Far from you, part of the archival
Far from you, the monument
Anetta Mona Chisa and Lucia made Tkacova Lida Clementisovą heroine of their own work, because her fate did not give them peace. Upon learning of his wife accidentally prominent Slovak Communist, Vladimir Clementis, who after the war he was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Czechoslovakia, and was later convicted in a show trial Slansky'ego to death in 1952, began with the growing attention to gather information. Lida Clementisova is an important figure not because of myself, my own accomplishments, ideas and works. The official versions of recent history the Czech Republic and Slovakia, if at all there is to mention it is because of her husband. There is no Clementis, is devoted to him, with conviction and for life. The fate of Lida, inextricably intertwined with the fate of her husband, were marked by tragic moments. Like stills from the movie memorable, and you can not get rid of them.
bank manager and daughter of opera singer became fascinated by a young lawyer, committed communist activist. The fascination was mutual. Fortunately, before the war did not last long, he was imprisoned dementis and interned, lived in exile, she rode behind him, for example, to England, where he had to cope without a good knowledge and funds. After the war Clementis for a short time found himself at the height of his power, being one of the authors of the coup, and contributing to the government CSRL. But already in 1950, has been accused. Imprisoned for two years, were subjected to torture, his wife also. Occasionally exchanged lists. He did not know that she is trapped, it was not possible to tell with that. He did not know that she knows that he has been sentenced to death. Before the execution was allowed to meet Lida with him. She was exhausted. Are being monstrous masquerade: it dressed up to look like a healthy and living in freedom. Were given injections of arsenic, which meant that had full cheeks. The last meeting of the spouses took several minutes, during which they could not betray the feelings and knowledge about their own situation. Lida through the night scrubbing the floor in his cell. After the death sentence on Clementisie, was released. Commemorating the rest of his life devoted husband. She has published, among others their list, in two books.
Form Clementisovej artists has become a challenge. Wanted to pay tribute to her perseverance and suffering, sacrifice. The path we chose Clementisova, led to the destination, which has traditionally been the outstanding participation of women partners, women in general, and - what can I say - is questioned not only by the avant-garde circles, is sometimes regarded as mortification than merit. The attitude assumed Clementisovej omission of their own needs, plans and ambitions, they melt in the plans and ambitions of her husband. The removal of the shade, being useful, waiting, expectancy, nursing the memory of a hero. Clementisova is transparent, it shows its hero. It is like glass.
Anetta Mona Chisa and Lucia Tkacova not analyze this phenomenon. Do not criticize the more Lida Clementisovej, do not make critical vivisection of collective memory. Their intention was to commemorate a particular woman on the basis of what is known about it from things existing in the collective consciousness of the Slovak and Czech. The exhibition focuses on a particular public image of women. With his absence, and for some debris, which had penetrated into the collective memory, the artists create their own tribute, but more appropriate would be the word "hutch", "weave", "make" (like a puzzle) - the absence, insinuations, debris, flashes in the background, spectral presence. Since
Lida form is vague and does not have a clear outline, the artist did not try to catch it in a cohesive network, finishing the story, do not try to dopowiadać, fill gaps and dorysowywać lines where they run out. At the exhibition "Far from you" in Karlin Studios, Prague, there is a modest and simple arrangement: strips of printed paper stuck to windows, not enough visible projection ... A bit of a photocopy of musical notation and a schematic portrait of women, flowers in pots, slide show, a sketch on the wall and the projection that runs from time to time. Well, the rug on the floor. That's how it roughly looks like.
I asked for a response to the exhibition, a discussion, a hotter reaction. Nothing like this has happened. There is probably demonstrate more clearly confirmed, that Lida Clementisova the shadows are still not married. In a similar vein reacted Wikipedia. The resulting password - English and Slovak. After a while, someone raised an objection to the merits of putting information in the form of a separate article devoted to this form. There is no independent account of his achievements. What is not true, because for example has released several books. Wikipedia should indeed make sense to rely on the fact that it brings awareness of lesser-known characters, I just discovered, those which would not have chance to own password in a printed encyclopedia. English, however, the password has been erased. Slovakian remained intact.
*** empty space - from the exhibition starts. So we have sentences cut from books, wherever found herself Clementisovej mention. The action spills to the outside world. In libraries, where they come from the book were like negatives of action. Quotes have been illegally cut from the books that the holes have been returned to the place of loan. The planned as part of the exhibition were also cited archival list of marriage - and again brought to this book, which were arranged on a single card. The few published photos Clementisovej were treated cruelly: cut her face. Operation easy, even infantile, brings to mind the reality of operations to enchant, cast a curse on someone. It is also a gesture autodestrukcyjny niepogodzonych women about their physical appearance, which grab the scissors to remove yourself from sight, using censorship as absolute as the political. A piece of documentary film with the statement Clementisovej is displayed on the glass, which a woman takes on the appearance of the spectrum.
Everything, therefore, underlines the invisibility of Lida, it is irrelevant to her husband's biographers and historians. Slurred presence in the background, somewhere on the side or behind.
In the remainder of the exhibition we are dealing with something that at first glance resembles miscellaneous bunch. We have things without much of a load, even with a grossly short-term-life, as well as the trivial from the perspective of recognized value systems. As soon as one reaches the edge of the output dropped carelessly on the ground. It was on the grass and impressed geometric structure. Well, was impressed plan mapped cell. Anyone can enter the picture and feel for yourself how tight was the cell in which the heroine spent the month of the exhibition. Moreover, the picture was in fact aimed at the real location of the prison room Clementisovej.
movie displays on the wall depicted an empty school children reciting the last letter to his wife Clementis. Letter full of tension and the fake peace, not to bother his wife, is in the mouth of students as school reading, children poszturchują to jąkają, transgress from foot to foot and take the show on camera. Video shows how tragic story gradually watering down and actually do it is not in popular communication.
Mona Chisa and Tkacova also devised a way to use sound. The last letter to his wife was transcribed on the sound system Solresol. Notation was to be taken by everyone concerned. The tragic history could be made an instrument, sing, play. Lida Clementisova was, after an opera singer. You could also put yourself in Lida. The artists have prepared a diagram of makeup, which applied in exile in London, where it came from her picture. Make-up anyone can do. Thus, my face can change a little in the face of Lida.
What were they doing in Karlin Studios klematisami pots? They could take it. The artists have applied again model „zrób to sam”. Model majsterkowicza królował w naszych krajach za komuny, kiedy niedostatki w zaopatrzeniu w dobra materialne uzupełnialiśmy zaradnością i sprytem. Model ten powraca, trochę na fali ekologii, antykonsumpcjonizmu i poszukiwania możliwości wyrażenia swoistości naszego doświadczenia historycznego.
Artystki postanowiły, że nie będą budować pomnika dla Lidy. Wykorzystały pomniki już istniejące. Sfotografowały wszystkie monumenty w Pradze i pokazały jak można wykorzystać kwiaty, by kultywować pamięć o kimś. Nazwa „clematis” odnosi się do nazwiska małżonków. If you would like to commemorate a brave woman, you need to plant clematis in the memorial of their choice. Clematis oplecie him green shoots, blossom and transform into a memorial statue to pleniącej lush nature and oblivion. From the plant will not see the statue. The hero becomes a stand for flowers. This idea seems to be a great and unavoidable. How else to commemorate this woman? It is impossible to put a monument.
***
exhibition moved me very much, although it troubled me quite a creativity of artists. One gets the impression that they multiply the concepts of one nature and one another.
Despite these objections, I think "Far From You" as a very ambitious attempt to refer to history and memory of women residents of post-communist countries. How to pay tribute to the power of survival? How to erect a statue of silent heroism, which by this force is expressed? How can we talk about love in times of Stalin's purges? Although it sounds łzawo, if not affection, fate, Lida would have been different.
She might have his own life, after all, was an opera singer - a woman who had a voice, although it gave up.
Far from you
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