[artinfo] Time Out Budapest art news and reviews July 2012

[art]

Going for Gold at Documenta
‘While side-stepping the impossible expectations of the art world with the aphoristic one-liner that ‘the concept is to have no concept’, there are nevertheless important hints in this year’s Documenta as to where contemporary art may be headed. The curatorial statement is peppered with references to post-humanist thought, a radical branch of eco-philosophy that puts the non-human at the centre and represents a significant challenge to the individualist and anthropocentric assumptions of the art world.’
http://www.translocal.org/tob/july2012.pdf

Russian Renaissance 2.0 (Knoll Galéria > Jul 28)****
‘The ‘Russian Renaissance’ referenced by the artists in this well-conceived group show is significantly double-edged. On the one hand, there is the ideology of Russian national revivalism that followed the period of perestroika and the break-up of the Soviet Union and is embodied in the chest-beating, macho self-image of President Putin. On the other, there is an implicit call for an alternative renaissance of the democratic spirit of self-organisation and self-expression represented by the courageous activists of the Russian Spring.’

Julita Wójcik: Wavy Block (Platan Galéria > Aug 31)****
‘While these modernist structures are often dismissed as ugly concrete blocks, families have over the years made efforts to humanise and personalise them, both using interior decoration and by creating colourful balconies that disrupt the homogenous face they otherwise turn to the outside world.’

Playground (Inda Galéria > Jul 20)***
‘At first sight, Playground appears to be a highly child-friendly exhibition, full of references to toys, fairy tales and games in the park. Scratch beneath the surface though and the dark side of play comes to the fore, with intimations of danger, trauma and violent social fantasies.’

Jonas Mekas: 365 Day Project (2B Galéria> Jul 6)***
‘The final result was an archive of thirty eight hours of edited material that embodies the artist’s vision of ‘living art’ as a process of everyday practices that combines the idea of actually lived life in the public and private spheres within the challenging new context of instantaneous communication on the world wide web.’

Maja & Reuben Fowkes
Art Editors
Time Out Budapest