Serbian Art in San Diego
Beyond Theory at Sushi ©2008paulmbowers
Last weekend we celebrated the pre-opening of the visual art space at Sushi with a multi-media installation by a group of eight Serbians who were in residence in San Diego for about a week. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one and I was happily surprised. Some of the art was really engaging and I understood what the hell they were trying to convey. Of course, some I did not. But that is to be expected. That’s what this blog’s about, right?
One of my favorite pieces was Death Anniversary by Vladimir Nikolic who was running a video of a women singing at the gravesite of Marcel Duchamp (incredibly, I found a clip of it). Here’s what Vladimir told me “I paid a Balkan woman to compose a song and sing at the grave of Marcel Duchamp….this is something we do all the time where I come from…but artists will take photos of these kinds of things and because it is exotic to Westerners, they say it is art.” He’s got something on his mind. “I call this false ready made, because it is not art, it is not contemporary.” See? He’s kinda pissed. It was good.
The images here show another section of the visual art space that had cloths printed with quotes about art. It was a maze. In a corner was another video with Vladimir sitting on the floor, tossing a ring onto a cone, while two British art critics discussed what was happening. These Serbians don’t have a very high opinion of the British art scene, or of much contemporary art. They’re a pretty intellectual bunch.
There was more, about the positioning of pictures, and how all the stories have already been told and nothing is original. Some of it went over my head, but all in all, the experience of being at Sushi, experiencing art in the space and seeing people who supported it all, was encouraging.
Here’s one of the quotes that was in the maze - Art is an adventure into an unknown world, which can be explored only by those willing to take the risks. (Adolph Gottlieb, Mark Rothko & Barnett Newman). I think that’s what we’re going to see at Sushi this season.
Beyond Theory at Sushi ©2008paulmbowers