22 Sep 2008

Boom Boom - 4th Bishkek International Exhibition of Contemporary Art

Boom-Boom. Text by Ulan Djaparov

There is a boom of construction in almost all big cities of Central Asia (and the former USSR), in spite of general complaints about bad life. Huge amounts of money are invested, fantastic dividends are collected, great human and material resources are involved. But it is obvious, that there is a lack of systematic approach to the problems of cities, lack of professional specialists, deficit of ideas and just a thoughtful attitude to each concrete situation.

Gradually it is shaped dehumanized environment, a kind of aggressive hyper-text amidst which we have to live. An individual or a separate person cannot influence this process or present a worthy antithesis.

The following three approaches are dominating:

*Ideologized approach (when the main task is to represent through architecture the ambitions of the authorities in power);

*Absolutely pragmatic approach (when in spite of a concrete context the main task is to meet egoistic wishes of the national bourgeoisie);

*Self-construction (for those who have no money, no opportunities, no good taste).


The main question is whether it is possible to turn our many 'disadvantages' (characterizing the current marginal in socio-cultural context situation) into advantages (relying on the diverse cultural, historical and natural resources); to turn a few even casual successful creative findings into a certain algorithm, a sustainable artistic phenomenon having a real impact on the cultural situation in the region.


Artists:

Ernst Abdrazakov, Lida Abdul, Yuri Avvakumov, Mger Azatyan, Janar Amankulov, Ruben Arevshatyan, «Art- machine» Group (Zoya Falkova, Anton Bolkunov, Roman Chehovskoy), Said Atabekov, Umida Ahmedova and Oleg Karpov, Dmitry Ahunbabaev, Armat Bektasov, Yevgeny Boykov, Nika Breithaupt, Elena and Victor Vorobyevs, Shailo Djekshenbaev, Marjolijn Dijkman, Marc Ditrich, Natalia Dyu, Alexander Feodorov, Emil Guzairov, Shirin Homann-Saadat, Alimjan Jorobaev, Gulnara Kasmalieva and Muratbek Djumaliev, Galina Konduchalova and Igor Lihterov, Sergey Kuznetsov, Alexander Lozhkin, Pavel Lozhkin, Ruth Maclennan, Vladimir Martynoff, Irina Maslikova, Erbol Meldibekov, Almagul Menlibaeva, Ruslan Muradov, Gaisha Madanova, Saken Narynov, Ekaterina Nikanorova, Alexander Nikolaev, Alexey Rumjantsev, Vitaly Simakov, Georgy Tryakin- Buharov, Sergey Tychina, Alexander U, Yura (Vyacheslav Useinov), Jamshed Kholikov, Oksana Shatalova, Andrey Chernov, Erik van Hove, Jun Yang

Sattelite artistic project Cascoland:

Fiona de Bell, Bert Kramer, Jan Korbes, Bart Majoor, Gitte Nygaard, Roel Schoenmakers (The Netherlands)

Participants of the conference:

Yuri Avvakumov (Russia), Ruben Arevshatyan (Armenia), Gamal Bokonbaev (Kyrgyzstan), Shirin Homann-Saadat (Germany), Jan Korbes (The Netherlands), Galina Konduchalova and Igor Lihterov (Russia), Alexander Lozhkin (Russia), Pavel Lozhkin (Russia), Saken Narynov, Gitte Nygaard (The Netherlands), Almas Ordabaev (Kazakhstan), Elena Sorokina (Germany), Oksana Shatalova (Kazakhstan), Roel Schoenmakers (The Netherlands), Anouk de Clercq (Belgium), Jan Kempenaers (Belgium), Alterazioni Video (Italy), Yane Calovsky + Hristina Ivanoska,(Macedonia), Franck Lebovici (France)