Together with Andrei Dureika , we summarize the state of Belarusian contemporary art in 2023.
Trends of Belarusian Art Worldwide
The ever-expanding Belarusian diasporas worldwide are organizing more events abroad. Despite a declining interest in Belarus, there is an internal strengthening of networks of Belarusian art globally: conferences are held, research is conducted, and new institutions are established. Numerous examples show the strengthening of partnerships with various foreign institutions and experts.
Among the most common themes in statements and events are nomadism and forced emigration, protests and solidarity, fixation on confusion and frustrations, exploration of the history of Belarusian culture, ethnography, and the Belarusian language.
Andrei Dureika:
It seems to me that restrictions on freedom and dialogue have contributed to the absence of any unifying large representative exhibition of Belarusian art this year, both in the country and abroad, where the situation for collaboration is worsening. Perhaps one can recall the release this year and a few book presentations of When the Sun Is Low – the Shadows Are Long the namesake of the exhibition 1 organized last year by curator Anna Karpenko in Bialystok and Leipzig. Many doors automatically closed after the shift from the Belarusian label "last dictatorship" to "country co-aggressor."
© Roman Trotsyuk: “Sickles”, at the Asia–Europe Mediations Biennale in Istanbul, 2023
That's why individual strategies are probably more successful this year and hold more prospects for integration into the art scene and avoiding exclusion. This is evidenced by the participation of Marina Naprushkina and the eeefff group at the Kiev Biennale 2023 or Raman Tratsiuk in the Asia–Europe Mediations Biennale “I am another You, You are another me” in Istanbul.
Interestingly, last year saw a major exhibition of the star of Belarusian art history, Haim Soutine (Chaïm Soutine) , titled "Chaïm Soutine. Against the Current " (K20 / Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Dusseldorf). Unfortunately, the exhibition is not accessible to most compatriots, and it lacks the participation of works from Belarus, especially our famous Eve . Perhaps turning to his painterly and expressive experience could have had a greater impact on understanding contemporary painting, unlike the rapidly emerging surrealist post-photographic figurative painting of the academic environment, which has rooted itself quite deeply and even collects its commercial trophies.
© Presentation of the OpenMuzej project and the Imagining OpenMuzej Belarus conference, Berlin, 2023
In the past year, the ability for self-organization in the new conditions of the nomadic state of Belarusian art abroad has once again manifested itself. Several interesting initiatives can be highlighted, including the presentation of the new Open Muzej (OM) initiative at a special conference “Imagining OpenMuzej Belarus: community, contemporary art, engagement ” in Berlin, a new initiative called Open Muzej (OM) was presented, launching the OM Podcast as part of its activities – which continues to contemplate what a museum of contemporary art might be like in the conditions of dispersion of the Belarusian artistic community worldwide; in September, the "First Congress of Belarusian Culture in Emigration" took place in Warsaw; the BIPA / Belarusian Independent Photographic Association was established; the interdisciplinary activities of Razam Kunst – Belarusian Art Space in Berlin were noteworthy; the “Teraz / Zaraz” 2 program, a presentation series of Belarusian artists living in Poland, was organized at Biuro Wystaw in Warsaw; Olga Mzhelskaya , a curator and art manager, launched a video project on Belarusian art titled "Conversations of a Little Hedonist."
This year, the following residencies for Belarusian artists continued or were established: KALEKTAR portal not only announced its own online journal but also continued to provide residencies as part of a special program ; the PerspAKTIV network of residencies and cultural exchange for Belarusian artists and cultural figures, conducted in collaboration with the Ambasada Kultury initiative, continued its activities; a new foundation and residency, Mochnartе , were opened in Mochnat near Białystok; in Białystok itself, the "Dom Tvorcaŭ" art residency (Rezydencja "Dom twórców") was also inaugurated.
Another notable feature in the visual arts is the inclination towards interdisciplinary collaboration and the exploration beyond specific genres, leading to the creation of synthetic projects. Here, it's worth highlighting the following: the activities at the intersection of performance and kinetic sculpture by the PYL group, featuring Maria Komarova ; exhibitions and happenings by Anastasia Rydlevskaya ; the scenographic installation with slogans Waves Of The Future by Zhanna Gladko ; projects at the intersection of fashion and art by Tasha Katsuba ; Daria Semchuk (Сemra) project "Chustki – Chusty – Chustački" at TFH Concept Store in Warsaw, combining installation, performance, traditional singing, and design; Art Yard , a street art community created to build a dialogue between different cultures, realized a series of murals in Tbilisi with the participation of renowned Belarusian artists from different countries; Jura Shust created the third part of the multimedia project Neophyte III: On the Eve of the Shortest Night , revealing the connection between the human psyche and nature in the conditions of socio-political crisis; this year saw the active presentation of projects by Evelina Domnich and Dmitry Gelfand , creating multisensory installations and performances where physics, chemistry, informatics, and philosophical practices converge; and it's particularly noteworthy to mention the creative debut in theater by Nadya Sayapina in the opera Wild Hunt of King Stakh in collaboration with the Belarus Free Theatre, combining theater, multimedia, and live music, premiered at the Barbican Hall in London.
© Yura Shust: fragment of the personal exhibition Coniferous Succession in the Management space in New York, 2023
We will mention several more notable projects and events from this year: Zhanna Gladko 's solo exhibition on space and the era of turbulence, "Relentless Flow of Time," in Oslo; the group exhibition "Let It Shine . Around the VEHA Photographic Archive" curated by Vera Zalutskaya ; Jura Shust 's solo exhibition Coniferous Succession in the Management space in New York; the queer archival exhibition Queer Tracing Paper by Alexey Lunev and Sergey Shabohin ; Olga Kirillova 's solo exhibition curated by Dina Danilovich in Berlin; the group exhibition "Puszcza Białowieska " in Poznań curated by Volha Arkhipava ; the online exhibition "Transformation. Metarealism in Belarusian Photography in the 1980s–1990s " by the META group and photographers Viktor Kalenik , Alexey Trufanov , Alexandr Ugljanitsa ; Raman Kaminski 's solo exhibition Past Garden at the HOS gallery in Warsaw; Permanent Release – Kirill Diomchev 's solo exhibition at the Arsenal Gallery in Poznań, and many others. We have listed only a few of the most prominent events, and since our portal is archival, this list will continue to expand even after the publication. Below is another part of the list with the most important exhibitions and projects of the year with a strong political context.
Political
Following the tragic events of 2020–2021, Belarus continues to be divided into two parts. The independent opposition government in exile and Belarusian diasporas actively distance themselves from any involvement in the actions of the authorities within Belarus, especially concerning Belarus's participation in Russia's military invasion of Ukraine. Against the backdrop of the ongoing war, various initiatives by Belarusians worldwide are being organized to show solidarity and support for Ukrainian colleagues. The cancellation of Russian culture in the artistic community abroad persists.
Andrei Dureika:
There is an increasing trend of distinction, disconnection, and a sense of "here" versus "there," and this does not bode well for the common cause. Fear and uncertainty are unlikely to contribute to normal development, although some artists believe that such a psychological state of experiencing tragedy can be individually processed into profound dramatic works.
Perhaps the most obvious trend in Belarusian art continues to be its politicization. Today, it is clear to everyone that without resolving the political crisis that has led the country into an aggressive war, there will be no progressive changes in the cultural sphere. Many different events can be noted in this regard.
© Antiwarcoalition.art: fragment of the exhibition 𝖭̶𝖨̶𝖢̶𝖧̶𝖳̶ UNSER KRIEG, Weltkunstzimmer, Düsseldorf, 2023
For example, the continued activity of the international platform Antiwarcoalition.art , which last year manifested itself in numerous exhibitions and presentations on major art platforms worldwide, continued to organize exhibitions this year, being among the finalists of The European Pavilion 2024 "Let's dream we are equal." The largest and most atmospheric of their exhibitions was organized on the anniversary of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine: 𝖭̶𝖨̶𝖢̶𝖧̶𝖳̶ UNSER KRIEG (Weltkunstzimmer, Düsseldorf). Addressing war as one of the major civilizational threats and placing a special emphasis on solidarity with Ukraine was a characteristic feature of many Belarusian events this year.
Many notable projects aligning with the trend of political expression in art and realized through traditional exhibition and performance formats can be highlighted (presented in chronological order):
Solo exhibition by Sergey Shabohin , "Atlas of Tectonic Landscapes " (Galeria Miejska Arsenał, Poznan);
#FramedinBelarus project by Rufina Bazlova and Sofia Tokar presented multiple times throughout the year, with the major exhibition "Nitě odporu – Rufina Bazlova" (Gallery of the Central Bohemian Region, Kutná Hora);
© Fragment of the exhibition “What is broken becomes tangible. Infrastructures and solidarity beyond post-Soviet conditions”, National Art Gallery in Vilnius
Exhibition by curatorial duo Aleksei Borisionok and Antonina Stebur , "Sutrikus tai tampa apčiuopiama. Infrastruktūros ir solidarumai už posovietinės būklės" / "If Disrupted, It Becomes Tangible. Infrastructures and Solidarities Beyond the Post-Soviet Condition " (Nacionalinės dailės galerijos, Vilnius) 3 ;
Igor Tishin : "Od kraju do kraju" (Museum of Free Belarus , Warsaw, curator: Olga Mzhelskaya );
1+1=1 (Antanina Slabodchykava and Mikhail Gulin ): "Café Belarus II: Kassandra Komplex " (Japanischen Palais, Dresden);
© Maxim Tyminko: still from the video “A Percussion Piece for Two Thousand and Nine Players”, 2023
Maxim Tyminko presented his new monumental video work A Percussion Piece for Two Thousand and Nine Players at the exhibition Pattern, the Grid, and Other Systems (Fashion Institute of Technology, New York), recalling two thousand nine Belarusian political prisoners;
Ala Savasheviсh : personal exhibition "Broń i chroń " (66P Subiektyvna Instytucja Kultury, Wroclaw);
Marina Naprushkina : solo exhibition Birds With the People (PSM Gallery, Berlin, curator: Antonina Stebur ).
Many of these exhibitions demonstrate the use of collage methods, raising the question of whether this is still an unresolved legacy of postmodernism or a characteristic technique illustrating the era of contradictions and the schizo-discourse during times of war and global crisis.
Artist and activist Jana Szostak is running for the Sejm on the list of the New Left (Nowa Lewica) in Poznań / © Photo: Piotr Skornicki / Agencja W
Perhaps the most radical in terms of the political trend was Jana Shostak 's "action" "Sztuka idzie do sejmu" with her pre-election campaign in the Polish Sejm. This marked a transition from art-activist movements to real politics, where she entered as a voice for Belarusians with themes such as #GłosWykluczonych, #MostynieMury, #NaszeCiałaNaszaSprawa, #EdukacjanieFrustracja.
Trends inside Belarus
Visual arts within Belarus are currently in a "silence mode" (or a mode of self-preservation), preceded by an ineffective "waiting mode." There exists censorship at multiple levels in the entire cultural sphere, as political and critically independent art is currently impossible in the public sphere of Belarus4 .
In power, lists of "unreliable" artists have emerged. Changes to the Cultural Code came into effect on January 1, 2023, stating that every exhibition must undergo a coordination procedure: curators/organizers must photograph everything and, along with textual descriptions of the authors, their works, and other information, submit it for approval to the Ministry of Culture (this is a check by special services, where the Ministry is just an intermediary). The coordination occurs through a verbal recommendation via a phone call to avoid leaving evidence.
A notable phenomenon in censorship is the censorship of propagandists, or the so-called Bondarevaya/Sidarovich/Zhygimont phenomenon, named after the surnames of the three most well-known informants, dubbed the Riders of the Apocalypse in Belarus. These informants regularly post in the press, Telegram channels, and other social networks, publicly accusing individuals noticed in protests. The repressive response from the authorities to such posts sometimes happens immediately. To circumvent censorship, many artists are forced to exhibit and receive orders using pseudonyms. Lists of "unreliable" artists and other cultural figures are constantly expanding. There is a ban on exhibitions, a ban on purchasing artworks, and adding them to collections. Another method of pressure on artists is through raising workshop rents.
Another sad trend in the field of visual arts is pressure on creative unions: attempts by the regime to make them (including the Belarusian Union of Artists ) organizations of "such an ideological nature" so that they specify in their activities "military-patriotic education" and similar things. Memberships in such unions are also suspended for some participants. Many specialists across the country have been dismissed (for example, Vladimir Prokoptsov was dismissed from the position of the director-general of the Belarusian National Arts Museum ), others were imprisoned 5 , and some were forced to emigrate.
© At the opening of the festival "Art-Minsk 2023" at the Palace of Arts in Minsk, 2023
In Belarus, mainly state-owned platforms showcase only "toothless," genre-based, patriotic, decorative, illustrative, salon, and academic art. Belarusian artists undertake their critical expressions or reflections on current events at their own risk, mostly discreetly: "in the shadows," during closed apartment gatherings, on "escape outings" beyond the city, and during residencies in other countries. Due to the safety concerns of those in Belarus, we currently cannot publish archives with their statements and documentation of events and other projects created within Belarus.
Andrei Dureika:
The flip side of this "politicization" has been the "tradition of repressive culture," where Belarusian art and, perhaps more broadly, the entire nation, have become hostages. The country increasingly resembles a ghetto. This theme is unfolded in various ways in Belarus, where, on the one hand, there is a growing emphasis on the revival of "apartment gatherings" and "outings to nature," renewing avant-garde and resistance strategies. On the other hand, a collaborative trend is gaining momentum, where alongside censorship, self-censorship and purges become even more problematic. For instance, within the Belarusian Union of Artists, a collaborative trend is emerging, advocating for the decorative imitation of artistic neutrality through exhibitions, which, in turn, is worse than censorship itself.
Ales Pushkin / © Photo: Sergey Mikhalenko
The most terrifying symbol of repression in our art became the death in prison of the most famous performance artist in Belarus, Ales Pushkin .
Losses
In addition to the tragic death of Ales Pushkin on July 11, we want to remember some other notable losses in Belarusian art. On April 6, at the age of 93, the renowned artist and painter Leonid Dudarenko passed away. On July 15, at the age of 71, after a severe illness, Victor Shilko , a member of the Kvadrat group, left us. On November 21, 2023, at the age of 74, Larisa Finkelshtain , a critic, art historian, teacher, curator, creator, and director of the Brama gallery, passed away. On December 18, the famous Vitebsk artist Vladimir Volnov passed away. Before Catholic Christmas, we also lost the artist Aleksandr Kazak . At the end of the year, it became known that the Vershy space in Minsk ceased its activities.
This essay can be supplemented, so we will be grateful for your contributions and references to important projects and events in Belarusian contemporary art in 2023 that may not have been included in the publication. You can reach us at kalektar.org@gmail.com