Generative Systems Art by Francesca Franco

Author:Francesca Franco [Franco, Francesca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, General, Language Arts & Disciplines, Library & Information Science
ISBN: 9781317137436
Google: oJU4DwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2017-10-05T05:01:29+00:00

Figure 4.1An actor wearing a Malevich costume in front of Edmonds’ work, at the opening of the Avant Garde 90 exhibition, Moscow, 1990.

Source: Image courtesy of the artist.

Figure 4.2An actor wearing a Malevich costume looking at Edmonds’ work, at the opening of the Avant Garde 90 exhibition, Moscow, 1990.

Source: Image courtesy of the artist.

It was, as Ilgen remembers, “a historic moment”.2 Politically, the festival represented an important shift in the acceptance of Constructivism in Russia in the early 1990s. Constructivist artists, who had once been at the forefront in developing revolutionary productions and pioneering projects using new technologies across a wide range of art disciplines, were suppressed on the rise to power of Joseph Stalin and purged by the rigid censorship imposed under his rule. The Melnikov Festival was one of the visible changes in the cultural and artistic spheres resulting from Gorbachev’s political reforms and his policies of glasnost (“openness”) and perestroika (“restructuring”). In a way, the festival symbolised the political changes that were happening at the time.

Avant Garde 90 featured a selection of artists from Europe, the USA and Japan, who were invited to present their work side by side with contemporary Russian artists. The aim was to demonstrate that the legacy of Constructivism was still alive, and this was an opportunity for stimulating international and intercultural exchanges between contemporary artists. The exhibition was curated by Ilgen, and designed by architect Yuri Avvakumov. A sense of openness radiated through the whole building. Its large walls, usually concealed by draped fabric, were now shown in their original state, emphasising the quality of the Manege’s impressive construction. Avvakumov’s design also highlighted visually the contrast between the works made by the older generation of Russian Constructivists, exhibited on black walls, and those of the younger generation of contemporary avant-garde artists, displayed on white walls. The exhibition featured, among others, works by John Carter, Angel Duarte, Jean-Pierre Husquinet, Francisco Infante, Michael Kidner, Slava Koleczuk, Manfred Mohr and Leonardo Mosso. It opened on 1 August 1990, attracted over 30,000 visitors and was covered extensively by National TV and press.

Having been invited to participate in the Architectural Festival both as an exhibiting artist and as a speaker at the PRO Conference, Edmonds reflected on the significance of the event in contemporary art practice:

A major goal of the festival is to celebrate an important figure in our past, but also it looks to the future in the spirit of Melnikov – indeed we must look forward. The man-made spaces in which we live and work are no longer defined just by bricks or concrete: information technology, computers and communication systems, is increasingly providing new ways of defining space.3

It was particularly the lesson learnt from Constructivism through Kenneth Martin and in relation to the use of new technology that was of great significance to Edmonds, as expressed in his Moscow talk:

Just as Kenneth Martin showed us the life inherent in a system – an ordered system, a formal system, it remains for us to build upon

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