In St.-Petersburg Central exhibition hall “Manege” exhibition “not-quite not far off.” This is the third phase of the project of interregional cooperation in the field of contemporary art NEMOSKVA who spends ROSIZO, which entered recently in the composition of the Pushkin Museum. Of A. S. Pushkin. That’s just such a powerful caps, powerful sponsors, foreign celebrities and five thousand square metres for exhibition did not save the “not-quite” from criticism and serious doubts about the correctness of this approach on the territory of regions. Understood Kira Dolinina.The exhibition, as is almost always updated in Petersburg “the Arena”, luxury. Everything seems in place: huge banners, the art in the building and beyond, special design, two floors filled to capacity. 80 authors from 21 cities of Russia, 68 works were created specifically for the exhibition. Watch and enjoy as much high quality “sovriska” gives our homeland. That’s only when you build such a multi-piece prefabricated exhibitions there is always the danger that in the end, the exhibition will turn into a flow of speech. Or, on the contrary, will not break up into consistent parts. Or just be like a Swan, cancer and pike, where everyone pulls over. “Notmoscow is not far off” seem to have avoided these mistakes, but come on usual for such ambitious projects rake: the vertical of power within the project (and the government here, of course, Moscow and its institutions) was not satisfied with the main actors, artists from the province, for whom all of this would start.The essence of the project is simple and seductive: the Moscow team under the leadership of Commissioner Alisa Prudnikova and curator Antonio Jeezy has developed a long-running platform for the “development and promotion of contemporary art in regions of Russia”. First stage: the TRANS-Siberian railway in August—September 2018 rode “curatorial train” carrying into places of eminent Russian and Western curators, who worked with local curators and artists. Educational mission was successful: international functionaries drew attention to the provincial and some artists already invited to the exhibition. Regional supervisors were able to hone their skills in presenting projects and conducted during curatorial school in Satka in the Chelyabinsk region, the competition has helped to create a hefty portfolio of impressive proposals. Then the curators have done reporting the exhibition centre of fine arts BOZAR in Brussels. Today’s exhibition in St. Petersburg — the third part of the program.The exhibition was dashing. From the name, referring to a famous work by Boris Matrosov in Perm “Happiness not far off”, to the names of some of the seven sections of the exhibition (there is “Lethargy” and “Mimicry”, and even “Death is not far off”) and a separate PRizvedeni (“Imaginary Elevator will not come” Dmitry Gerbova; “Again nothing happens” Many Nasybullov; “History of failures” Anastasia Vepreva; “You’re gonna die” Alexei ilkaeva; “Complexity of identity” Andrew rudyeva). Macabre images, as often popup theme “swamp”, not as terrible as symptomatic. The diagnosis here is obvious: in regions there is great modern art, it is in any case not provincial and talks about his time in terms of pathology rather than therapeutic. In this sense, the acclaimed exhibition “Nenasala” about the era of stagnation in the Tretyakov gallery are upbeat.This funeral orchestra is playing harmoniously, the exhibition is good. Vulnerability of the project got to where it should be in the light of a beautiful new world: artists and curators “on the ground” has ceased to accept everything that comes from the capital, at face value. They are ready to play only on an equal footing, and the familiar model of relations is impossible. Simultaneously with this process in the conditional “Moscow” (read — in any major center) for the last 15 years was built of reinforced concrete institutional hierarchy, which is that “equal” does not understand.The situation is pre-revolutionary. “Bottoms do not want, tops cannot”. “Unmoscow” has been targeted the most serious institutional criticism by winning her contest, but have not received the promised support from the curators, as well as many independent critics, artists and art theorists. Built not so long ago the system was outside almost immediately: the province does not consider itself a colony, the parties do not want to go order and not at all ready to embed itself in the capital’s pathetic scheme. A new generation of ready to learn, but not ready to obey: they make their art on the ground, from the army, in prisons, in abandoned villages in communal, and the right to vote is their main value. In the capitals that I do not remember. The current exhibition is a great occasion to remember and respect.
