MOSQUITOES. GOD DAMN MOSQUITOES.
"Zdraste!
I'm in St. Petersburg a week now, and in between hiding from the rain and putting life on hold to enjoy the few hours of sun, I've begun to get to work on my project. A lot of logistics had to get out of the way first, so my first few days were just devoted to dealing with the bureaucracy of registering my visa with the Russian government and establishing my living situation. However, a few days ago I finally managed to meet with the director of the Center of Contemporary Art. It turns out they don't have much of a job for me; the organization is made up of just a few people, without the omnipresent Russian bureaucracy. But, Marina and I discussed during our meeting a new website they're designing devoted to Art News in St. Petersburg (called "Art Propaganda") on which they'd like to publish the interviews that I conduct. So, while I won't be working with them, I guess I'll be working for them. I've begun researching artists who are active in St. Petersburg right now, getting acquainted with the work of a few who've sparked my interested. I'm going out to an exhibition at a gallery today of an artist who I believe was part of a collective authorship that I've read about which produced a lot of aggressive installations/projects a few years ago. And this afternoon, I'm meeting with Yuri, who just returned from a festival in Perm', to ask him some details about the exhibition last fall that I'd like to focus on in particular, and get in touch with some participants and the curator(s?).
So, a few points:
1) The CCA website--do you happen to know if I need to ask permission from the Institutional Research Board to publish part of my 'research' (interview transcripts) on the Art Propaganda website? I believe I checked a box on their applicatoin saying that the information I gather would be used in a 'later publication' (by which I meant my thesis), so this should be within my rights?
2) My research seems to be getting focused: I'm really interested in a particular exhibition (this "Russian Beauty" exhibit I think I told you about) and the artists involved. As far as my thesis goes, I've frankly never read a senior thesis and I don't know--is it appropriate for my focus to be that narrow, on the importance, history, and implications of this one exhibit for Russian art/culture/identity? I've been overwhelmed by the enormity of what I've been looking at (foolishly trying to map "Art" in this city and consolidate "St. Petersburg Art" into a concise conclusion). This place is like Paris in the 1880's--there are lots of things going on and a lot of artists exhibiting independently and in groups they regularly work with. I don't know quite enough to say that there are "schools", but it seems like there are, at least in the sense of collectives or people who generally work/exhibit together. Anyway, I think there's a bit to say here, but with what I'm capable of learning in the two months I'm here, it seems much more plausible to focus on the one exhibit and the idea surrounding it: artists exploring the ambivalent and ambiguous facets of the Russian identity. Any ideas/advice? Do you think I'm getting too specific, or is this the scope I should be looking at?
3) As a side note, I hadn't realized when I got in touch with them that the Center of Contemporary Art is actually the State Center of Contemporary Art (Государственный центр), which means it is a part of the bureaucratic-political machine of the Russian government. Their mission seems noble--to promote Contemporary Art and international exchange of artistic ideas--but I do find it curious that it's "government-run", which in times past was pretty much Russian for "censors". While I doubt the SCCA has the power or objective to censor art and they're certainly not controlling art to promote some political ideology, I do think it's interesting (in a history-joke sort of way) that their Art News website is going to be called "Art Propaganda"--an echo of the past, a wry reference to their history.
Okay, writing out this novel of an email was as much for me as for you, if not more, so spacibo bol'shoe for getting to the end--a big thank you! Hope all is well! I'm almost missing Ithaca, I think we get more sun there than we do here, and there are certainly fewer mosquitoes.
Until next week,
Hope"
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