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The artistic tradition that emerged as a form of cultural resistance in the 1970s changed during the transition from socialism to capitalism. This volume presents the evolution of the Moscow-based conceptual artist group called Collective Actions, proposing it as a case-study for understanding the transformations that took place in Eastern European art after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Esanu introduces Moscow Conceptualism by performing a close examination of the Collective Actions group's ten-volume publication Journeys Outside the City and of the Dictionary of Moscow Conceptualism. He analyzes above all the evolution of Collective Actions through ten consecutive phases, discussing changes that occur in each new volume of the Journeys. Compares the part of the Journeys produced in the Soviet period with those volumes assembled after the dissolution of the USSR. The concept of "transition" and the activities of Soros Centers for Contemporary Art are also analyzed.
List of contents
Foreword Preface and Acknowledgments Part I: A General Introduction to KD and Moscow Conceptualism Chapter 1. A Bibliographic Overview The Literature Before 1989 The Literature After 1989 The Consolidation of the Discursive Field of Moscow Conceptualism Chapter 2. Mapping Moscow Conceptualism The Attribute "Romantic" The Central Concept of "Emptiness" Part II: Transition: From KD to [KD] Chapter 1. KD's Journeys Before 1989 Volume I (phase 1976-80): "Appearance" Volume II (phase 1980-83): "Ten Appearances" Volume III (phase 1983-85): "Discussion" Volume IV (phase 1985-87) and Volume V (1987-89) Chapter 2. "During:" Transition to Capitalism Transition and Transitology The Cultural Transition: The SCCA Model Chapter 3. [KD]'s Journeys After 1989 Temporality of Transition New Schizo- Terms in the Dictionary Bracketed Totality: From KD to [KD] From Numerology to Statistics From Action to Installation From Descriptions to Projects Kievogorskoe Field: From No One's Land to Housing Development A More Comfortable Journey: From Public to Private Transportation The Democratization of Language Afterword: From KD to [KD]: From Objectivation to Reification Appendix: Dictionary of Moscow Conceptualism Bibliography Index
About the author
Octavian Esanu is Associate Professor in the Department of Art and Art History at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and Curator of AUB Art Galleries
