A.A.Bobrikov personal open lecture: «Emptiness as an attraction. Manipulation of absence, non-existence, non-action and other "negative" concepts in modern and postmodern art»

On Wednesday, April 12, at 15.30 in the White Hall of Russian Institute for the History of Arts A.A.Bobrikov [PhD, senior research scientist, Department of Fine Arts and Architecture] was present personal open lecture «Emptiness as an attraction. Manipulation of absence, non-existence, non-action and other “negative” concepts in modern and postmodern art».

The subject of the lecture became a history of emptiness in contemporary art for about a century – starting with the “White Square on a White Background” by Kazimir Malevich (with a little background) to our time. It starts with the emptiness obtained on the canvas (sheet of paper) by applying a whitewash, leaving the untouched white surface of the ground (sheet) or erasing the existing image. It continues with the story of the empty space of the gallery space (space in general), which is considered or absolutely empty – as at the famous Yves Klein exhibition in 1958, or filled with something invisible – as in the projects of Robert Barry, Teresa Margolles, Martin Creed, Roman Ondak. Concludes with original projects of institutional criticism (Michael Escher) and aesthetics of cooperation (Maria Eichhorn). In general, the modernist appeal to emptiness, absence, non-existence, which began as an ultra-radical gesture (brought to the limit in the projects of the artist’s complete self-elimination, for example, Laurie Parsons and Bethan Hughes), gradually turns into a fascinating attraction, a cheerful escapade that went beyond actual art and Which became the object of parodies (the last time the project associated with Lana Newstrom).

All are invited to attend.