Basic HTML Version
61
focus of the installation.
“
The mobility of Tadeusz, Herman, Svetlana, Ger-
ard, Hans-Dieter, Jana & Pele and Anna opens up
a dialogue in which geographical boundaries and
nationalities are not important. Instead, their indi-
vidual stories, experiences and dreams build their
unique identities and confirm their differentness in
a world where nationalities are fluid. Every person
I met dreams of a better life, of respect and free-
dom, they are all trying to find their way in the new
reality of the EU.”
- Anna Konik
Konik makes video installations, and her practice
combines video semi-documentary, installation,
performance and sculpture. She has been exhibit-
ing widely and internationally since 2000.
21st century Iconoclasm
Kyriaki Costa (born 1971, Cyprus)
Video stills, 6 photos, 24x30cm
The project is a ‘visual sequence’ of six photos
of significant monuments (i.e., sites and person-
alities) of both European and non-European origin,
all placed around the Athenian Acropolis, a sym-
bol (par excellence) of democracy. Initially, the
viewer’s eye is puzzled as to whether these images
speak of symbiosis or disorder. Ultimately, the
answer to this dilemma brings us to the concepts
of fluidity and mobility. In this photo series, the
artist has allowed herself to mix monuments as a
‘virtual place’ (in her mind? in her heart?) where
everything fits; a (peaceful or restless?) dream is
born.
Just as in everyday life, the triptych of history,
experience and memory is always an issue of
boundaries (their acceptance or negation): What
do we perceive as ‘reality’ or ‘dream’? How do we
understand ‘fact’ or ‘fiction’? Where does ‘sense’
end and ‘nonsense’ start? How do we draw the line
between ‘emotion’ and ‘logic’? Finally, how does
Europe fit in all this?Are we or are we not ‘Europe-
ans’? Should we speak of belonging or fragmenta-
tion? Are we ‘at home’ or ‘homeless’? At the on-
set of the 21
st
century, these are absolutely crucial
questions that spark artistic creativity, especially in
countries at the outskirts of Europe, like Cyprus.
Estonian Race (2010)
Tanja Muravskaja (born 1978, Estonia)
Digital C-type photograph, 92x68cm, 68x50cm,
12 photos in series
The aim of this portrait series of strong Nordic
faces was a portrayal of a modern post-Soviet
state developing in the mono-national way. There
is no such race as an Estonian race. This project
asks us to reflect on historical mistakes, on domi-
nance of the “main” nation, tolerance – all of the
issues which are still relevant in the new Euro-
pean countries. The photo series addresses one
of the “elementary particles” of nationalism as
an ideology - race. Muravskaja is using encyclo-
paedic thoroughness to find the most typical, the
“purest Estonians” among Estonian people, turn-
ing to academic authorities for help and portray-
ing the young men who have no names or social
security numbers, let alone life stories or identities
in the exhibition hall, but who obviously have a
nationality, at least within the framework of this
visual story. This artistic search could also lead
us to a question about a “pure European identity.”
Can we possibly define it? What does it mean to
be a European nowadays?
Tanja has previously worked on the subject of
identity – her work, ‘Positions’ (7 photos in se-
ries, 2007), is part of the collection of the Tartu
Art Museum. ‘Positions’ was the artist’s first work
on the subject of contemporary Estonian identity
and opened a period of four years dedicated to it.
Works reflecting modern Estonia, the elite of the
Russian speaking minority in Estonia, and the re-
cent Soviet past followed this series.