21.August 2002
Actual art
Inside outside
[Maria Rausse]
Dutch
artist, Iris Honderdos, has created an installation of socially conscious
art, entitled, "Inside Outside." This project involved conducting
short interviews with people of all different ages in St. Petersburg
parks, courtyards and markets. The goal was to collect views on contemporary
life in Russia. Participants, which included homeless people, teenagers,
children, grandmothers and artists, wrote their opinions and wishes
on the art objects, created by Ms. Honderdos.
The installation can be seen at Gallery 2000 and consists of seven half-moon-shaped
objects, made of thick plastic, two meters high, and framed in metal.
The
outside of each object has been glued with newspapers and has a single
black tire track, representing the harshness of the outside world -
society. By contrast, the inside has a soft, pinkish-lavender background,
representing the magical world of wishes and dreams.
Participants in the project wrote, in red letters, on the outside of
the object, their impressions about contemporary life in Russia. In
gold letters, within the dream-like interior, wishes were written.
Gallery
2000, located on the third floor of the Planetarium, is itself the realization
of what was once merely a dream - a dream of a Dutch artist, Thea Linshoten,
to create an art gallery in Russia, allowing a contemporary art exchange
between the two countries. Ms. Honderdos, in the process of "Inside
Outside," has interwoven her own artwork with Russian reality and
dreams.
On August 21st, 2002, in yet another cultural exchange, a younger generation
of Dutch, Russian and German students will gather at Gallery 2000, as
part of a youth exchange program. They will then fill the seventh, and
final, art object with their own impressions of Russian life as well
as their hopes and dreams. This final act of cooperation marks the completion
of "Inside Outside."
Gallery
2000 and "Inside Outside" are examples, not only of real cultural
exchange, but also of dreams that have become reality. May these projects
of Dutch/Russian cooperation serve as a model for similar exchanges
between other cultures!
