„East Art Map“

a project by IRWIN*

„East Art Map“

first part was done in collaboration with New Moment

In collaboration with contributing editors: Inke Arns, Vladimir Beskid, Iara Bubnova, Calin Dan, Ekaterina Degot, Branko Dimitrijević, Lilia Dragneva, Marina Gržinić, Sirje Helme, Elona Lubytė, Marina Koldobskaya, Suzana Milevska, Viktor Misiano, Edi Muka, Ana Peraica, Piotr Piotrowski, Branka Stipančić, János Sugár, Jana and Jiři Ševčik, Miško Šuvaković, Mara Traumane, Igor Zabel, Nermina Zildzo

In Eastern Europe (also known as the former communist countries, East & Central Europe, or New Europe) there are as a rule no transparent structures in which those events, artifacts and artists that are significant to the history of art have been organized into a referential system accepted and respected outside the borders of a particular country. Instead, we encounter systems that are closed within national borders, most often based on argumentation adapted to local needs, and sometimes even doubled so that besides the official art histories there are a whole series of stories and legends about art and artists who were opposed to this official art world. But written records about the latter are few and fragmented. Comparisons with contemporary Western art and artists are extremely rare.
A system fragmented to such an extent, first of all, prevents any serious possibility of comprehending the art created during socialist times as a whole. Secondly, it represents a huge problem for artists who, apart from lacking any solid support in their activities, are compelled for the same reason to steer between the local and international art systems. And thirdly, this blocks communication among artists, critics and theoreticians from these countries.

The aim of the East Art Map is to show the art of the entire space of Eastern Europe, to take artists out of their national frameworks and present them in a unified scheme.

The first phase of the EAM project was rounded up with the organization of the scheme. The project is now in the second phase and is taking place within the framework of Relations.

Since 2002 the following parts of the project have been implemented:

- East Art Map, New Moment magazine No:20 published by New Moment, 2003
- East Art Map Online eastartmap.org, a tool created in 2004 for new proposals which is still in operation
- East Art Museum, exhibition of selected works from the 1950s to the 1970s chosen from the works of art proposed for the East Art Map
- Mind the Map, a symposium of young researches from Eastern and Western Europe on the topic of the East Art Map. The symposium was co-produced with the Institute of Theatre Studies of the University of Leipzig in 2005
- East Art Map - Contemporary Art and Eastern Europe, a book published by Afterall Books and distributed by MIT Press, 2006

Project supported by:
1st phase: New Moment, RenderSpace – Pristop Interactive and Karl Ernst Osthaus Museum Hagen
2nd phase: Relations/German Federal Cultural Foundation, Culture 2000, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, RenderSpace – Pristop Interactive

* for IRWIN Miran Mohar, Andrej Savski, Borut Vogelnik

2007