On 25.04.2003, IRWIN launched
their exhibition "Icons - Malevich between two wars" in
Galerie Inge Baecker in Cologne, Germany. The exhibition can be
seen as some kind of preview to the already planned and scheduled
larger IRWIN-exhibitions to follow, among them the one in Kyoto
or in Berlin in September 2003. IRWIN thus take the opportunity
to show selected pieces of their new works to an interested public
previous to these forthcoming larger events. Cologne's Galerie Inge
Baecker is certainly not quite a new terrain for IRWIN, previous
exhibitions of the group already took place at this location, as
Mrs. Baecker is truly connected with IRWIN an thus she already took
the opportunity in the past to support IRWINs work with exhibitions
of the group in her gallery.
The opening of the exhibition featured two rooms with
more or less brandnew IRWIN-works and the presence of some members
of IRWIN.
With ICONS, IRWIN obviously take a step towards a
simplification tendency in their use of asthetical structures and
symbolics: In the past, they had made use of lots of different and
sometimes contradictious symbols from various political, religious
and artistic schemes, like at the same time slovene national, communist/socialist,
christian, fascistic and suprematistic/futuristic symbolism in for
example the early works of the "Was ist Kunst"-series.
The pictures then featured many different persons, signs etc. of
the above-mentioned general topics, like for example for the Christian/orthodox
part images of jesus, mary, angels, priests, etc. as various representatives/icons
of mainly the same idea.
In this sense, without losing the original concept
of mixing up most different and partly opposing symbolisms, with
ICONS, IRWIN now restrict themselves to four basic symbols from
the above-mentioned topics which are the "cup of coffee",
the cross, the deer and "the little drummer" as already
well known basic inspirations of IRWIN's, LAIBACH's and NOVI KOLLEKTIVIZEM's
since the 1980ies.
In detail, these symbols could be seen as representatives of four
different parts of life and art:
The "cup of coffee" as a retreat to privacy
and individuality by symbolizing something absolutely normal/everyday-like
and connected neither to art nor to politics. In connection with
the symbol of the "cup of coffee", an IRWIN-member stated
that in detail, this is even a typical symbol of Slovene national
art of the past, with exactly this meaning, that is why it was picked
up again by NSK, starting already in the early 80ies with the well-known
poster of the exhibition "Ausstellung LAIBACHKUNST" in
Galeria SKUC, with the coffee-drinking woman on it.
The cross, as some kind of universal symbol for on
the one hand religious (Christian) and on the other hand political/artist
(Malevich-like suprematist asthetics) purposes, has been used by
NSK often in the past as a geopolitical symbol for the sake and
evil of the Balkan as the new center of Europe between to opposing
sides of the world.
The deer might serve various asthetical/artist meanings
from simply symbolizing nature and biological life -by the antlers
including the natural need of fight for survival and supremacy-
up to more detailed possibilities of interpretation like typical
German/Austrian kitsch-kunst and alpine folkloristic elements.
Lastly, the "little drummer" concludes this
"clash of symbols", being an asthetical connection to
LAIBACH's stage-performances and thus -and in general- reflecting
on timeless instruments of propaganda in images and sound.
As Roman Uranjek of IRWIN put it, this restriction
to four basic elements is meant to strengthen the message of the
images, because the repetition of always the same symbols again
and again should force the viewer to think about these symbols and
their connections and links to each other as well as about the viewers
own point towards these symbols. This massive confrontation of the
viewer would -in this sense- not be possible by the use of a larger
amount of different symbolics, which would make this massive confrontation
more difficult because of the confusingly large amount of symbols.
For the creating members of IRWIN after his words, the restriction
-and thus concentration on and permanent repetition of- these basic
symbols is a sign of an artist's extreme passion towards his works.
In spite of the decrease of the symbols used, the
general idea behind the mixture of the symbols seems to remain the
same. By combining symbols, which contradict each other aesthetically
as well as in their visual or hidden meanings, together to one new
-and surprisingly functionable- whole, IRWIN encourages the viewer
once more to reflect critically on the use and effect of these symbols
in all parts of life. Once again, an NSK-group sticks to the rule
to be not an answer to anything, but a question given back to the
viewer/consumer.
Example works:
Some examples from the now exhibited works for the use of these
symbols might be -among others- the image "cup of coffee"
in combination with the malevich-cross printed on it and installed
in front of a large 3-dimensional and irritating background of a
digitised landscape showing the fact that a total retreat to strict
individuality and normality is impossible.
Another example is the "littler drummer"-series
in different materials and color-styles obviously representing different
means of propaganda: in one version ("In blood we trust"),
partly painted with blood and in an aggressive manner, the image
seems to be referring to the right now very actual topic of political/wartime-propaganda.
In another version right next to this one, "The blue boy"
comes along with applications of jeans-textiles drawing a connection
to the less horrifying but still disturbing idea of commercial/fashion
"propaganda" of western (American) culture.
The deer once again serves as a reference to most
different ways of art, explained best by one work showing the dear
in front of a background consisting of four different-colored squares,
representing some French artist's/philosoph's view of strictly separating
four kinds of art (concecrated art, mainstream-art, avantgarde and
non-art). By placing the dear right in the center of these squares,
the senselessness of these borders becomes clear and the viewer
is pushed to the question, what art is ought to be anyway ("Was
ist kunst?").
Lastly, a good example for the most ambivalent of
these symbols, the cross, IRWIN worked out a picture consisting
of four different crosses, in the best meaning "crosslinked"
to each other. In the center, a classical golden Christian cross.
On one rafter of this cross, the well-known black and white malevich-cross
is applicated in the (politically most disturbing) form of a textile
armlet already known from past LAIBACH-appearances. The background
of these first two crosses is formed by another (this time more
originally version) of the malevich-cross as a suprematist/avantgarde
political reference.
The most disturbing cross to follow is as the background of the
whole image, a mirrored red swastika, thus representing nationalsocialistic/fascistic
asthetics and by the same time the original meaning of the traditional
sun-symbol in pre-christian religions.
Besides this slight change in the general use of different
symbols, there has -in my eyes- as well been a slight development
in the general aesthetic outline of IRWIN's works. In some way,
without having a real and objective reason for that, the images
seem to appear in a more "modern" and sophisticated optical
manner. Without changing the original concept of large and massive
frames (which are a basic principal of IRWIN's works anyway) and
the partly strange mixture of various different styles and materials,
IRWIN in my opinion managed to move the aesthetics of their 1980ies
works to the time of 21st century. The basic appearance concerning
frames, materials and outline are kept, but the moves towards a
slight increasing of "modern" materials like plastic (especially
lego-parts), bright aluminium/metal and white glass makes the images
look "modern" (whatever that means...) and timeless by
the same time.
During the whole evening of the opening, IRWIN-members
Roman Uranjek and Burot Vogelnik where present, and the guests had
the great opportunity for a personal talk and discussion on the
images and their possible meanings. They were both happy to explain
their views on certain symbolics, used materials and their way of
working in the collective of IRWIN to everyone asking, which made
the evening quite an interesting event for me and everyone else
who was interested in more background-information on IRWIN and NSK.
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