly suggestivefortheChristianimageryitcallstomind,shocking excludes. obrera 1966), focusesonpreciselythekindofsymbolicveilingthatLafamilia Para induciralespíritudelaimagen(To InducetheSpiritofImage, the factthatsubjectsonplatformreallyarewhattheyclaimtobe. labelsintroduceacertainpossibilityofdeception,theyalsoinsiston these familia obrera,hastodowiththework’s titleanditsuseofsigns:while 64 63 Ibid. 62 61 biopolítica (Santiago, Chile:Metales Pesados, 2008),83–109. 60 disastrous fall.” person withacertaineconomicstatuswhohadsuffered arapidand bronzed complexion,Masotta adds,capture“theperfectimageofa lookingbeggarwoman”impressive whosetattereddesignerclothesand boys orbeggars,imperfectpeople,apsychoticfromthehospice,an tariat ofdowntownBuenos AiresnotfarfromtheDiTella: “shoeshine it occurredtohimrecruithisperformersfromamongthelumpenprole formers standoutasitsmostprominentaspects.Masotta recountshow production ofthisperformance,thelookandprovenanceper detriment ofreality.”detriment this didnotinvolvemuchofacompromisenorposturing tothe instead of“peoplelumpenextraction,[I]woulduseactors .though In theversionthathewouldeventuallyexecute,however, henotesthat Ibid., 307. Ibid., 302–3. Masotta hadseenatSt.Francis Collegeindowntown Brooklynthepreviousyear. performance piecebytheNorthAmericancomposerandFluxus artistLaMonteYoung that Aires: Edhasa,2004),298–99.Mounted attheDiTella Institute, Para inducirwasbasedona Oscar Masotta, “Yo comití unhappening,”inRevoluciónenelarte,ed.AnaLongoni(Buenos demarcacióndeloscuerpos,”inEstéticalademarcación:Textos“La Zúñiga, sobreartey oflabor’sindicative “barelife” underthecurrentregimeofpoliticaleconomy. SeeRodrigo The ChileancriticRodrigoZúñiga readsLafamiliaobrera’sdisturbingcorporalpresenceas See Andrea Giunta, “Unaestéticadeladiscontinuidad,”inOscarBony: Elmago , 27. earners, whichalsopointstotheprincipalcontradiction withinPeronism itself. wage as them Masotta recountsthatoriginallyhewantedtogooutintothestreet A contemporarypiecethatBonywouldlikelyhaveknown,Masotta’s 61 62 60 AmidMasotta’s highlydetailedaccountoftheplanand Part oftheallure,butalsodifficulty ofanalyzingLa 64 Instead of paying beggars in the street, he hired as Insteadofpayingbeggarsinthestreet,hehiredas ­ 63 -

171 171 benezra | media art in argentina 172 artmargins 1:2–3 audience foranhouratatime. mitted tostandingstillagainstagallerywallandbeingobservedbyan salesmen inthecity’s popularneighborhoods.Inexchange,theactorssub have earnedathisorhernormal“day job” asfleamarketorpawnshop six hundredpesosperdayactor, twohundredmorethaneachwould their personasasactors. as poorpeople,”someinsistedonmakingthemselvesupiftoassume to Jacques Lacan’s twenty-thirdseminaronthe sinthome viahisreading asthisveryoperation.Iwantto elucidatethispointwithreference ization Art Group’s missiontodenaturalize mythandtodefineart’s dematerial deceive us. appears assomewhatuncannypreciselytotheextentthat itdoesnot words, atthepoliticalandeconomicheightof1968,Lafamiliaobrera family, mightalsoand atthesametimeconsistofworkers.Inother sition withhisparentslookingalongside—andtothemodern, nuclear bookrestingontheson’sthe lapatthegeometricalcenterofcompo­ tion oftheholyfamily, thetriangularshapeofpieta,presence laden asitiswiththereferencestoChristianiconography—the sugges advantage. Thesignplaysonthepossiblecontradictionthat happytrio, ated fortheirtime—turnsthispossibilitydeceptiontothework’s tators thatthethreesubjectsareaworking-classfamilybeingremuner claim. At thesametime,though,label’s statement—informingspec­ three workers,alsosuggeststhepossibilitythattheyarenotwhat revolves aroundtheuseofalabelthat,byproclaimingidentity tion betweensignifiersandsignified.AsinParaBony’s inducir, piece decep possible using languageagainstitselfinordertoforestallany by to Peronistance imaginarythantoitsown“rapidanddisastrousfall,” ers intheflesh,bydisplayingadecadentworkingclasscloserappear work levels: throughitsclaimthattheperformersarenotactorsbutreally order toassumetheirownidentities. the factthatMasotta paystheverysamedecadentsubjectsasactorsin and palpablehumorinMasotta’s narrativeaboutPara inducirspringsfrom ing theaudienceofactors’ meagerremuneration.Thecentralpoint tributed theactors’ paystubs,andthenintroducedtheactionbyinform 66 65 It ishere,Iwouldargue,thatLafamiliaobrerareturnstotheMedia La familiaobrerapresentsaperfectinversionofthissceneatseveral Ibid., 311. Ibid., 309. 66 Asspectatorsenteredtheroom,Masotta dis 65 ThoughMasotta askedhis castto“dress ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­

myth.” that. Behindthehistoryoffactsthatinteresthistorians,thereis the ruseofhistory. History isthegreatestphantasmofall,ifonecansay to rediscoversomethingwhichisoftheorderReal. .There argues that“one mustpassthroughthisdeterminedfilthinorderperhaps on theother. Incontrastingthefunctionsofhistorytomyth,Lacan on theonehand,andsingularityofuninterpretablesinthome tom, distinction betweentheinterpretation,oranalysisofsubject’s symp thesubject’sconcerning ownobjectcauseofdesire.Lacanhighlightsthe Group, especiallyasregardsthestatusofinterpretationandknowledge theorizethetasksofmaterialistaestheticsasinitiatedbyMedia us Art tion ofthesymptom.Nonetheless,thisverypartialreferencemayhelp appearance continuestosuggestapossibilityforcritiqueandinterpretation. the extenttowhichitsparticularwayofinscribingcauseatlevel first theimmanentrelationshipofformtocontentitimpliesandsecond consistency. Two aspectsofthesinthomeareworthnotinginthiscontext: posed initspresenceasthatwhichlendsthesubjectacertainimaginary of desireis,inthissense,notsupposeditsrealabsence,butratherpro oftherealhisorherenjoymentjouissance.Thesubject’sout cause tion anditsimaginaryguaranteeofsensebycrafting amastersignifier psychotic subjectcreateshisorherownsubstituteforsymbolicinscrip of James Joyce.InLacan’s latereformulationoftheneuroticsymptom, 67 discussion ofthelinguisticcopula, awordthatlinkssubjectandpredi­ that thispossibilityremainsforeclosed. this veryprocess.Inthepassageabove,bycontrast,mythisitself theproof imaginary elementsandallowsforacertainsavoirtoemergethrough myth, structurallackconditionsthepotentialpermutation ofmythic or as muchinLacan’s ownreinterpretationoftheneurotic’s individual cause ofhisorherdesireduringtheprocessanalysis. tory studiedbyhistoriansandoftheanalysand’s relationtotheobject ofitsanalyticalreconstruction,intermsboththe grandhis­ temporality ofhistoryissubordinatetothelogicfantasyandparadoxical edge El sinthome(Buenos Aires:Paidós, 2006),122. -JACQUESLACAN XXIII.pdf, modifiedtranslation. SeealsoElseminariodeJaques Lacan: www.lacaninireland.com/web/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/THE -SEMINAROF Jacques Lacan,“Seminar23,”Lesinthome,March 16,1976,accessedApril 4,2012,http:// I cannotoffer hereanadequatetreatmentofLacan’s conceptualiza The contrastLacandrawsbetween historyandmythstemsfroma In Masotta’s recastingofthestructuralstudymythinElhelicóptero 67 Lacanisalludinginparttothewaywhichempiricalknowl ­ ­ ­ , ­ ­

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benezra | media art in argentina 174 artmargins 1:2–3 70 Lacan, 69 68 man ofknow-how, whichisalsocalledanartist.” He wasn’t consciousofit.Andforthatreason[it/he]ispureartifice,a know hewasconstructingasinthome,Imeanthatsimulating it. lation inlieuofthefictionaldeceptiontransference:“Joycedidnot described above. both itsownanalysisandthesymbolicrusesofanalyticrelationship ject’s lack.Initsmythicconsistency, thesinthome,bycontrast,refuses cally, substitutingthemaskingeffect ofthesignifierinplacesub­ illuminates theextenttowhichcopulaofbeingoperatesmetaphori sand thelatter’s causeofdesire.Indoingso,Lacansuggests,theanalyst as garbage,lack,andsooninsofartheanalystsimulatesforanaly course ofananalysis,theanalysandisabletoassume(himselforherself) cate. Lacanlinksthisallusion,inturn,tothewaywhich,during to knowledge. realandimaginarydimensions,thesinthomeincarnatesanobstacle its in way that“nothingcanbedonetoanalyzeit.”Asaninscription ofthedrive inducir ofsubtractivedeterminationor cause hasbeenforeclosed.WhileParasort showsaverypeculiarkindof thought wheretherevelationofany obrera rather thansuggestthatappearancesmaynotbeastheyseem, Lafamilia with apoliticallyandhistoricallychargedsemanticcontent. However, familiaobreraimbuesthebrutesenselessnessofElmensajefantasma La in itsdifferential relationtothesymbolicveilinginMasotta’s Para inducir tation, evenwherenoretroactiveoperationofmeaning cantakeplace. formalization inwritingpointstothenecessityandpossibility ofinterpre­ of a“collective unconscious.” initsself that Joyce’s tent attachedtothem,ontheother. InthespiritofLacan’s commentson itsownvisualqualities,ontheonehand,andsemanticcon­ between the truthofsubject’s ownartificialandreifiedguises. the imaginarysimulatesguaranteeofmeaningasmuchitpresents distinction betweencontentandform:itssolid,mythicelaborationin Lacan, “Seminar23,” March 16,1976,orLacan,Elsinthome,123. Lacan, “Seminar23,”March 9,1976,orLacan, El sinthome,116. The As awritingofthereal,sotospeak,Lafamiliaobreramakessense has a consistency born from the mutual dependence La familiaobrerahasaconsistencybornfromthemutualdependence Finnegans Wake, points to the historic truth of the Argentinean working class and points tothehistorictruthof Argentineanworkingclassand sinthome canthusbesaidtofunctionasaspecialsortofsimu­ El sinthome,163,38. -declarative reality“slips,slips,slips” towardtheexpression 70 At thesametime,sinthome’sconceptualizationand has a mythic, dreamlike quality quality La familiaobrerahasamythic,dreamlike 69 This,writesLacan,happensinsucha 68 makes no Thesinthomemakesno ­

­ . to theorizethatveryeffect. content; theyaskustoassumethetaskofmaterialistaestheticsinorder ideology astheinseparableinscriptionofsubtractivecauseandmythic subject. Assuch,Masottathe andtheMedia ArtGroup forceusto“see” pointing toideology’sby simultaneouslymaterialandsublimesupportin as thetaskofavant-gardeartinagemassconsumption,andthen ustoglimpsethistransformationbyfirstpositingideology critique allow representation anditsdeterminants.Masotta andtheMedia ArtGroup ideology persistsbytransformingthenatureofrelationshipbetween ideology hasnotceasedtofunctioninLafamiliaobrera;onthecontrary, relation offoreclosureremainsanonetheless.Inotherwords, voke ustocontinuethecritique,wemightbeginbyemphasizingthata if exemplifiesthemythicalembodimentoftruth’spiece foreclosure.Andyet, the structurallackthatmakessignificationormythpossible,Bony’s successorsistobefoundinthewaythat,ratherthansignaling radicalized at thelevelofform. bypointingtothehistoricityofitsrevolutionarypotential subjectivization mythicalcontentthatmighthavesustainedsuchaprojectofpolitical the political-economicprojectthatsubtendedit,Lafamiliaobrerapresents the La familiaobreraanditsrelationtoMasotta’s materialistaestheticspro­ The connection,then,betweentheMedia ArtGroup anditsmore 175

benezra | media art in argentina review article 176 artmargins 1:2–3 and 1990ssuchasfeministpostcolonialstudies,social arthistory, (especially duetoaperiodofpostmoderncriticalpositions inthe1980s such disturbancesinthevisualanddiscursivefield,despiteattempts away assumption thatthedisciplinaryframeofarthistoryworks tosmooth and incommensurabilities.”Underlyingthisdeclaration,of course,isthe learning howtoengagewitharangeofirresolvablefrictions, disunities, lenge ofdevelopingpracticesandfor‘theglobal’ necessarilyinvolves “global” arthistoryprojectsbyacknowledgingthat“confronting thechal- from an eccentricand agonistic position, to move away from unifyingor ference, unevenness,andeventheuntranslatable.”We wereseeking, also areorientedpracticeoftheglobal,onethatreckonswithradicaldif community ofscholars,mightturnto“fornotjustade-centeredbut 1 without Borders.” theWake“In oftheGlobalTurn: PropositionsforanExplodedArtHistory & Francine ClarkArtInstitute,inWilliamstown, Massachusetts, titled November2011,JillIn Casid andIconvenedaconferenceattheSterling of theGlobal Turn” In theWake of“IntheWake © 2012 ARTMargins and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology© 2012ARTMargins andthe MassachusettsInstitute of Camargo Sà,Kerstin Schankweiler, andIsabel Seliger. Bagchi, Shuddhabrata Sengupta), KishwarRivzi,DavidRoxburgh, AlessandraRusso,Renata ToddMirzoeff, Porterfield, theRaqs Media Collective (MonicaNarula, Nicholas Mercer, Jeebesh Speakers attheconferenceincludedT. J. Demos,Talinn Grigor, RanjanaKhanna,Kobena director oftheResearchandAcademic Program attheClark,apositionthatIhavesinceleft. the UniversityofWisconsin–Madison. At thetimeofconference,Iwasassociate Jill Casid isassociate professorofvisualculturestudiesintheDepartmentArtHistory at 1 Inthecallforpapers,weaskedwhatmodelswe,asa Aruna D’Souz - Aruna D’Souz a waythatdoes justicetowildlydivergentpractices, somecreatedin talk aboutthecreation oftribalfetishobjects andminimalistpaintingin searchforthecommonlanguage inwhichonemightlegitimately sequent finding waystotellacomprehensive historyofart;thishasledtoacon transform thebasictoolsof discipline(thetextbook,forexample)by terms ofitspastexclusion.More interestingly, there hasbeenapushto art usingthestandardhistoricalapproachessimplyreinforces the formation ofthefield,itishardlysufficient; teachingAfricanorChinese like. Whilethelatter, especially, hasbeenanimportantstepinthetrans- faculty positionsinthestudyofnon-Western visualtraditions,andthe onextraunitsnon-Westerntacking arttoone’s surveycourses,adding for itself.Forined many, thishastakentheformofanadditiveapproach: in2012,seemsmuchbiggerthantheoneourdiscipline has imag world, ular urgencyto“deal with” or“come totermswith” therealitythat heart oftheWestern canon. with commitmentstofeministandpostcolonialpoliticsworking in the particular positioninthefield:onmarginsofcenter, ascholar for mythinking,asascholarwhoengagestheissueofglobalfrom but are-view, andaverypersonalone,oftheconsequencesthisevent be coeditedbyJill andmeappearin2013.This,then,isnotareview achieve afuturepotentialinthevolumethatwillsucceedit,which history, andbytheindividual participants(speakersandaudience),itwill art of forceinthereimaginingofgeographicalboundaries standing conferencewillbetakenupbyitsinstitutionalhost,theClark, along- the tentacled: inadditiontothewayswhichideasgeneratedaround normally thecaseforthisspace,inpartbecauseprojectisongoingand all geographicalandtemporalsites. a morespecificprojectthataimstosynthesizeaestheticculturesfrom general searchforatransformationofarthistoricalboundariesbut,infact, “world arthistory.” Theselatterterms,thatis,donotsimplydenotea belooselygroupedundertheumbrellaof“theglobalarthistory”could or arly writingandinstitutionalinitiativesoverthepreviousdecade that a wayofcritiquingtheprojectsandapproachesthathademergedinschol challenges existintheprojectof“doing theglobal” inarthistoryandas abandon thetelosofHegelian historicalexplanation. structuralist anddeconstructionistmodels,“thenewarthistory”) to For arthistoriansandhistorydepartments, thereseemsapartic- What followsherewillnot,infact,beareviewthesensethatis The conferencewasconceivedbothasawayofthinkingthroughwhat - - - 177

d’souza | in the wake of “in the wake of the global turn” 178 artmargins 1:2–3 an act of survival forpublic universitiesespecially:survival the NewYorkof act an Times, ing of education foremost amongthem—thispush towardtheglobalis quences of the new economyistheerosionofcommons—public fund- acrossaflatworld. capital) Given thatoneoftheconse- cultural case this fantasiesofafrictionless movementofcapital(in and markets, new for by some of the same desires thatleadtooutsourcing, offshoring, searches cial andculturalcapitals(Abu Dhabi,China,now India)arepropelled orations with foreign institutions,moresatellitecampusesinnewfinan - internationallyfocusedcourses,morecollab- more for calls universities’ balizing arthistoryfromoneofthelocineoliberalglobalization: our ums, and research institutesnow, Iwasaddressingthequestionofglo- Likeallofus workinginacademicinstitutions,muse- conceived. often as tostudytopicsfaroutsidethegeographicrangeof discipline intended two-thirds ofthegraduatestudentsItaughtwereforeign who and challengesforme,giventhatnearly opportunities pedagogical ular long embraced the global networksofculturalproduction,posedpartic- teachingthisfieldatSUNYBinghamton,auniversitythathas Nevertheless, a strategicmarginality, addressingquestionsofgenderandtheerotic. contemporaryAmericanandEuropeanart—yetitdoessofrom sionism, firmlywithinthecanon—Frencharchive impressionismandpostimpres lent positioninrelationtothatcenter; myscholarshipexploresan tends tooperatehasremainedfrustratinglyresilient.Iexistinanambiva- and thuspushingustorethinkthecanonitself. theorythatoriginateintheculturalempiresofSouthAmerica— painting French modernismthatstartwithAfrica,orofEuropean Renaissance forourownobjectsofstudy—accountsearly-twentieth-century contact, tives, basedondiasporicmodelsoroftransnational ortranscultural have beenhiredtoaddressissuesof“coverage” areproposingnewnarra- tobe.Manyhistory ofusteach indepartmentswherecolleagueswhomay the center, forstretchingthelimitsofwhatweformerlyimaginedart “contact,” traderoutes,andothermodelsthatallowformovingoutfrom ods. We thinkofourfields,perhaps,intermsissuescross-cultural survey coursescomposedofspecialistsinavarietyregionsandperi- (course packets,e-reserves,onlineimagebanks)andteachcollaborative abandoned thetextbookinfavorofmoreflexibleteachingtools have us ment” asmoreexpansivealternativesto“art” and“architecture,” manyof time aswemightnowspeakof“cultural production” or“builtenviron- cultures forwhichtheWestern notionof“art” doesnotexist.At thesame Despite thesechanges,however, thecenteraroundwhicharthistory - in intellectual discourseandresearchamongfaculty. programsandcourseofferings, aswellencouragingshifts diversifying fees) inordertoincreasetuitionrevenues;partofthiseffort includes vigorous efforts to recruit foreignstudents(whopayconsiderablyhigher outthefactthatmanyinstitutionsaremaking pointed article, recent a in 2 have toworryovertheglobalbecause wearedoingit,althoughwithdif on Islamicart,putit,more orless,“People whostudyIslamicartdon’t in facttheworld?Asoneof presenters,DavidRoxburgh,anexpert andteachinginthisnewmomentoftheacademy,ship thediscipline,and participants hadwasaverypracticalone:howdoIconceive myscholar voked bythefactofglobalization.But themajorquestionmanyofthese though manyofthemhadinterestinthemethodologicalquestions pro- went out tenmonthsprior, wasprimarilyscholarsofarttheWest, ber ofthealmost150paperproposalswereceivedwhencall forpapers of thetwodays. orthelanguageofoccupation—wasamajorthemeover course ence whether byadoptingthe“explosivity” suggestedbythe titleoftheconfer history couldfindpracticesthataddressedthecurrentpoliticalreality— provided abackdropforourconversations,andquestionsofhowart words, andtheverytangibleeffects ofit(bothliberatoryandrepressive) Occupiers’ efforts. Thisglobalwaveofprotestsandresistances,inother government sincethepreviousspringhadjustdeclaredsupportfor in Tahir SquareinEgyptwhohadheroicallyfacedoff withtheirdespotic Street protestersfromZucotti Park inNewYork City, andtheprotesters after Mayor Bloomberg’s evictionofhundredspeacefulOccupyWall relief byacoincidenceoftiming:theconferencetookplacejustdays world asaformofneocolonialism.Thisobligationwassetintostark tal, andthewaysinwhichneoliberalismisexperiencedbymany in the our ownsituationwithinthisnetworkoftheexchangeculturalcapi- not wethinkofitinthoseterms. on “theglobal” istiedtothefactofeconomicglobalization,whetheror and creatingnewprogramswithoutadditionalfunding),theemphasis as muchbyadesiretocutoperatingcostsconsolidatingdepartments oninterdisciplinarity inthe1990s(which,again,wasmotivated emphasis international-students-pay-top-dollar-at-us-colleges.html. February 4,2012,accessed March 15,2012,http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/education/ “Taking MoreSeatsonCampus, Foreigners AlsoPay theFreight,” NewYork Times , The audience for theevent,andinfactauthorsofalargenum- As scholarsinterestedin“theglobal,”then,weareobligatedtoface 2 Like universities’ Like - - - 179

d’souza | in the wake of “in the wake of the global turn” 180 artmargins 1:2–3 3 ference. marginality assuch,notsimplyapropelledbygendereddif nism, infact,requiresattentiontoissuesofthefield’s inequalitiesvis-à-vis history sinceitsinception.To takeuparthistoryusingthetoolsoffemi - of exclusionthatstructuredthediscoursetraditionalmodesart autonomy, questionsofpriorityandbelatedness,othermechanisms had launcheditscritiqueofcanonicity, standardsof“quality,” artistic pelled andfacilitatedbymygroundinginfeminism;feministarthistory reverse case. the date noncanonicalvisualculturalpracticesintotheirpedagogythanin scholars ofnon-Western artarefarmorelikelytobeableaccommo- success” arecrucial,itisalsotruethatintermsofprofessionalformation, does forus.”Thoughonemightpointoutthatthe“different of degrees ferent degreesofsuccess;theproblemexistsforallyoumorethan it Gentileschi feather paintingthanitdoestoincludeMichelangelo attheexpense of no moresensetoincludemedievaltapestriesattheexpense ofIncan youprivilegeonepractice,maker,that ortraditionovertheother. Itmakes byideology,vated andthatcanonformationstartsfromtheverymoment choices, onemuststartfromthepositionthatthosechoices aremoti- fit ineverything?”“Idon’t,”to Iresponded. But aslongoneismaking that Iwouldconsiderafailure,hebalked,“Howdoyou expectme but left out,say, Camille Claudel?OrMeret Oppenheim?”WhenIsaid history ofartthatincludedeveryculturaltraditionandtimeperiod, wouldyou say,”“What heaskedme,“ifItoldyouthatcouldgivea history” andwhofoundthepremiseofconferenceproblematic: conference withaseniorscholarwhoisworkingonbookof“worldart was broughtintostarkrelief,forme,inaconversationabouttheplanned one definesone’s intellectualproject,seemswrongheadedatbest. out contendingwiththechallengesposedbyfeminism,nomatterhow frame ofthetextbook).His problembringsintostarkrelief theproblem art historytoomuchitwillshatter (inthiscase,becauseofthelimiting world arthistorywasbeing conceivedwiththeideathatifyouexpand a for plan ity ofatrulyinclusivearthistory inthefirstplace.Thisscholar’s tional arthistoryintact,theveryassumptionsthatforeclosedpossibil - Generations andGeographies intheVisual Arts(NewYork: Routledge,1996). Griselda Pollock hasbeenaparticularlyimportantvoice onthisissue;see,forexample, If myownprocessofadaptinghasbeenfairlyadhoc,itwascom- The problem of trying to separate the two (feminism and “the global”) and“theglobal”) The problemoftryingtoseparatethetwo(feminism 3 Morethanthat,tocontributethedisciplineatthispointwith unless youarewillingtokeepthemostbasicassumptionsoftradi - - - educational system. of integratingaNorthAfricanimmigrantcommunityintotheFrench Ignorant Schoolmaster,apedagogicaltheorythataddressestheproblem mitigate thefactthatitisherecanonformationbegins. nate formsof“evidence”). But thecontingenciesofthesedecisionsdonot which arefieldsthatcultivatedifferent typesofcompetenceandalter within arthistory(asopposedto,say, visualanthropologyorarchaeology, histories anddocumentation,allofwhichareparticularlyimportant tographs; oronthebasisoftextual(ratherthanoralor, ironically, visual) unchallenged bythenonspecialist;onavailabilityofarchivesandpho- historical accountsofsubfieldswhoseownbiasesgounexaminedor plicated: thesedecisionsareinfactbasedonanumberoffactors,suchas rial andhavingtomakehardchoices,thesituationismuchmorecom- merelypersonal,madebyasinglescholarfacingmountainofmate are goal istoleavethedisciplinarystructuresintact. seems tobeablehandleonlyonetypeofothernessatatimeifone’s of dislodgingthecanonifonereliesonarthistory’s go-totools:“theglobal” aqe Rancière, Jacques 4 the disciplinehasbeenslowto adaptitselftotheconditionsofso- share istherefusalofidea ofmasteryasanintellectualposition:if However, whatRancière’s argumentandfeministcritiques ofarthistory authority, demonstratinghisgraspofconcepts,histories, andrhetoric. exegesis inwhichtheauthorexplicatesanargumentfroma positionof itadvocates;is,inotherwords,aprettystandardformofacademic tion not leastbecauseitdoesnot,infact,modelthesortofpedagogical posi political realms. communities tothemarginsofsociety, culture,andtheeconomic ical approaches,evenprogressiveones,inevitablycastthese immigrant Rancière proposes,wouldsubvertthewaysinwhichexisting pedagog any subjectbyaskingtherightquestionsofstudents.The model, being taught,thetextproposesthatprofessorcanguide learningon merely todistinguishtwomarksfromoneanother)—oflearningwithout have thecapacity—aslongastheyhavecapacitytoread(oreven anarchive oratextandinsteadreliesontheassumptionthatstudents over of teachinginwhichtheinstructorrisksgivingupapositionmastery Alto, CA:StanfordUniversity Press,1991). A theoreticaltouchstoneformehasbeenJacques Rancière’s textThe thisparticularconversationmightsuggestthatsuchdecisions While Rancière ishardlyafeminist,andthetextunproblematic, The IgnorantSchoolmaster: Five Lessons inIntellectualEmancipation(Palo 4 BasedonRancière’s readingofaRevolutionary model - - - - 181 d’souza | in the wake of “in the wake of the global turn” 182 artmargins 1:2–3 (including thatofKobenaMercer) determined thatOther’s exclusion, and someofitsimportantearlyvoices graphical orcultural“Other(s),”itcertainlyinterrogatedthe termsthat necessarily, initsearliest iterations,toopenupthedisciplineitsgeo- position. Thoughthegoalofestablishmentvisualstudies wasnot promised, powerless—astheOtherconfrontingenunciative subject history alwaysposedthesecondterminthesepairingsasdebased, com ment withthesocialandpolitical,soon.Asamaster discourse, art ular culture,formversuscontent,aestheticautonomy anengage Westbinaries: versusnon-West, artversuscraft, highculture versuspop studies, whichattemptedtosubvertsomeofthemostlimitingthose discipline launched,forexample,theestablishmentoffieldvisual they formedtheverypossibilityoflanguageitself.Thiscritique were binary(theIandtheother)and,inmanyways,inescapablebecause in itsveryontology, itconstructeditssubjectsinafieldofpositionsthat went,andassuchoneneededto be attendanttothewaysinwhich, mentary anddisciplinarity.course, Arthistorywasamasterdiscourse,sothiscom- view ofthepowerrelationsproducedandreproducedinlanguage,dis- others, approachedarthistory, amongotherproblems,fromthepointof found itstheoreticaltouchstonesintheworkofJacques Derridaand that wasimportantinthe1980sandearly1990s.Thisdiscourse,which by thelegacy—alimitingone—ofacertainbrandofcriticalarthistory 6 5 immediately precededit(convenedbyStevenNelson), to beasked. politics, takeonapositionofignoranceandmakespacefornewquestions seek toreplicatemyworkinstudents;Imust,asamatterofethicsand cators. InordernottoreproducethecanonIhaveinherited,must scholars havebeenreluctanttoreimaginewhatroletheycanplayasedu distance/space, thenpartofthereasonforthishasbeenfactthat newtechnologiesthatallowforconceptionsoftemporalitiesand via of thinkingintermsflowsandnetworksaffiliations, ofthinking called realworld,withitsnewwaysofthinkingoutsidenation-states, (2006), Pop ArtandVernacular Cultures (2007),andExiles,Diasporas&Strangers (2008). MIT andINIVA, whosetitles areCosmopolitanModernisms(2005),DiscrepantAbstraction See, amongMercer’s manypublications,hisAnnotatingArt’s Histories series,publishedby Since theconversationsatconference,andinaworkshopthat Collaborations,” willappearintheconference volume. An editedtranscriptofthisworkshop,“International InitiativesandRegional Steven NelsonisassociateprofessorofAfrican andAfricanAmericanarthistoryatUCLA. 6 endedupdoingthatverything. 5 I have been struck Ihavebeenstruck - - - - attempt toinsist onthecontinuingpowerof theWest inthefaceofits monic) powerseems now, inthismoment inhistory, like abackhanded the attendancetospeakingfrom apositionof(Euro-American,hege- 1980s hasossifiedintoatroublingly conservativepositioninthe2010s: need now, theycontended,wasawaytogetwork. sibilities oftheglobalwerealways-alreadymadeimpossible; whatwe a sufficient endinitself,andfactwasseenasawaywhichthepos- was notunderstoodbyanumberoftheparticipants the workshop as transformation ofthedisciplineisforeclosed.Critical over arthistoricalwriting,inwhichthepossibilityofactually effecting a looming Hegel marked byhand-wringingovertheinescapablespecterof theglobal, with characterizes acertaintypeofarthistoricalengagement critique”of in theworkshopspokederisivelyofasort“nihilism that encoded intheverydiscursiveframeofarthistory—some participants In thesecondcase—theworryoverinevitablebiasesthat seemtobe Australia, Istanbul,Mexico City,London. Brazil,LosAngeles,occasionally exceptWesternwhere EuropeortheUnitedStates:, Hongzhu, “hegemonic”those centerstobe,theanswerswere,ironically, almostany assembled groupofscholars,curators,andartistswheretheyconsidered referredtothe“hegemoniccentersofarthistory.”pant WhenIaskedthe in theartworld.At theworkshopprecedingourconference,apartici- theWest2012, hardlyseemsthe (sole) locusofpower, perhapsespecially changes thathavehappenedintheworldoverpastthirtyyears.In hard tosustaininthewakeofeconomic,political,anddemographic from theWest” means,necessarily, speakingfromaplaceofpoweris from theWest—one mightrespondthattheassumption“speaking problematic. Inthefirstcase—thequestionof“problem” ofspeaking their devaluation. ing withthosedevaluedtermsinawaythatdoesnotmerelyperpetuate in thefoundationsofWestern culturethatitisalmostincapableofdeal- power; second,throughtheconvictionthatarthistoryitselfissorooted position oftheWest (ortheGlobalNorth)istospeakfromplaceof sitivity—even oversensitivity—tothe“problem” thattospeakfromthe watered-down form,ithappenedintwoways:first,bypromotingasen- development ofthediscoursearound“theglobal,”evenifoften ina Derridean turn,topaintwithabroadbrush—hashadanimpactonthe In otherwords,whatseemed a radicalpositioninarthistorythe It ismysensethatbothofthesepositionsareincorrect,oratleast To theextentthatthistheoreticaltraditioninarthistory—the ity, that is to say, ­ity,to is that - 183

d’souza | in the wake of “in the wake of the global turn” 184 artmargins 1:2–3 become sohybrid thatitdoesnotfunctionthe wayitdid“at home.” whom thelanguage isaforeignandimperfect tonguebecauseithas speakers ofEnglish(thelingua franca)havenoadvantageoverthoseto standing eachotherinwaysthat createnewstories,inwhichtheeasy love andmaketheirmoney getcheated,allthewhilemisunder each othermaybetwo-thirdsof thetime,andgetinfistfightsfall nialists and“natives” whoallcoalescearound Calcutta andunderstand the world,scholarsstandinginforbook’s sailorsandtraderscolo- Poppies, theseconversationsarehappeningat(arthistorical)portsaround In thewayofcharactersinAmitavGhosh’s extraordinarynovelSeaof guage, anarthistorythatisnotquiteadequatetotheirobjects ofstudy. precisely becausethosespeakingarewillingtospeakanimperfectlan- is sites ofvisualproduction.Andiftheseconversationsarehappening, it the not begeographicallylocatedinthenon-Westneed somuchaslocatedin catch up. does notknow, thatis,orperhapscannotadmit,weareplaying exploding thenotionofarthistoryalready. TheEuro-Americanacademy pening thatdoesnotincludeusanddependonus,is whole worldofarthistoricalandcuratorialcriticalthinkinghap a we academicsorganizeinOtherplaceswithvoices—thereis that ington, Williamstown, London,Paris, andKarlsruhe—orconversations of onlythearthistoricalconversationsgoingoninLosAngeles,Wash­ while Euro-Americanscholarsand research institutions may be cognizant disciplines, andgeographies.Nordoesitadmit,mostofthetime,that under theunregulatedimportationofideasfromothervisualtraditions, shoring updisciplinaryboundariesthatareunderthreatofcollapsing cases, itfunctions,ironicallyandquiteexplicitly, asanargumentfor arenotthegoldstandardsthattheywerethirtyyearsago.Insome journal) historical discourse(theencyclopedicmuseum,thetextbook,print the institutionsthathaveheretoforebeenseenasfoundationsofart ened ortragicallyreal)throughouttheworld.Itdoesnotrecognizethat only throughdesperateandevenhystericalmilitaryengagement(threat- rest oftheworldasOther, evenastheWest’s powerisbeingproppedup does, infact,stillholdthispower, stillactsascolonizer, stillpositionsthe ration (withbuilt-in“plausibledeniability”) thattheWestern academy at least,itseemstooperateasawhollydefensivemeasure,louddecla- increasing marginalityineconomicandculturalterms.Insomesenses, of the marginal, the barely visible, and the unacknowledged discussion ofthemarginal,barelyvisible,andunacknowledged I should be clear here that these Other conversations and Other voices I shouldbeclearherethattheseOtherconversationsand voices - - marginalized bythedisciplineuptonow. from thestudyofnon-Western, orfromthoseareasthathavebeen to attend,thatis,studyingWestern artinlightofmethodsemerging art history, wehave tobeequallyconcernedwithimportations:wehave stakes andnuancesoftheexportationourdisciplinetoother sitesof tory” areoften not,thatwhileonecanandshouldbeconcernedwiththe in waysthateventhemostcommittedproponentsof“theglobalarthis which arthistoryisspokendifferently:in thatistosay, wemustbeaware, of thefieldinwhichwework,mustbewillingtoattendways pidgin methodology. Asarthistorianscommittedtoatruereimagining produced inthisimperfectspaceoftheoreticalhybridity, thisspaceof engaging withthearthistoricalwritingactuallybeingproduced,evenif art historyprioritizesmethodasameta-conversationwithoutactually guages thatwereimperfectfits. Yet muchofthewritingonglobal work, andhetoowasworkingwithasetofarthistoricalmodelslan- started workingwithhisarchivesandobjects,butinconcertthat of practice:Panofsky didnotcreatehistheoriesoficonologybeforehe in ourdiscipline.But methodhasneveremergedfullyformedinadvance have notfoundamethodthatwouldallowpowertobethoughtdifferently being madethatatrulyglobalarthistorycanneverhappenbecausewe aboveall asamatterofdefinition,method,theory,seen withthecaseoften global hasbeenconceivedasaprobleminarthistoricaldiscourse:itis native ease.Thisiswhatperhapssocuriousaboutthewayinwhich art), wedonotfullyunderstandthelanguagethatthinkspeakwith American scholars(and,forpeoplelikeme,ofEuro-American across geographiesandtimes,isanacknowledgmentthat,asEuro- ings, theincommensurabilities,misprisionsofourconversations What thisrequires,approachthatthrivesonthemisunderstand- - 185

d’souza | in the wake of “in the wake of the global turn” This article has been cited by:

1. Hala Auji. 2020. Locating Primary Documents: Global Modernism and the Archival Turn. Review of Middle East Studies 54:1, 14-24. [Crossref] Document /introduction 186 artmargins 1:2–3 Dolfi Trost’s A Revolution inConsciousness © 2012 ARTMargins and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology© 2012ARTMargins andthe MassachusettsInstitute of tinued with theirsurrealistexperiments, texts,andtracts,butthe two to escapecommunist RomaniatoIsrael.InTel Aviv, Trost andLuca con Luca. Allthreemanaged,inthefifties (Trost and Luca) orsixties(Pa˘un), led byAndréBreton. could becalledaRomanianarchipelago withinthesurrealistmovement Parisian surrealistsfromtheearlythirties.Theywereall partofwhat to theartistsVictor BraunerandJacques Hérold, bothinvolvedwiththe untilwellintothesixties.NaumandLucadoings inparticularwereclose and Paris surrealistgroupsandcontinuedtobeinvolved insurrealist femme fataleNadineKrainik,whoactedasaliaisonbetween the Bucharest travelers, includingtheartistJules Perahim andtheartistresident Luca, andPaul Pa˘un, butitsmembers frequentlyworkedwithfellow core wascomposedofTrost, Gellu Naum, Virgil Teodorescu, Gherasim wartime surrealism—isolated,passionate,andundersiege. The group’s Plume groupinParis, theRomaniansurrealistgroupof thefortieswasa wartime Bucharest, insecretandbehinddrawnblinds.LiketheMain à public until1945,agreatdealofitsmostintenseactivitytookplacein group wasnotabletopublishitswork,holdexhibitions,orevenmeetin banded withthecommunisttakeoverofRomaniain1947.Althoughthis founded in1940astheGerman occupationofFrance began,anddis- Dolfi Trost (1916–66)wasamemberofRomaniansurrealistcellgroup Of thegroup’s coremembers, threewereJewish: Trost, Pa˘un, and nvisible I d n a isible V Catherine Hansen - Catherine Hansen more importantthantheir“latent” content,Trost apparent thatdreamingitself is notthepoint.Thedreamherelates nature, functioning,andsignificanceofdreaming, butitquicklybecomes the special kind. Trost’s a of accountofthisdreamalternateswith theseson very fine.” ognized, ananti-oedipalconceptionofdreamswhichstrikesusasbeing “in Gherasim Luca andTrost, authorswhoseworkgoesstrangelyunrec Guattari’s Capitalism. “Onealreadyfinds,”theywrite, andSchizophrenia Sheet ProgramforDesiringMachines,” anappendixtoDeleuzeand Eric Losfeld’s ÉditionsArcanes. formed onepartofTrost’s 1953bookVisible andInvisible,publishedwith to Breton,titled“L’âge delarêverie.”Thisletter, slightlyrevised,later point after thisfallingout,Trost wroteaseventy-pagehandwrittenletter came—literally—to blows,theirfriendshipneverrecovered.At some began todisagreemoreandintheirviews,whentheyfinally oedipal texts issuing fromourmemoriesofthewakingworld.Trost’s andLuca’s anti- theunconscious,but ratherregressiveandrepressiveelements from treating itsymbolically—isnotatroublingortaboo content arising Trost operatesareversalinwhichwhatthedreammustneutralize—by 3 2 1 symptoms oftheirinherentrevolutionarysignificance. structed atheoryofthecompromisethatrobsdreamsaswell dreamstomemoriesratherthandeliriums,withhavingcon- fused machine forcommunicationwiththeoutsideworld,having reproaches Freud .with havingfailedtorecognizethedreamasa The secondpartofVisible andInvisible,infact,beginswithadream This book, alongwithtwootherofTrost’sThis books,iscited in“Balance- resides initsfunctionandnotinterpretation. “the projectionofahumangroupstilltobediscovered,”whose mystery being, anon-oedipalmanandwoman,the“freelymechanical being,” [bring] outanunconsciousalivewithrevolution,straining toward a Ibid., 133. Ibid., 132. 1995), 132. Robert Hurley, inFélix Guattari, Chaosophy,ed.SylvèreLotringer(NewYork: Semiotext(e), Gilles DeleuzeandFélix Guattari, “Balance-SheetProgramforDesiringMachines,” trans. 1 Inpointingoutthatthe“manifest” contentofdreamsisfar 3 2 - 187

hansen | a revolution in consciousness 188 artmargins 1:2–3 anyone might discover in himself or herself the capacity to become this anyone mightdiscoverinhimself orherselfthecapacitytobecomethis shouldunderstandhisideas aboutanew“race”readers ofhumanbeings: different fromthosewhohavenot.Thisisthecontextinwhichhis attained thisformofconsciousnessarefundamentally, “ontologically” madepossiblebythedream.Trostness feels,aswell,thatthosewhohave sciousness isinturndistinctfrom,butlinkedto,the“cosmic” conscious is constantlyawareofitselfasconsciousness.Thisself-regarding con “turns uponitself,”takingitselfforitsownobject.Itisconsciousness that is,forTrost,being alliedwitha certainmodeofthought:athoughtthat in adream.” connected toeverything,andeverythingcanbe“take[n]into himself,as schizophrenic, thereisnoselfandnonself,insideoutside.He is 5 4 of productiveorreproductivedesiringmachines.” schizophrenicphenomenonorentity;cally schizophreniaistheuniverse Guattari inAnti-Oedipus:“Schizophreniaislikelove:therenospecifi ofschizophreniaisinmanywayssimilartothatDeleuzeand standing revolutionary wayofliving,whatTrost callslife-within-life.Trost’s under Inthiswaytheyarriveatsomethingentirelynew:doned. aluminousand and withintheworldofdaylightrealitythattheyhadhithertoaban dialectical processinwhichtheyturnbacktowardandworkdirectlyupon ets.” For Trost, thedreamerandschizophrenicare caughtupina the capacitytoplaceusimmediatelybefore“worldofstarsandplan- initspsychiatricsense.Bothdreamsandmadness,hewrites,have stood iums,” andparticularlyaboutschizophrenia,whichisnottobeunder least inits“cosmic” mode,remindsus. sky andmakeusforgetwhere—andwhat—wereallyare.Thedream,at human eventsandrelations,istodrawacomfortingveiloverthenight the historicalandthecosmological.Thefunctionofhistory, as a web of sense, face-to-face.For Trost, therearetwowaysofbeingintheworld, a bigger thanthesun.Itputshumanbeinganduniverse,in times galaxies andgasclouds,ofblackholesdistantstarshundreds rienceof ofoneselfagainstthebackdropuniverse—theuniverse becauseofwhatitrevealsandmakespossible:anexpe- important Here theyquoteGeorg Büchner’s shortstory “Lenz.”Ibid.,2. 1983), 5. Hurley, Mark Seem,andHelen R.Lane(Minneapolis:University ofMinnesotaPress, Gilles DeleuzeandFélix Guattari, Anti-Oedipus:Capitalism andSchizophrenia,trans.Robert This schizophrenic,multiply-connected,andnondualistic wayof Trost“delir alsohasmuchtosayaboutwhatDeleuzeandGuattari call 5 4 For theanti-oedipal ------6 “Mem ining oftheHebrew alphabet. followed byaparagraphonnonfigurative artandthenbyapoeticreimag read likeworksofconceptualart. AreferencetoRenéGuénon mightbe sciences thatheaddressedandconjoined,whichoften makeshisessays took apassionateamateur’s approach tothetheories,philosophies,and and objectivechance)wouldnotbeunfamiliar. ItisalsobecauseTrost alchemy, andspecificallysurrealist concepts(includingautomaticwriting was agroupofreaderstowhompromiscuousmixFreud, Marx, Thisispartlybecauseitsaudience,whetherTrostapproach. not, likeditor could nottraveltotouch. cessible “concrete unknown”—like thelunarmountainsthatGalileo instead thatwhichpermitsthediscoveryofaperceptiblebut asyetinac- thought. The“invisible” isnotaworldofspiritsandoccultforces,but spiritualist traditions,butshouldinsteadactasakindoffulcrumfor ible,” then,shouldnotbepursuedforitsownsake,asinoccultand shadow) tomeasureandunderstandthetangible.Whathecalls“invis Trost mighthavethought,isawayofusingtheintangible(sunlight, sun, theheightofanythingcanbecalculated,evenonmoon.This,as mountains: knowingthelengthofacastshadowandangle the “shadowmethod” thatGalileo usedtodeterminetheheightoflunar both astronomyandastrology, Trost mighteasilyhavebeenthinkingof tionary strategyandcollectivity. However, givenhisfascinationwith rather thanasthesimplecreationofpoems)intoadiscussionrevolu- stood inthesurrealistsenseasawayofbeing,thinking,andcreating Trost hereincorporatesdream,madness,andpoetry(thislastunder Invisible, “Laméthodedesombres,”as“ShadowTactics” mainly because kind ofmysticalidealism. a as mic” consciousnesswithinitsunfolding,insteadofsettingthemaside all kinds—mustincorporateself-regarding consciousnessand“cos- the freeingofhumanexpressioninallitsformsfromoppression neously, thesurrealistrevolution,liberationofproletariat,and ofawakening.Therevolution—bywhichhemeans,simultamoment ary collectiveshouldbetohastenanddisseminatethenecessary new kindofbeing;andindeed,Trost writes,theroleofanyrevolution 1953), 85. power todestroythe nightmare.”Dolfi Trost, Visible etinvisible(Paris: Éditions Arcanes, surrendering tofate .tsadé, disillusionmentvanquished bytheknifeofpoetry .tau, Visible andInvisibleisoften difficult foracontemporaryreaderto I havechosentotranslatethetitleoffirstsectionVisible and , theunconsciousthatchoosesaconscious toitstaste .samech,theserpentofsleep 6 Since thebookcannotappearhereinits - - - - - 189

hansen | a revolution in consciousness 190 artmargins 1:2–3 first andsecondchapterswouldaidthecomprehensionofwhole. and inwidelyvaryingmodes,Ifeltthattoswitchtheorderofbook’s the chaptersinasensestandalone,workingoutsimilarideasparallel section, Ididnotwanttopreservethisoneoutofitscontext.Finally, since Since theotherfootnotesinthisseriesdonotappeartranslated medium anddeliriousfreethinkerwhospeaksinriddlesaphorisms. text andtellaseparatestory: thatofawomannamedX, kind ofnatural part ofaseriesfootnotesthatbearnostrictconnectiontothemain detail inotherpartsofthebook.Ihavealsoomittedonefootnotethatis to omitsomepassageswhosemeaningreliesonconceptsexplainedin across twoofits“chapters.” Within whathasbeentranslated,Ihavehad entirety, Iinsteadattempttofollowoneparticularthreadofargument Document From from whichthedreamfirstarose. ity thatthedreamermightneveremergefrombottomless darkness to thehighestdegreeandthat,onceittakeshold,intimates thepossibil all justifiedbytheprecedingdramatization)thatitbecomes disquieting suddenly intoalast,terriblescene,whereitcametohalt. dream lostitslively,the anecdotic,andcondensedcharacter, andlaunched dreamers asformyself,thatImustturnourattention.At acertainpoint tragic turn. 3 2 1 wide-awake isoflittleimportancehere. for thesymboliccontentofanyinterpretationthatmightbeusefulto others, onewhoseroutinesymbolizationsofdesireitisuselesstodetail, fragments ofknownandunknownbeingsmoved.Adreamlikeallthe I hadadream:suiteofscenesandfamiliartheaterwhere,asalways, From Part Two: “T he SenseofanImage” © 2012 ARTMargins and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology© 2012ARTMargins andthe MassachusettsInstitute of autumn letsloosea clamor. Thought becomescinematographic, thesentimentofnature risesanew, thegeometryof rienced asaprogressivepetrificationof theinteriorscene. of movementinto“oneiric catatonia,”usuallyheraldedbyaperiodofanguish,isthusexpe - dream withouthyperkinesiabecomesa nightmare andinterruptsitself.Thetransformation The dreamisa“motorderangement”: theoneiricscene iscontinuallyinagitation,andany Dolfi Trost, Visible etinvisible(Paris: ÉditionsArcanes,1953). It is after veering in this direction (for reasonsunknownandnotat It isafter veeringinthisdirection(for It isuponthisfinalsetofimages,ascommonanoccurrence forother Toward theend,afewsecondsbeforeIwoke,thisdreamtook ble visi In and ble isi V 3 2 1 (1953) Dolfi Tros t - 191 trost | from visible and invisible 192 artmargins 1:2–3 us fromafargreaterdistance. cedetheirplacetoimagesthatare equallyreal,butwhichhavereached ory pose aprogressive“decantation,” whereby themorerecentdataofmem unknown inourdreamsispureinvention;wemaymoreprobably sup ensemble. Therewouldbenoreasontobelievethatwhatis strangeand we experienceeverything,atthemomentofitsunfolding,as aunified can have asourcecompletelydifferent from the rest,andinanycase a street,atthepointofheadinghome. the adventuresthatweaveplotofalldreams,Iinwardlysawmyselfin of anyinterestfortheintrinsicsignificancedream. any other rational explanationthatis perhapstruein a sense but devoid to ofdéjàvu,tothemechanismunconsciouscompensation,or nomenon the night. because wehaveansweredtotheterribleinterrogationposedduring but onlybecauseofthequalitativechangeinoursituationandnotatall is towake.Andasweknow, thiswakingisexperiencedasaconsolation, It isaproblemdirectlyaddressedtous,onefromwhichtheonlyescape violence forcesusbackawake,alsoplacesbeforeanage-oldproblem. in timespast. which wecannotfindinourmemory, arestillthingsweonceperceived belonged tovariousaspectsofreality, wecaninferthatitsotherparts, still reflecting,Ilifted myhead,theskywasserene,starssparkled. Iposedthisquestiontomyselfjustaspreciselyinwakeful thought: sible. late hour(Irealizedthisinthedream),anotherdestinationwasstillpos­ familiar tomemory. ing adventures,likewise,hadbeenamedleyofpersonsandobjects resembledthoseintheworldofwakefulperception.All thepreced- quite nal life,Iwilladdthatthestreet,andhouse appearedthere, 4 5

It would be hard to admit that one set of visual elements in our dreams It wouldbehardtoadmitthatonesetofvisualelementsinour dreams For thoseinclinedtodetect,inoneiricimages,memoriesfromdiur of Reaching theplacewheredramatizationhadledme,byway This finalscene—thenightmare—cannotbereducedtothephe- When wedreaminthisway, thisfinalscene,whichinitsintrinsic If certainpartsofthedreamareeasilyrecognizedashaving earlier In frontofthedoor, Istoppedtoaskmyselfwhether, consideringthe Here, aschizophrenicdialogue: true vision,liberated fromopticalimpositions. Autoscopy (interiorseeing),just likecertaintelepathiesandmonitions, leadsvictoriouslyto know, butthereissomething. 5 —There issomething,butsaythenwhat thereis? 4 —I don’t - - - which filledmewithastrangeanguish,andwokeme. these twocelestialbodiesthatIknew, eventhen,tobeforeignthesky, turnedonearoundtheother,satellites liketwinstars.Itwasthesight of tant inthesky. At thesametime,itwasbigger.Besideit,twosmall transforming mydreamintonightmare. right aboveme,themoon.Itisthenthataterrifyingimagestruck in itsdevelopment. memory andcomesclosetorevelation—andthisiswhatsodisquieting a planet andthat weliveliterally inthesky. dream recallsto us,obsessively, that beforeallwearetheinhabitants of bare beforeus. . Lightenedofits historicalandparasiticelements, the bright-lit day, themoreweforgettruththat dreammanagedtolay powering force.Uponwaking, aswetakeupthetiesthatbindusto oneiric currentdeepens,cosmic consciousnesscontinuestorisewithover the disappearanceofsymbols. Asalldiurnalresiduesdisappear, asthe of thestars. is toreassure,forceuslive,provideacounterbalancethefear cosmic course.Theroleofhistory, the eveninitsmostmurderousepochs, first andforemosttoobliterateanyconsciousnessofourparticipation in its roleisbiologicalinthestrictsense.Lifewithincommunities tends Now, thehistoricalrelation towardtheworldisthoroughlyvitalandsocial: more thanonegrandprincipleofthemoderns. void and as itdoesfromthesestaggeringcelestialvisionsthatrendernull along positivistlines.Ithasthereforethevalueofadreamtype,arising vary, toacollectiveunconscious—anideathatshouldnotbe pursued in allhumandreams,andseemstobelong,thoughthecircumstances image Idescribeinthisdreamfigures,believe,atacertain moment The I sawourfamiliarmooninitssplendor, butitspositionwasmore dis- Still debatingwhethertoreturnhome,Ilifted myeyesagainandsaw, Perhaps, asitproceeds,thedreamliberatesitselffromimmediate In dream,thehistoricalgivenisprogressivelyabolishedalongwith And thisworldishuge,cold,empty, black. the matterofworld. It feels,then,aterribleincompatibilitybetweenlivingmatterand night oftheuniverse. The humanbeingfindsitselfinadream,alone,theagonizing There existsacosmologicalgiven. //////////////////////// //////////////////////// - 193

trost | from visible and invisible 194 artmargins 1:2–3 can now do within the invisible universe, beyond nation, theactivereverie cannowdowithin theinvisibleuniverse,beyond nal dreamhas splendidly accomplishedwithin theuniverseofdetermi- the world.By thiswesee, moreover, thatwhat thepsychological,noctur anantinomytoresolve,inthatof poetry,create todreamis also tocreate energies.Andifwithintheframework ofmethod,todreamisalso tain cer take placeoutsideofanyritual understoodasamodeofharnessing andwhich,thoughinvolvinganimmenseinitiatoryeffort, would methods ratheroftheliberationunknownaccordingtoexclusivelypoetic but orofsettingoutuponthetraditionalstairwayspureesotericism, poses, of aninvisibleworldsymmetricaltothevisibleone,asblack magicpro atmospheric haloofourownlives,suchasweinventit. this unknown—notdeterminedfromabove,buttobediscovered inthe of uslikeanunchartedearththatawaitsitsexplorers.Itis ourselves, cannot bemistakenforasecret;itmustnotsupposedto existoutside The breaththatmovesusisabsolutelyother; theunknownthatdrawsus From Part ONE:“Shadow T put itoutofmind. any attempttooverturnthepresentconditionsofhumanworldshould inordertoserveanimmediatecause,andbelievingthat awareness in thefuture,beincorporatedintorevolutionaryconsciousness. of afamiliarobjectwiththecosmicchargethatitreflects. One wouldliketodefinethisstrangedisquietudeasthefortuitousmeeting enon providedbypsychoanalysis(nodoubtvalidinitsownsphere). form ofthecosmic,whatevermightbeexplanationthisphenom- with astrangedisquietude.Thisisnothingbutveiledandobscure In diurnallife,asindream,theirruptionofcosmologicalgivenbegins difference betweenbeings. it andcreates,dependingonitspresenceorabsence,anontological itisconstantlyawareofitselfasthought object—when by variouspaths,atyrannicalidea:whenthoughttakesitselfforitsown diate andeffective belongingtotheworldofstarsandplanets. The truepointthattiesdreamandmadnessisthesentimentofimme- This isnotnecessarilyamatterofdevotingoneselftothediscovery There isanerrorinbelievingthatonemustturnawayfromthis In ourdaytobelonginaconsciousmannerthecosmoscanbecome, Our consciousnessofbelongingtothecelestialsphereshould, //////////////////////// //////////////////////// actics” — this idea invades this ideainvades .

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. . - - - characterizes it—in making life the equal of death and no longer finding it—in makinglifetheequalofdeath andnolongerfinding characterizes to negate thestageofrealorvirtualsuicide thatinallcircumstances itselfandtakeupitsvital circuitonahigherplane,andisthusable negate the dreamer’s case. turning backtowardlife—that correspondsexactlytothatproposedin its fundamentalclumsinessandunfitnessforlivingina reversal—a a spirituallyheightenedschizophrenia—onethathasfinallyvanquished alongwithanarchicabandon,mustbefinallyrenouncedinfavorof tion, lem oforigins,itappearsevidentthatthehierarchictype organiza- theeconomic sphere,thevalueofdeclassmentbyfaroutstripsprob in for efficacy inallrevolutionaryaction,beannulledassuch.Andjustas, typeswho,often withgreatpurityandclarity,lutionary viewitheachother this appallingrivalryfinditsend,itisindispensablethatthese tworevo- case forallthegreatsuicideswhomwecarrywithinus. .Inorderthat they drawtheirenergyfromthelatentspringsofepoch. Thusisthe bytheirfundamentalinadequacybeforetheveryfactofliving,though most whom theanarchicscometogather, theselattermarkedfirstandfore- inthedialecticoffacts;allthisisworkhierarchics,around content toaffirmationamounts ofthesocial;everythingthatappearsasmanifest everythingthat,despiteitsinitialrefusalofintegration,finally refusal; modation tolifeasdefinedbybiology, howevervehementitsinitial world. .Everythingand thatsupposesanacceptanceofandfinalaccom tude, formedonthebasisofaninvincibleseparationbetweensubject the nameof“hierarchic,”appearstoconcealamoreorlessopposedatti- the basisofschizophreniccorrespondences—whilesecond,under development. Thefirstcanbecalled “anarchic”—an attitudeformedon gent typesofrevolutionariescompetefordominanceoverallpoetic vocabularyofpsychologytoassertthat,varyingdegrees, twodiver the present stateoftheworld. movements ofemancipationandaffects allefforts towardchanging the collectives, foranorganizationalweaknesspersistsacrossallthemodern struggle—we mustreconsiderthebasiccompositionofrevolutionary their negationofthebinary—eveniftheyarenowengagedinanother dle theboundarybetweennocturnaldreamanddiurnalreveriethrough dialectically negated. all antinomy, openingapassagefromwrittenautomatismto If inthiswayschizophrenia,within thespiritualorder, isableto In addressingtheconflictbetweenknowinganddoing,wecanuse Once arrivedatthispoint,andtomakewayforthedreamerswhostrad- - - - 195

trost | from visible and invisible 196 artmargins 1:2–3 conscious mind—leaves the rest of our technical, scientific, and critical mind—leaves the restofourtechnical, scientific, andcritical conscious to usecontemporary terms,withtheacceptance oftheunconsciousby this mutationcreates betweenbeingandthought—first setinmotion, thismutation,butalsoguides itfromafar.and Thenew relationshipthat a massiveform.Thepoeticmovement belongs beforealltothispassage past visibleonlyinbriefflashes andexceptions—canatanyinstanttake creator ofrelationsgratuitous fromthebiologicalpointofview—in their trueresonance. moment ofhereticalandromanticawakening—haveonlytodayfound function ofthoughtfromitsprimordiallybiologicalandsocial uses,ina this turningofthoughtuponitself—thusbythedetachment ofthe brought aboutbyapsychicmutationcharacterizedfirstand foremostby generalized youth. .Thebeginningsofthisnewspiritual“race,”first only fromitcanwededucetheexistenceofageneralizedhumanity, ofa only forthisromantic,younghumanitythatweareresponsible, and poets, andtherebels,ofallthosewhogratuitouslyrefused life.Itis enlightened dreamersandthemagicians,ofgreatlovers, true secularorder,the ofallthatwasinsurgentinthepast:negators, the presentexistenceofanewspiritualrace,andthatitisheir, in demned inadvance,torecoveritsevasivethreads. not respondtothisdiversionistsolicitation,normakeanyeffort, con- ofcontradiction,woulddestroyoursustainingarmature.Weredoubts need past, wouldobligeustobeitsinvoluntaryheir, wouldcastus into the shoulders theheavyanddistressingburdenofourentireevolutionary nonetheless participate.Insolubleinanycase,itwouldplace upon our tors—it isnotuptousdirectlyresolvethisproblem,inwhichwe humanity itself—thatitisthatelevatesitstyrantsandtrai- strous developmentofhumanity, fromdeephistoryonward,fallsto Given thatanintegralpartoftheresponsibilityforgenerallymon- all psychopathologicalcomplications. acceptable kind:pureclairvoyanceofthemindandspirit,releasedfrom ness, changingitsrole,willbesucceededbyaSur-Madness, theonly sive adventoftheturningthoughtuponitself,merepsychologicalmad- advent ofatruepoeticcollectivebecomecertainty. . With themas- without perilofabandonmenttoonesideortheother, onlythenwillthe might seem—onlythenwilltherevolutionarytakealeapforward, in thelatteronlytruesolution,dilatoryanduselessasallearthlyacts Thought’s gradualpassagefromcreator ofproductiverelationsto As ourcontractisaboveallwithourselves,wemust,infact,accept //////////////////////// of hislife. exactly itsannulmentbywayofrefusaltosatisfydemands,attherisk himself bythisalchemicalannulmentoftheinfrastructure,ormore preoccupations inthestoneage.Thepoet,whateverhisdomain,reveals remedy ofthedreamer. a woundthat,beforetoday, nothingcouldhealexcept death,supreme struggleofthepleasureprinciplewith theso-calledrealityprinciple— the with thefirstemergenceofa separation betweenselfandnonself,with whose originwecannotplace, butwhichmustallthesamehavearisen love-friendship musthealthepoets’ greatemotional wound—awound of psychicforces,byautomaticwriting.But first,anutterlynewformof oftheunprecedentedlibertyattained,amiddynamicequilibrium lent revolutionaries whohavereachedthepointoffusion. the purificationofinternalrelationswithinthecollective superegoof conveyed tous. resistance, theprinciplesofactionwithinexternalworld havebeen grapple forinfluenceatitsheart—forsofarthisishow, despitemuch not taketheformofaconglomerateinwhichagitatorsandutopians and outwardeffectiveness, butforthisthemethodmustbetrulycollective, of . collective withinwhichlibertyisexperiencedimmediatelyaspleasure. keeping itsproperdistancefromtheobstacle,butonformationofa without memory, adiurnaldream,dependsforitsrealizationnotonlyon . Anautomatismofaction,whichcantaketheformonlyadream tate othermovementsintheirdiurnalefficiency, dreamitselfisaction. this: inthepoeticsphere,oranydomainthatdoesnotseektoimi only will flourishifithasmanagedtoreconciledreamandaction,butnot point thatlifeitselfbecomestheterrainofhisdreams. .Amovement must yieldtothedreamer, whohaspursuedthenegationoflifeto Revolutionary action,inanyfutureformoforganizationthatitchooses, tudes andtheirassociatedrites,withintherevolutionaryconstellation. condition: arevisionofrelationsbetweentheactors,matrixatti- flame usheringthebeyondintopresent,dependsononeessential The reversalofschizophrenicsuicideintoalife-within-life,multicolored

. . A true method of collective action allows the dreamers the possibility . Atruemethodofcollectiveactionallowsthedreamerspossibility The realfunctioningoffreethoughtdependsfirstandforemoston The liberationofpoets,asdescribedhere,wouldbetheequiva - //////////////////////// //////////////////////// Translation byCatherine Hansen - 197

trost | from visible and invisible 198 art margins 1:2–3 project black sea © 2012 ARTMargins and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology© 2012ARTMargins andthe MassachusettsInstitute of as strangehis. Or, been something easyforhim have atleast,itmust Perhaps affinity toward mesome felt becausehe of my name, which was forbidden foods. I was oneneighborhood. the ofin kids hisfavorite us with a big smile and give us candies,“gazoz” of kinds other and (soda), thesummer;in who worethickwoolsweaters even hewouldalwaysgreet theafter match.home back going before store He was an unshaven man soccerplaying were we graves unmarked on. We would stop by Demas’ stones were removed. Nobody knew orcared muchaboutwhose terracedplayingfieldafter thegrave- which wasturnedintoaweirdly cemetery behindDemas’s old shabbycornerstore, the in preferably, and, the backyardsofcountryhouses,innarrowalleysseparating them, weusedtoplayontherocksatseaside,in then; concept a as exist kids whosefamiliesmyfolksknew. “Children’s playground” didnot well-known families of thesmalltown,andIusedtoplaymostlywith cursing itinpublic.Icamefromoneofthe“older,” den, peoplestopped but it was only muchlaterthatIfiguredoutwhy, thatyear, allofasud- you For up. grow example,asakidIknewthat“fascism” wasabadthing, starttofitintotheirplacesandmakesenseonlyafter childhood ber from waselevenyearsoldwhenIleft; somanythingsthatyouremem- I there. coup,notknowingthatitwouldtakesolongbeforeIwentback military left myfather’s I hometownontheBlack Seacoastafewmonthsafter the Ara s özgün Istanbul, where hewasstudyinglawapparently. He toldme that,unlike and itmeantsomething.Iran intomyfriendyearslateronceagainin hungspectacularlyaloneinthemiddle ofthebigemptystonewall, sword erans soldthemfortheirvalue ingold.But Topal Osman’s huge shiny you couldactuallybuyattheflea marketbecauseafter thewarmostvet- a smallgoldenmedallionattachedtosomesillyredribbon, something eran oftheliberationwartoo,butallthatwasleft tomygrandmotherwas other househadthatkindofprestige.Mygreat-grandfather wasavet- hung proudlyonthewallatmyfriend’ssword house,andnootherkid, sense andnobodyaskedwhattheconspiracyhadbeen.Topal Osman’s justinthispartoftheworld,especiallytogoodpeople,soitallmade and in thetown.Even achildwouldknowthathistoryhasnever been fair himbyburyinginaplaceofhonoronthehighest ground embraced without trialandhisbodywassentbacktohometown, which still oftheRepublic, hefellpreytoapoliticalconspiracy;years hewasexecuted army commander. But then,wewerealsotold,atsomepointintheearly forhisbraveryanddeeds,subsequentlybecameahigh-ranking rated nickname “Topal.” After theliberationwar, hewashonoredanddeco- told.Hewere waswoundedinthewarandwalkedwithalimp,hencehis of Black SeamilitiaandfoughtnexttoAtatürk againsttheGreeks, we sea. He wasaheroofthenationalliberationwar, hecommandedhisband tomb stoodnexttotheoldcannonthatpointedtowardRussiaacross Osman wasburiedontopofthecitadeloverlookingcity, hismarble ofanationalhero,“Topalgrandson Osman” (OsmantheHobbler).Topal dealership, butthatwasn’t theironlysourceofprestige; hewasthe shared mydeskatschoolfromtimetotime.His familyownedacar I town. Oneofthemwasthischubbyfreckle-facedkid,withwhom the of families in thosestonemansions,theyalsocamefromthe“older” hangouts after Ihadlearnedtoread.Someofthekids I played with lived intact andinuseasachildren’sfavorite my of library,one whichbecame churchwasstill one houses andnewerconcreteapartmentblocks.Only and mansionsthatstoodoutamongtheindistinct modest country buildings stone large of tral neighborhoodsofthetown,invicinity dust. Ruinsofabandonedchurcheswerescattered throughout the cen inside whichthemoldyairwasthickwithsmellofurine,shit,and extend ourplaygroundtowardtheruinsofabandonedchurch, would we store. Againstourparents’days consent,onadventurous his into walked I to rememberandutteroutloud,joyfully,time each - 199

özgün | black sea 200 art margins 1:2–3 “Pontus problem” wasresolved thatway, andTopal Osman’s but small the deporteefamilies enmasse.By thetime oftheIndependenceWar, the deportationconvoysexitingSamsunattheborderandannihilated the to entered theprovince.Inretaliation, andTopal Osman’s ganglaidsiege Osman anoutlawwhowould facetheconsequencesifheandhisgang still wantedtoresolvetheissue understateauthority, declaredTopal deportation oftheformerpopulation.TheGovernorSamsun, who ror betweenGreek andTurkish gangs,providedanexcuseforthemass national scale:theGreeks’ failedbidfor independence,followedbyter Trabzon.to Topal Osman’s terrorhadpoliticalrepercussionsonaninter fearful ganggrewinnumbersashespreadhisoperations from Samsun toattacktherichGreekblanche familiesandpillagetheirproperties.His Topal Osman, whowasstillanationalistIttihatveTerakki member, carte of revivingthePontus Greek stateintheEastern Black Sea.Thatgave thepredominantlyGreekhopes, populationoftheregionbeganto dream region. Intheaftermath ofWorld War I,withtheBritishfuelingtheir town, hecommandeeredasmallbandofthugsinthemountains of theBalkanwars,whichleft himlame.After returningtohishome- He wasanIttihatveTerakki (UnionandProgressParty) officer, aveteran andpiecesofstoriesthatnevermadeitintotheofficial historybooks. bits ured outthatitwasindeedthesameTopal Osmanbybringingtogether his littletown,sincethebookshardlyevermentionedname.Ifig- Osman hadbeenasmallguywhowasexaggeratedoutofproportionsin the historyofRepublic,bythenIwasalmostconvincedthatTopal thenameofmyhometown’stioning in localhero.After yearsof“schooling” rewind thetapeoverandtomakesurethatshewasindeedmen- then, therewasTopal Osman,hewasworsethantheGreeks.” I hadto for amoment,consumedwithterrifyingimage;shemumbled:“And themiddleofherincomprehensiblemurmursoldwoman paused In Greek andTurkish gangsafter thefallofOttomancentralauthority. couldn’t recallcoherentlyanythingrelatedtothefighting betweenthe view shemadewithaninety-yearoldvillagerfromtheBlack Seawho I cameacrossTopalthat Osman’s nameagain.Ihadtotranslateaninter herGreektracing grandfather’s deportationfromtheBlack SeatoGreece, the triptoearnafewextrabucks. ing asatourguideontheferry, andshedidn’t mindfuckinghimduring He wastakingtheovernightferry; therewasthisuniversitystudentwork me, hewasgoingbackandforthtoourhometownalmosteveryweek. It wasmuchlater, whenIworkedwithaGerman filmmakerwhowas - - - - 201

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özgün | black sea 208 art margins 1:2–3 people whoarenotthereanymore. arrested somewherebetween thepastandpresent—arefor forthe peoplewhoarenotthereyet.”Inthatcase,photographs—always is or forthesakeofart?”fromanavant-gardeposition,oncesaid that“art painted eggsatacertaintimeofthe year. something?” Ididn’tme give would mother Muslim ask,then,why my or Ahmet name, stuck tohim.Evensap’s Idon’treal poor the remember ened itto“De.Ma.S.” Thefishstore went out of business, but its name tiny storefrontdidn’t haveenoughspaceforthewholetitle,soheshort- called his store “Deniz Mahsulleri Satis” (SeafoodSalesStore),butthe that littlestorethefishhecaught. He at selling was he born, were you “Well, Demas is not his real name.He usedtobeafisherman.Before isn’t Demas, heGreek?” Iaskedsincerely.about He smiled, “What know. eyes lookedaway, “Noneareleft, allwentaway” hesaid,asifdidn’t old days,“WhathappenedtotheGreeks?”—as ifIdidn’t know. His blue asked my uncle who was showing mearoundandtellingaboutthe I withinthenewlyrestoredwallsofcitadel. before, as magnificently tery.Topal Osman’s marblegravedidnotstandoutquiteas ical sites. Fancy apartmentblockshadrisenontheonceemptyceme- piss, shit,anddusthadbeenrestored,openedtotourismashistor changed a lot sinceIleft. Theabandonedchurchesthatoncesmelledof he was killed, andhisbodywassentbacktotheBlack Sea.Thetownhad ofAnkara.After anintensebattlelastingfourdays, outskirts the in Palace men were surrounded atPapaz’in Bagi, avalleyclosetothePresidential tolerableforthenewRepublic.Topallonger no Osmanandhis deemed Atatürk’s opposing tive powercliquewasfounddead,suchterror found deadinAnkara.Afewmonthslater, whenanotherrepresenta- in the first parliament appeared,avocalmemberoftheoppositionwas Black Seagang.Within thesameyear,his of assoonthesplits posed that served Atatürk directly—thePresidentialGuards, whowerecom- Topal Osmanwasappointedastheheadofelitearmyunit Republic. Ittihat veTerakki thewar,after and tosuppresstheKurdish rebellioninthesoutheast. guerillaarmywasready tobedeployedfirstatthewesternfront, reckless Paul Klee,inordertodismissthetiredquestion“isartfor thepeople, became the sole governing power after the founding of the becamethesolegoverningpowerafter thefoundingof - 209

özgün | black sea contributors

Ivana Bago is an art historian, writer, and curator, at the New School for Public Engagement and based in Zagreb. She is cofounder of DeLVe | New York University. Institute for Duration, Location and Variables, dedicated to research and publishing in the field Clemente Padín is a Uruguayan artist, experi- of contemporary art and theory. mental poet, performer, video maker, multimedia networker, and art critic. He started his career in Karen Benezra is a doctoral candidate in the the 1960s and edited the magazines Los Huevos Department of Romance Studies at Cornell del Plata (1965–69) and Ovum 10 (1969–72). In University. Her dissertation, studying the rise and 2005, Padín was awarded the Pedro Figari Prize. politicization of conceptual art in Latin America, is entitled “A Semblance of Politics: Conceptual Aruna D’Souza writes on modern and contem- Art in Argentina, Mexico, and Chile.” porary art and feminist theory, and has held positions most recently at the Clark Research and Cristina Freire is an Associate Professor at the Academic Program, Binghamton University, and University of São Paulo, and vice-director of the Bard College. She is the author of Cézanne’s Bath- Museum of Contemporary Art at the University ers: Biography and the Erotics of Paint (Pennsylvania of São Paulo. She is the author of several books, State University Press, 2008), “Float the Boat: including Poéticas do processo. Arte conceitual Making Space for Women in the Museum” in no museu (1999); Arte conceitual (2006); Paulo Modern Women (Museum of Modern Art, 2010), Bruscky. Arte arquivo e utopia (2007). and with Jill Casid will edit the anthology The Exploded Global (Clark Art Institute and Yale Zanna Gilbert works as an independent curator University Press, 2013). and translator. Her areas of interest include Flux- us, mail and conceptual art, artists’ networks, and Jasmina Tumbas is a PhD candidate in the modern and contemporary art in Latin America. Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies at Duke University. Her research focuses on Graciela G. Gutiérrez Marx is an artist and practi- modern and contemporary art, with an emphasis tioner of mail art. She is based in Buenos Aires. on experimental art from Eastern Europe. She is writing her dissertation on performance, con- Catherine Hansen is a PhD candidate in the De- ceptual, and mail art in Hungary and the former partment of Comparative Literature at Princeton Yugoslavia from 1968–89. University, working in French and Romanian avant-garde and modernist literature. Paulina Varas Alarcón is a curator and inde- pendent researcher based in Valparaíso and Klara Kemp-Welch lectures on Modern and Con- Barcelona. Varas Alarcón is the director of CRAC temporary East European and Latin American Art Valparaíso in Chile, a platform for research and at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. Her action about artists’ residences and the public monograph Reticence as Dissidence: Antipolitics in sphere. She has authored and co-authored a Central European Art 1965–1989 is forthcoming series of publications on Latin American art with I.B. Tauris in 2013. She is also working on and political contexts. She has also curated and a second monograph, Networking the Bloc: Inter- cocurated exhibitions in Santiago, Valparaíso, and national Relations and Experimental Art in Eastern Stuttgart. Europe, funded by the Leverhulme Trust.

Aras Özgün is a media scholar and artist living in New York City. He produces experimental media works in various digital media formats, including video, photography, graphics, text, sound, installa- tions, and interactive media. He writes on media, politics, cultural criticism, and arts in English and Turkish scholarly journals. He currently teaches

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