The Other Trans-Atlantic

GARAGE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART PRESENTS:
THE OTHER TRANS-ATLANTIC: KINETIC AND OP ART IN EASTERN EUROPE AND LATIN AMERICA 1950S–1970S

March 17–May 9, 2018
This spring, Garage is pleased to present the first major exhibition in the country of kinetic and op art from eastern Europe and Latin America, produced in partnership with the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw. The project gathers more than one hundred artworks from the postwar period to the end of the 1970s, including kinetic sculptures, paintings, drawings, films, and installations, as well as unique archival materials.

Focusing on this alternative geographical axis, The Other Trans-Atlantic challenges the mainstream status in art history acquired by postwar North Atlantic art production. It traces a shared interest among artists that ran parallel to widely recognized movements such as American Abstract Expressionism, Art Informel or Lyrical Abstraction, and links the cultural centers of Warsaw, Budapest, Zagreb, Bucharest, and Moscow with those of Buenos Aires, Caracas, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo. The blossoming of kinetic and op art in these regions was largely conditioned by the common political and economic realities the countries were experiencing, which set the artists apart from contemporaries working in the field.

For many artists in Latin America and Eastern Europe in the postwar period, movement in art and through art came to symbolize a new subjectivity, a way to incorporate scientific progress in the utopian social agenda of art. A mobile art object or an op art painting were means not only to push the boundaries of form but also to establish new ways of interacting with and involving the audience. The resulting experimental and innovative formats often required the synthesis of various mediums, as well as the efforts of scientists and engineers in their production. Other artists, on the contrary, used the disquieting and unsettling effect of objects in motion to reflect on the negative consequences of progress and modernization, the position of women in postcolonial society, the increase in social and economic inequality, and so on.

The exhibition showcases a variety of approaches and artistic processes, mapping a short yet historically important period, when new universal principles to engineer the future were found at the intersection of different art forms and disciplines, including metaphysics, science fiction writing, music, and poetry. Another key to a deeper understanding of the context are the biographies of the many artists and their families who were forced to flee and seek new lives across the ocean. Linking the movement of people at that time to the experience of globalization today adds to the urgency of understanding the artistic strategies and modes of resistance by artists that took part in the fascinating story of kinetic and op art from these regions.

Participating artists: Vladimir Akulinin, Feliza Bursztyn, Valdis Celms, Lygia Clark, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Milan Dobeš, Dvizhenie group, Wojciech Fangor, Vladimir Galkin, Gego, Tomislav Gotovac, Alexander Grigoriev, Oskar Hansen, Jerzy Jarnuszkiewicz, Krystian Jarnuszkiewicz, Kaarel Kaarisma, Julije Knifer, Gyula Kosice, Viacheslav Koleichuk, Janis Krievs, Julio Le Parc, Almir Mavignier, Vera Molnar, Lev Nussberg, Helio Oiticica, Abraham Palatnik, Andrzej Pawłowski, Ivan Picelj, Ludmila Popiel, Prometheus group, Vjenceslav Richter, Jerzy Rosołowicz, Rimma Sapgir-Zanevskaya, Mira Schendel, Sigma Group, Jesus Rafael Soto, Viktor Stepanov, Arturs Rinkis, Aleksandar Srnec, Henryk Stażewski, Zdeněk Sýkora, Victor Vasarely, Magdalena Więcek, Ryszard Winiarski, and Stanisław Zamecznik.
The Other Trans-Atlantic is accompanied by an English-language book with a collection of texts published on the occasion of the exhibition in Warsaw (2017), and a revised edition of Viacheslav Koleichuk’s book Kinetic Art (1994), the first monograph on the subject in Russian, published by Garage. The show at Garage will also be expanded, to include key works and several major reconstructions by Russian, Latvian, and Estonian artists. After the exhibition at Garage, the show will travel to SESC in São Paulo.

An extensive public program will run for the duration of the exhibition. More information will be available soon.

This exhibition is organized by the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw in collaboration with Garage Museum of Contemporary Art. Curated by Dieter Roelstraete, Curator at the Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society at the University of Chicago and independent curator Abigail Winograd, with Marta Dziewańska, Curator and Head of Research and Public Programs at the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw. The exhibition at Garage is organized by Snejana Krasteva, Garage Curator in collaboration with Sasha Obukhova, Garage Archive Curator.

GARAGE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART

Garage Museum of Contemporary Art is a place for people, art, and ideas to create history. Through an extensive program of exhibitions, events, education, research, and publishing, the institution reflects on current developments in Russian and international culture, creating opportunities for public dialogue, as well as the production of new work and ideas in Moscow. At the center of all these activities is the Museum’s collection, which is the first archive in the country related to the development of Russian contemporary art from the 1950s through the present. Founded in 2008 by Dasha Zhukova and Roman Abramovich, Garage is the first philanthropic organization in Russia to create a comprehensive public mandate for contemporary art and culture. Open seven days a week, it was initially housed in the renowned Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage in Moscow, designed by the Constructivist architect Konstantin Melnikov. In 2012 Garage relocated to a temporary pavilion in Gorky Park, specifically commissioned from award-winning architect Shigeru Ban. A year later, a purpose-built Education Center was opened next to the Pavilion. On June 12, 2015, Garage welcomed visitors to its first permanent home. Designed by Rem Koolhaas and his OMA studio, this groundbreaking preservation project transformed the famous Vremena Goda (Seasons of the Year) Soviet Modernist restaurant, built in 1968 in Gorky Park, into a contemporary museum.

Garage is a non-profit project of The IRIS Foundation.

Adam Abdalla
Cultural Counsel
Email: adam@culturalcounsel.com

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As part of the strategic partnership between UNIQLO and Garage, a series of special events and activities is planned. Garage and UNIQLO has launched UNIQLO Free Friday Nights, continuing the tradition of free admission for all visitors every Friday evening at such key art institutions as MoMa in New York and Tate in London. Garage visitors can enjoy free admission to all exhibitions every Friday between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. (ticket valid until the Museum closes). UNIQLO and Garage have ambitious plans for the forthcoming year—joint workshops, lectures on contemporary art and fashion, and numerous other events. Visitors to Garage Café can find out more about the brand from the UNIQLO LifeWear Book, which gives an overview of UNIQLO, its current collections, and the company’s innovative methods of apparel production.

A special zone focusing on the partnership between UNIQLO and Garage opened in UNIQLO Atrium, Moscow, in September 2017. Customers can immerse themselves in the art world with books and magazines about art, fashion, and contemporary culture. The zone is also a space for free lectures and master classes, as well as special projects by Garage.

INGOSSTRAKH

Ingosstrakh has been a major player in both the Russian and international markets since 1947. The company is the national leader in Russia based on total insurance premiums in the voluntary insurance sector (not including life insurance). Ingosstrakh is authorized to handle all types of insurance services (in accordance with the insurance company’s specialization) specified in Article 32.9 of the Insurance Law of the Russian Federation, as well as reinsurance services. For many years, Ingosstrakh has provided insurance services for important works of art and other valuable historical objects. The company has 149 locations throughout Russia, as well as branches and subsidiaries worldwide.

Ingosstrakh is the Official Insurance Partner of Garage Museum of Contemporary Art for the second year running. On November 16, 2017, the company celebrates its 70th anniversary, making it one of the most experienced and reliable players in the market. Ingosstrakh is a company that keeps pace with the times and is open to change. In its anniversary year, the company will undergo a major update with the strapline “Ingosstrakh 7.0: Seventh Generation Insurance,” which reflects both the company’s experience and its focus on innovation. Experience permits a better understanding of customers and the products they need, as well as improved interaction. Innovation is associated primarily with the development of client services and the expansion of opportunities to purchase products online. For Ingosstrakh, the partnership with Garage is an important stage in expanding cooperation with leading museums in Russia and across the world. The company insures the artworks exhibited and, jointly with the Museum, implements a wide range of special programs for visitors.
BMW GROUP RUSSIA

BMW Group has had a presence in the art world for many years thanks to its BMW Art Car project that lists artists like Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Roy Lichtenstein, Frank Stella, and César Manrique among its participants. Since racing driver and art enthusiast Hervé Poulain invited Alexander Calder to paint the first car in 1975, some of the world’s biggest artists have created nineteen unique designs based on the company’s models. BMW Group is also a long-time partner of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and has organized long-term projects in collaboration with Tate Modern in London and the National Gallery in Berlin.
Garage helps to promote art and culture and inspire millions of people to discover new things. For BMW Group, which celebrated its centenary in 2016, the partnership with Garage is a wonderful opportunity to support contemporary art. Starting from 2017, BMW Group supports one of the Museum’s main programs, offering Art and Technology grants to contemporary artists.