1+1+1+1+1=6 – exhibition

Author: "pARTisan"/ Olga Kopenkina
Keywords: artists’ union, censorship, painting

Date: 12 February 1985

Participants: Adam Hlobus, Ludmila Rusava, Ihar Kashkurevich, Siarhei Malisheusky, Jauheniya Lis, Uladzislau Kufko

Organizers: Union of Writers

Location: House of Union Writers, Minsk

The exhibition was organized with support from the Union of Writers, thanks to the efforts of Viktar Karamazau, Mikhas Stratsou and Maksim Tank. Nevertheless, the authorities banned the exhibition even before it was opened. Union of Painters allowed using their premises for a day-long exhibition of paintings. Number of official painters, among which were well-known Mikhail Savitsky and Zair Azgur, subjected the exhibition to heavy-handed criticism blaming the participants in betrayal of socialist realism. The show was met with great appreciation in Belarus artistic circles and stands out as the first open attempt to show to the public new artistic forms and ideas.

Source: Volha Archipava. Belarusian Avant-garde of the 1980s. ‘pARTisan’s Collection’ series. Minsk 2012. http://partisanmag.by/

Painter’s Studio – exhibition

Author: "pARTisan"/ Olga Kopenkina
Keywords: artists’ union, painting, self-organized, thematic exhibition

Date: 18 February–3 March 1987

Participants: Uladzimir Akulau, Andrej Bialou, Volha Sasikina, Siarhej Vishanka, Ihar Kashkurevich, Artur Klinau, Andrej Pliasanau, Ihar Savitsky, Aliadsandr Taranovich, Henandz Khatskevich, Uladzimir Tsesler, and others

Organizers: Andrej Pliasanau

Location: Republic House of Artists of Belarusian Theatre Union, Minsk

The idea for this exhibition came from Andrej Pliasanau who commissioned independent painters (meaning not associated to the Artists’ Unions) to produce works on the theme of the “painter’s studio.” It was the first time that an exhibition of individual artists’ work from a private collection was organized. It included sixty-four artworks by thirty-nine artists, and was one of the first major group exhibitions of independent art. Approximately four hundred people attended the exhibition opening, and 150–200 viewers came to see the show in the following days.

Source: Volha Archipava. Belarusian Avant-garde of the 1980s. ‘pARTisan’s Collection’ series. Minsk 2012. http://partisanmag.by/

The Perspective – exhibition

Author: "pARTisan"/ Olga Kopenkina
Keywords: censorship, environment / installation, painting, unofficial event

Date: 22 December, 1987

Participants: Andrej Bialou, Sirhej Voichanka, Aliaksej Zhdanau, Aliadsander Zabauchyk, Ihar Kashkurevich, Artur Klinau, Todar Kopsha, Valery Pesin, Andrej Pliasanau, Ludmila Rusava, Uladzimir Tsesler

Location: Belarusian Institute of Information Technology, Minsk

The big-scale exhibition has become a legend of the 1980s. It is believed to be a starting point in the history of Belarusian art. The opening of the exhibition was banned and the participants under the guidance of Andrej Pliasanau and Aliaksander Dabravolsky started a demonstration and protest action. They headed towards City’s Party Committee (Gorkom) carrying posters and paintings. As a result, they got permission to open the exhibition.

The Art Holiday. Narva-88 – seminar on non-official art

Author: "pARTisan"/ Olga Kopenkina
Keywords: collective practices, educational event, festival, international network, outdoor event, performance, site-specificity

Participants: Artists from Belarus, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan. Belarusian artists Andrej Bialou, Aliaksander Zabauchyk, Ihar Kashkurevich, Yauhen Kirylau, Artur Klinau, Uladzimir Lapo, Valer Martynchyk, Viktar Piatrou, Vital Razhkou, Ludmila Rusava, and  Dzmitry Yarmilau.

Organizer: Department of Culture of Narva Gorispolkom (the city’s Executive Committee) of Estonian SSR, and curator Ninel Ziterava

Location: Narva, Estonia

The USSR seminar on non-official art that took place in in Narva, Estonia, was titled “The Art Holiday. Narva-88,” and was organized by the Department of Culture of Narva Gorispolkom (the city’s Executive Committee) of Estonian SSR and curator Ninel Ziterava. Participants included artists from Belarus, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan. The seminar included individual performances by artists, spontaneous collaborations between artists to make outdoor installations, site-specific sculptures, and other forms of visual art. It was first time that Belarusian avant-garde artists had participated in a large art festival in the Soviet Union—this was made possible thanks to Perestroika, a political movement for reformation. During the festival, Belarusian artists who usually felt isolated from those artists working in other Soviet countries, were able to introduce their artwork to their peers from other parts of the USSR, to make connections, and to become part of the larger network of non-official, avant-garde artists. Some fruitful, international collaborations between artists formed at this historic festival stayed viable for many years after.

Source: http://partisanmag.by/

Kazimir Malevich-110 – group exhibition

Author: "pARTisan"/ Olga Kopenkina
Keywords: artists’ union, avant-garde, performance

Date: 4 November–4 December 1988

Participants: the association of Vitebsk artists known as Kvadrat (“Square”); Pluralis”; Ihar Kashkurevich; Ludmila Rusava; the artist collective Komi-Kon; Association of Experimental Visual Arts (SEVA, Leningrad)

Location: Union of Artists, Vitebsk

The opening featured performances by the collaborative duo Ihar Kashkurevich and Ludmila Rusava, and was dedicated to the 110th anniversary of Malevich’s death. The event was the first in a series of ritualistic performances exploring Malevich’s legacy in Belarus (other exhibitions included “Kazimir’s Revival” in Minsk, 1988 , and “Suprematist Kazimir Revival” in Moscow, 1990). This exhibition also marked the beginning of artistic collaborations between performance artists Kashkurevich and Rusava.

Source: Volha Archipava. Belarusian Avant-garde of the 1980s. ‘pARTisan’s Collection’ series. Minsk 2012. http://partisanmag.by/