Spekter Kui valgust poleks juhtunud, poleks silmi vaja. Sellist tegelikkust me ette ei kujuta. Läbitungimatus pimeduses silmade kinnipanemine on valgu

Väljavõte

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2 Spekter Kui valgust poleks juhtunud, poleks silmi vaja. Sellist tegelikkust me ette ei kujuta. Läbitungimatus pimeduses silmade kinnipanemine on valguse väljalülitamine, see ei anna meile ettekujutust ilma valguseta tegelikkusest. Mitte miski ei anna. Ka seal, kus inimsilma jaoks midagi ei paista, on üsna tihti midagi valgusesarnast olemas. See võib jääda allapoole meie sensoorset läve. Infrapunasega pole meil mingit asja. Aga see on ikka valgus. Seda näevad dessantnik, krevett ja lõgismadu. Ultravioletti näevad mesilased ja linnud. Meile jääb rõõm anda nimetusi infrakollane ja mesilasepurpur. Tõesti, igasuguseid värve on olemas, isegi kui me neid ei näe. Kõik sõltub sensoritest, kõik sõltub kellaajast. Kristi Kongi maalib valguse olekuid, kuigi maaliga valgust kätte ei saa. Me saame transformatsioonid, need on läinud läbi kunstniku pea, mitte läbi klaasi. Aga traditsioon suunab meid ikka mõtlema, et maalitud on valgust ja et me näeme seda. Ma ei tea, kas sellest õnnestuks mööda vaadata. Kristi läbipaistev objekt tundub valgusele lähemal olevat kui spektrilõikeid kordistavad maalimaatriksid, aga kordistus ja ülekirjutused need asjad, mis selle liidese liikuma panevad. Kristil on mõttekaaslasi aasta veebruaris seisab Claude Monet oma molbertiga väljas ja maalib Roueni Jumalaema katedraali. Aastal 1893 teeb ta seda ikka veel. Erinevad aastaajad, erinevad valgused. Katedraal nagu päikesekell, nagu registratsiooniseadeldis. Kõik kordub. Kristi värvilised uned võtavad spektrist väljapudenenud tahkkeha kuju, see veereb valguse survel pidevalt haardekaugusest välja, ei lase ennast püüda. Ähmaselt, nagu läbi udu meenub Kristile, et kunagi nägi ta erinevat värvi katedraalidest painajalikke unesid, need langesid talle peale, sundisid üha tagasi kerima, uuesti alustama. Milline kergendus on sellel taustal meenutada, et valgus on elektromagnetkiirgus, mille lainepikkus jääb vahemikku nanomeetrit. Lainepikkus 380 nm tähendab lillat, violetset serva spektris ja 760 nm lainepikkusega lõpeb punase värvusena tajutava valguse ala. Lihtne, selge. Läbipaistev. The spectrum If light wouldn t have happened, we wouldn t need eyes. It s a reality we cannot imagine. Shutting your eyes in impenetrable darkness is turning off the light, but it won t give us the feeling of a reality without light. Nothing will. Even if the human eye sees nothing, there is something reminiscent of light. It may remain below our sensory levels. We ve got nothing to do with infrared. But it is still light. It is seen by invaders, shrimps and rattlesnakes. Ultraviolet is seen by bees and birds. And we only have the pleasure of naming them infrayellow and bee-purple. Indeed, all sorts of colours exist, even if we are not able to see them. It all depends on the sensors and on the time. Kristi Kongi paints the conditions of light, although you can t really paint light. We are left with transformations that have gone through the artists head and not glass. But tradition dictates that we think that the artist has painted light and that we can see it. I m not sure it would be possible to ignore that. Kristi s transparent object appears closer to light than matrices multiplying slices of the spectrum, but multiplication and documentation is what makes this move. Kristi also has kindred spirits. In February 1892 Claude Monet stood outdoors with his easel, painting Rouen cathedral. He did it again in Different seasons, different light. The Cathedral like a sundial, like a register. A recurring process. Kristi s colourful dreams take the physical shape of the colours of the spectrum; light propels it further out of reach, it won t be caught. Vaguely, as if through a fog, Kristi remembers seeing nightmare-like dreams about cathedrals in different colours, falling down on her, forcing her to rewind and start anew again and again. What a relief it is to remember that light is an electromagnetic impulse with a wavelength between nanometres. Wavelength 380 nm is the colour purple, the violet edge of the spectrum, and 760 nm is the red. Simple, clear. Transparent. andreas w andreas w

3 Talv Varase keskea künnisele jõudnud K. ärkas vaevaliselt südatalviselt kargel varahommikul. Aeglaselt sirutas ta end vikerkaarevärvides lapiteki all ja haigutas. Päeva alguseni oli veel aega ja K. viivitas öö jooksul soojaks kookoniks muutunud voodist lahkumisega. Hallitriibuline unine kass sirutas ennast jalutsis ja vaatas nõudlikult K. poole. K. ohkas ja vinnas end vastumeelselt voodiservale. Kass volksatas voodist põrandale ja sammus otsustavalt köögi suunas. K. sirutas villastes sokkides varbad vanaema triibulisele kaltsuvaibale ja võdistas õlgu. Hommikuse jahedusega pooleldi kohanenud, avas K. ukse ja astus hämarale tänavale. Tema ateljee ei asunud õnneks kaugel ja sobivat tempot hoides võis sinna jõuda mõne minutiga. K. süütas tuled ja vaatas mõtteid kogudes ringi. Tema ees laual ja kõigil tühjadel seinapindadel asusid hoolikalt vormistatud ja läbimõeldult valmistatud pildid. Täpselt välja mõõdetud ruudukesed katsid tihedalt suureformaadilisi aluseid, kuhu oli kindla käega kantud erinevate värvitoonide heleduse ja tumeduse astmeid koos kõigi olemasolevate varjundite ja tonaalsustega. K. selja taga seinal ilutses seeria esimene osa, vaevuaimatavast valkjaskollasest sai sellel triip-triibult munarebu värvi kollane vööt, mis järgmisel pildil muutus päikesekollasest oranžiks ja seejärel aeglase sammuga kergelt pruuni varjundiga määrdunudkollaseks. Suurest purkidega täidetud metallriiulist paremale jäi K. lemmiktoone kandev pilt, õrnroosa triibuväli liikus läbi erinevate vaarikatoonide sügavpunaseks ja sealt edasi mullakarva veinipunaseks. K. istus purkide ja pintslitega kaetud laua taha ja nihutas lugematute tühjade ruudukestega kaetud aluse lähemale. Ta avas mõtlikult lähedal asuva purgi ja kallas välja sillerdavalt sinise värviloigu. Sinine ei kuulunud K. lemmiktoonide hulka ja ta oli selle pildi loomist edasi lükanud juba päevi. Tarbetult kaua oli ta venitanud erinevaid punase tonaalsuseid segades, jälgides saadud toonide reageerimist valgusele ning varjudele. K. ohkas, sinine oli loomu poolest igav värv. Pedantliku täpsusega segas ta sinist valgega, muutes vaevuaimatava taevasina järk-järgult erksamaks. Aknast sisse hiilivad valguskiired küütlesid veel kuivamata värvitriipudel. Möödus tunde ja K. osava käe alt ilmus sadu erinevaid triipe. Taevasinine kõrvuti vihma- ja rukkilillesinisega muutus sammhaaval sinilillesinisest öösinaks. Väljas hämardus. K. puhastas väsinult pintslid ja keeras värvipurgi kaane otsustavalt kinni. Ta kustutas tuled, sulges värvipoe ukse ja astus pakasest tardunud tänavale. Üleriigilise remondihooajani olid jäänud veel mõned kuud. Elena Šmakova The winter K., a person standing on the edge of an early midlife crisis, woodenly woke up on a crisp winter morning. Slowly she stretched herself under a rainbow-coloured warm patchwork quilt and yawned. There was time before the start of the day and K. was reluctant to leave the warm cocoon of her bed. A sleepy grey tabby cat sprawled itself out at the foot of the bed and regarded K. demandingly. K. sighed and hoisted herself grudgingly onto the edge of the bed. The cat leaped on the floor and walked to the kitchen. K. placed her toes in woolly socks onto her grandmother's rag carpet and inadvertently shook her shoulders. Somewhat accustomed to the morning coldness, she opened the door and stepped onto the dusky street. Her studio was luckily not very far and could be reached within minutes. K. turned on the lights in the studio and took a look around. The table in front of her, the walls and every available space was covered in carefully composed and constructed pictures. Squares with exact measurements covered huge canvases, covered with confident brushstrokes in various states of lightness and darkness with every thinkable shade and tonality. On the wall behind her was the first instalment in the series, where a barely perceptible light yellow turns stroke-after-stroke into egg yolk yellow and then into a sunset orange and then slowly into a slightly brown dirty yellow. On the right from the big metal shelf filled with pots of paint was K. s favourite picture where a pale pink field of strokes turns into raspberry red and then into soil-coloured Bordeaux red. K. sat behind the table covered in pots and brushes and nudged a canvas covered in empty perfect squares. She wistfully opened a tub of paint and poured out a sparkling blue puddle. Blue was not among her favourite colours and she had postponed painting this picture for days. She had spent unnecessary time on mixing different tones of red and observing their reaction to light and shadow. K. sighed, blue was a boring colour. She mixed the blue with white with a pedantic precision, turning the pale sky blue more and more distinct. Rays of light played on the still wet colourful stripes. Hours went by and K. expertly drew hundreds of different stripes. Sky blue next to rainy blue and cornflower blue slowly turned from liverleaf blue into the blue of the night. It was getting dark. K. cleaned the brushes and put a lid on the tub of paint. She turned off the lights, closed the door to the paint shop and stepped onto the frozen street. A few months still remained until the national renovation season. Elena Šmakova

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5 Sintētisks krāsu mutulis, karuselis, kas ir izteiksmīgs un acis žilbinošs. It kā lai pierādītu savu autonomiju un iespējamību, lai kļūtu par diskursu vai stāstu, tas savā spilgtumā baida. Krāsu intensitāte cīnās par glezniecības vietu laikmetīgajā, tās būtiskumu un dzīvīgumu jeb tās nākotni. Glezniecība ir krāsa. Kongi to apstiprina. Synthetic puff of colours, merry-go-round which is distinctive and dazzling for the eyes. As if to prove its autonomy and possibility, to become a discourse or story, it frightens in its brightness. The intensity of colours is fighting for the place of painting in the contemporary, its relevance and liveliness or its future. Painting is colour. Kongi confirms that. MAIJA RUDOVSKA

6 Kristi Kongi Kui algselt oli visuaalkunst mõeldud reaalsuse kujutamiseks, siis mida enam pildistamis- ja paljundamistehnoloogiad arenesid, seda rohkem hakkasid kunstnikud pöörama tähelepanu kujutise algelementidele värvidele, vormidele ja valgusele. Pikapeale arenes sellest välja modernismi lipulaev abstraktne kunst. Totalitaarsetes riikides aga abstraktsionismist palju ei peeta, sest inimestele on vaja luua kujutluspilt ideaalsest elust, mis on võimalik tänu riigi ettehooldele. Kuna tegelikkuses ei ole aga sellist ideaalset elu veel sündinud, siis ei saa seda ka näiteks fotona jäädvustada, vaid tuleb kasutada maalikunsti vahendeid. Selleks ei sobi abstraktsionism, vaid figuraalne kunst. Nõukogude Liidus nimetati kunstnikke, kes tegelesid vormiprobleemide ja nonfiguratiivsekunstiga, formalistideks. See oli sõimusõna, mis võis saata su kui just mitte Siberisse siis keelata sinu loomingu ametlikelt näitustelt. Kongi ongi üks selliseid tüüpilisi formaliste. Iroonilise paradoksina on formalistid taunitud ka suures osas kaasaegsest kunstist, mis on ometi sündinud vabas, demokraatlikus ühiskonnas. Erinevus totalitarismist seisneb selles, et kunstilt nõutakse mitte ideaalpiltide loomist, vaid, vastupidi, võimalikult õudse ja jubeda ettekujutuse tekitamist tänapäeva elust ning ühiskonnast. Seda nimetatakse sotsiaalseks kunstiks ja selle eesmärk on ühiskonnas toimuvat kriitiliselt analüüsida, võidelda vaimse ja poliitilise mugandumisega. Sotsiaalse kontseptualismi apologeedid saadaksid sarnaselt nõukogude kunstikomisjonidega Kongi-sugused hea meelega Siberisse. Kuna sotsiaalne kunst on aga masendav ja kole, siis nõuab kunstiturg ka kaasajal midagi ilusat ja mõttetut, mis võiks segamatult interjööri kaunistada. Nii võitlevadki kaasaegsetes galeriides ja muuseumites kaks totaalselt erinevat kunstilist mõtlemist: kole, kuid sügavamõtteline sotsiaalne kunst ja ilus, kuid mõttetu dekoratiivkunst. Päris naljakas on jälgida, kuidas samad kuraatorid ja kriitikud neid vastavalt vajadusele kordamööda kiidavad. Kunstnikud õnneks sedaviisi kahe tooli vahel ei istu, vaid teevad oma valikud ja käivad oma rada. Kristi Kongi on valinud dekoratiivkunsti tee. Teos, kus jälgitakse objekti heidetud varju muutumist valguse liikumisega ja tõlgendatakse seda protsessi värvide kombineerimise abil, võiks küll kaudselt haakuda näiteks värviõpetuse, tajupsühholoogia või geomeetriaga, kuid ei anna neile teadustele mingit uut teadmust, taandudes seega ikkagi lihtsalt kauniks, pretensioonituks värvija vormimänguks. Ja nagu juba öeldud, turunišš on selle mängu jaoks olemas. Kristi Kongi If visual art was meant to depict reality at first, then with the development of photographic and copying technologies, more and more artists began to turn to the primary elements of the image colours, shapes and light. In time this led to the creation of the flagship of modernism abstract art. However, totalitarian countries don t have much time for abstractionism, because the people need to be given an illusion of a perfect life which is only possible with the support of the government. Since no such perfect life exists, it cannot be immortalized in a photograph, but needs to be translated into a painting. This does not require abstractionism but figural art. Artist that concentrated on shapes and non-figurative art in the Soviet Union were called formalists. This was a foul word that could send you to Siberia or block your work from official exhibitions. Kongi is a typical formalist. Ironically and paradoxically formalists are also looked down upon in contemporary art, even though it has been born in a free and democratic society. The difference from totalitarianism is that now art is required to show the opposite of an idealistic illusion an extreme and horrible depiction of modern life and societies. It s called social art and its aim is to critically analyse what s happening in society, and fight mental and political complacency. Sympathizers of social conceptualism would send the likes of Kongi straight to Siberia like Soviet art committees would have. Since social art is depressing and ugly, the art market requires something pretty and mindless that would adorn the interior. Thus the two polar opposites ugly but deep social art and pretty but mindless decorative art keep fighting in contemporary museums and gallery spaces. It s amusing to watch how the same curators praise each of them as the need be. Luckily artists themselves are not caught up between these two figurative chairs, but make their choices and follow their paths. Kristi Kongi has chosen the path of decorative art. Shadows cast by the object and shadowplay with the movement of light combined with the interpretation of colours this can, in principle, be associated with the study of colours or psychology of perception or geometry, but it lacks new depths and is thus merely pretty and unpretentious. But, as said earlier, there s a market for it. Mari Kartau Mari Kartau

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8 2/10 Kristi Kongi ruumiinstallatsioon 1 koosneb seeria printsiibil loodud neljakümne üheksast maalist, mis kujutavad valgusspektri palja silmaga nähtavaid koostisosasid. Iga rida moodustub klassikalisest newtonlikust toonide järjestusest ning igas tulbas muutub värvide küllasus. Maalide värvilaigud on justkui moodustunud üksteisele asetatud ebakorrapärase kujuga värvilistest klaasikildudest või erineva kuju ja tooniga läätsedest läbi kumavast valgusest. Ruumis asuvaks objektiks on eeldatavasti mingi optikaga seonduv seadeldis. * * * Ma ei usu, et Kristi teose teosekssaamine oleks võimalik ainult Artishoki Biennaali kontekstis. Mingil hetkel oleks ta selle näitusele toonud niikuinii see lihtsalt näib loogilise edasise sammuna. Ja pange tähele seda, et kasutan sõna edasine, mis kätkeb endas mõningaid konnotatsioone: 1. järgnevus ajalises, kunstilises või loogilises mõttes; 2. vastandus teatavas mõttes mõistele järgmise sammuna, mis tähistaks seda, et antud teosel on kindel koht Kristi teoste reas või tema arengus kunstnikuna (kas see viimane üldse tähendab midagi?). Siit võib loomulikult esitada uusi küsimusi. Mida täpsemalt tähistab mittespetsiaalse toomine spetsiifilisse (ja erilisse) konteksti toomine? Kas mittepüha pühas paigas muudab paiga vähem pühaks? Kas kunstnik peab kuuletuma väljapaneku kontekstile? On mittekirjutatud reeglid üldse olemas? Kes kurat on kuraator kui selline? Kas nüüd on piisavalt küsimusi? Varasemast võiks Kristi teosed jagada minimalistlikeks ja nunnu-maalilisteks. Viimaste üle oleks õnnelik nii iga kuraator kui korteriomanik. Mingis mõttes olid mõlemad loomulikult täiesti pretensioonitud ja kindlast kontekstist vabad. Seetõttu on märgiline, et viimase personaalnäituse tegi Kristi Tallinna Kunstihoone galeriis koos Raoul Kurvitzaga. Tegu on kähedahäälse keskealise igavese biitnikuga, kes maalib muu hulgas nõgeste, sõnniku ja eeldatavasti ka türa toore jõuga. Kristi pani galerii päikest täis akende ette seisma spektrivärvides klaastahvlid. Ja nüüd need maalid siin. Nunnu on olemas, aga servad on teravad. Võiks öelda, et vormidesse on peidetud mingi ekspressiivne eneseväljendus. 2 Kui vaadata maailma läbi pöidlast ja nimetissõrmest moodustunud pikksilma, sunnib vaataja selle enda valitud raamidesse. Ja Tove Janssoni viimased muumiraamatud olid ka eksistentsiaalsed. Minu arust on kuraatori diktaat mõeldud selleks, et selle peale sülitada. * * * Kristi töö ei anna kahjuks vastust küsimusele, kui palju LSDd Isaac Newton teose Opticks kirjutamise ajal kasutas. Peeter Talvistu 2/10 Kristi Kongi s installation 3 is made up of a series of nine paintings that depict the parts of the light spectrum that are visible to the naked eye. Every row is based on the classic Newtonian arrangement of tonality and the level of saturation is different in every column. The splatters of paint seem to be made up of non-uniform colourful shards of glass or light shining through various tinted lenses. The object in the room is presumably some kind of an optics-related piece of equipment. * * * I don t believe Kristi s creation would only exist within the context of the Artishok Biennale. At some point she would have exhibited it anyway it just seems like a logical step further. And notice my use of the word further, which holds certain connotations: 1. succession in the chronological, artistic or logical sense 2. opposition in a certain way to taking the next step, which would mean that this piece would have a specific spot on Kristi s artistic timeline or her development as an artist (does the latter even mean anything at all?) Further questions may, of course, arise. What exactly is the meaning of producing something that is not specific into a specific (and special) context? Does something unholy in a holy location make it any less holy? Should the artist give into the context of the exhibition? Are there any unwritten rules at all? Who the hell is the curator anyway? Are there enough questions now? Kristi s previous creations could be categorized as minimalist and cute-picturesque. The latter would make any curator and property owner happy. In some way they were totally unpretentious and context-free. Which is why it is significant that her latest exhibition at the Tallinn Art Hall gallery was with Raoul Kurvitz. Now obviously he is a middle-aged eternal beatnik with a hoarse voice who uses nettles, manure and probably raw phallic power to paint. Kristi put glass slates decorated with the colours of the spectrum in front of the windows of the gallery. And now these painting here. The cute factor is present, but the edges are sharp. It could be said that forms hold some kind of expressive self-expression 4. If you look at the world through a circle formed by your thumb and index finger, you force it into your own frames. And Tove Jansson s last Moomin stories were also existential. I believe the curator s dictate exists only to be spat on. * * * Kristi s work sadly does not answer the question how much LSD exactly did Isaac Newton do while writing Opticks. Peeter Talvistu 1 Maaliinstallatsioon? Kas ruumi paigutatud üksik objekt muudab muus osas tasapinnalise valiku ruumiliseks või ruumiüleseks? 2 Kus nüüd alles ütles! 3 Painting-installation? Does a single object suspended in space turn an otherwise planar choice into a spatial one? 4 Whoa, look at me talk!

9 RAHULIK ROOSA PEACEFUL PINK Eestis on kolm kunstnikku, keda ma omavahel võrdleksin Merike Estna, Kristi Kongi ja Laura Põld. Mina tajun nende tegevust kolme värvina helesinine, roosa ja lilla. Estna on neist kõige kujundikesksem, Kongi on pühendunud värvile, Põld materjalile. Muidugi on selline paikapanek täielik ülekohus kunstnike suhtes. Minu tõlgendused põhinevad sünesteesial ja kindlasti ka mingil fragmendil nende kunstnike loomingust, aga ma jään siiski enda juurde ja vaatlen neid kõrvuti muuhulgas on nad kõik maalikunstnikud, kes lähenevad maalile kui keskkonnainstallatsioonile. Miks neid kolme üldse esile tõsta? Aga selleks, et avada teile oma subjektiivset tunnetust kontekstist, mis Kristi Kongit Eesti kunstiskeenel ümbritseb. Ja selleks, et üritada punuda midagi, mida võiks nimetada Kristi Kongi käekirjaks. Minumeelest on ta visuaalkunstnikuna hästi äratuntav ja tema käekiri seisneb värvides. Niisiis, pole kahtlustki, et Kongi on sellesse maailma jätnud oma värvilise jälje. Eraldi kunstiteoseid ma eristada ei oska tema puhul näen mingit ühtset loomingut, mis teosteks minumeelest ei jagune. Ka Särav hele on mingi faas ühtlasest värvitulvast. Selles töös mõtiskleb Kongi värvi kaudu eseme olemuse üle. Mõtiskleb niikaua kuni ese kaob ja alles jäävad ainult värvid. Ese on seega Kongi jaoks abivahend. Nagu suure paagiga veoauto, mis värvi kohale toob ja seejärel haihtub. Samas huvitavad Kongit ainult teatud värvid. Millised need on ja miks seda kõike vaja on, sellest rääkimiseks tuleb kasutada meetodit, mida ma nimetaksin sünesteetiliseks mänguks. Vähemalt mulle tundub see loomulikum kui kontseptuaalsete koobastike otsimine värvikihi alt. Niisiis. Kristi Kongil on oma värv ja oma heli, aga neist kumbki pole midagi püsivat. Selles on palju rahu ja kindlust, ehkki pinnakiht on kirev ja mässav. Selles peituv rahu sarnaneb palmitihnikus mäslevale ja kriiskavale pärdikukarjale. See veider seisund on ilmselt hallutsinatsioon mingi eksootiline, värviline lind, midagi paradiisilinnu ja kakaduu vahepealset. Ma näen selles palju kreemjat valget värvi, seejärel roosasid, loojanguoranže ja erksaid helesiniseid toone. Ei tekigi tahtmist hakata rääkima Kongi värvilise kunsti varjuküljest puuduolevast või siis marginaliseeritud pruunist ja hallist, Tirana linnapeast, kes tegi vaesuses vireleva linna värviliseks külluse kantsiks, jne. Nii palju saab värvidega ära petta! Värvilisus viitab küllusele, küllus viitab harmooniale. Ent mis saab siis, kui külluselt eemaldada värvid ja asetada need puuduse keskele? Kas on võimalik, et sünnib ime? Libiido on kanal, mille kaudu Kongi opereerib. Tema värvidel on teraapiline mõju küsimus on selles kui viljakale pinnasele need tema värvid langevad. There are three Estonian artists that I would like to compare Merike Estna, Kristi Kongi and Laura Põld. I perceive their activities as three colours: pale blue, pink and purple. Estna is the most shape-centred of them. Kongi focuses on colour. Põld focuses on material. Of course, this classification is totally unjust. My conclusions are based on synthesis and a few fragments of their portfolios, but I will nevertheless stay true to them and review these artists together by the way, all of them are painters that approach painting as an environmental installation. Why focus on these three? To present to you my subjective perception of the context that surrounds Kristi Kongi on the Estonian art scene. And to weave together something that could be called Kristi Kongi s pattern or handwriting. I think she is very recognisable as a visual artist and her characteristic is colour. There s no doubt she has left behind a colourful footprint. I can t distinguish separate works of art I see a creative whole that cannot be divided into separate pieces. Bright Light is also a phase inside a balanced avalanche of colour. Kongi ponders the essence of the object through colour. Ponders so long that the object disappears and only colours remain. The object is thus a mere aid. Like a big lorry that transports the paint and then disappears. At the same time, Kongi is interested in only certain colours. In order to explain what they are and why all of this is necessary, we have to use a method I would call playful synaesthesia. At least it feels more logical than digging for conceptual caves under coats of paint. So then. Kristi Kongi has her own colour and her own sound, but neither of them is permanent. There s a lot of peace and strength, even though the surface is colourful and turbulent. The calm here is reminiscent of a raging pack of monkeys in the middle of a thick palm forest. This bizarre condition is obviously a hallucination some exotic, bright bird somewhere between a bird of paradise and a cockatoo. I see a lot of creamy whites, then pinks, sunset orange and bright blues. I don t even want to talk about the hidden aspect of her colourful art the missing or marginalised browns and greys; the mayor of Tirana who made the struggling city a vibrant and multi-coloured one etc. You can hide so much with colours! Abundance of colours hints at abundance in general which hints at harmony. But what happens if you strip abundance of its colours and place them in poverty? Would a miracle be possible? Kongi s channel of choice is the libido. Her colours are therapeutic; the question is how fertile is the soil they fall upon. TANEL RANDER TANEL RANDER

10 Septītā saruna. Organiskā stikla pērlīšu spēle Seventh conversation. The organic glass bead game Jānis Taurens: Sēžot šajā vīnstīgām apvītajā, vecajā un vēsajā mājā, šķiet, esam norobežoti no apkārtnes gan karstuma, gan komunikācijas ar ārpasauli ziņā. Vai tas ir iemesls tam, ka neiesaistāmies sarakstē, sarunās ar māksliniekiem, daži no kuriem taču ir labi pazīstami, vai arī tā ir nevēlēšanās sekot jebkādiem priekšrakstiem (kādas kuratoru vēstules beigās, šķiet, pavīdēja frāze tālāk komunikācija ar pašiem māksliniekiem, ko var saprast kā slēptu pavēles izteiksmi)? Vasīlijs Voronovs: Mēs neesam kritiķi. Bet šim apgalvojumam uzreiz nepieciešams paskaidrojums, lai to nepārprastu. Kritiķis ir tas, kam var pierakstīt noteiktu lomu, funkcijas, uzdevumus utt. Mākslas kritiku var rakstīt arī kāds, kas nav kritiķis, tas ir, kāds, kurš ignorē šo lomu (jājautā kas gan to nosaka, piemēram, kritiķa funkcijas?), lai arī viņu pārnestā nozīmē var saukt par kritiķi. Bet kādai tad jābūt mākslas kritikai, ja reiz to nedefinē autora loma? Tai jābūt kritiskai refleksijai, precīzāk, tekstam, kura pamatā vai vismaz fonā pavīd teorētisks karkass, uzskatu sistēma, citiem vārdiem sakot noteikta lasīšanas, runāšanas un rakstīšanas pieredze. J. T.: Šai domai mēs jau pieskārāmies kādā sarunā. V. V.: Jā, bet tagad atbildēšu uz tavu jautājumu. Tas, cik daudz laika rīta stundās varam atvēlēt īsai sarunai par kādu no Artišoka biennāles darbiem (un šo sarunu pieraksts arī ir izstādei nepieciešamais teksts šajā gadījumā), ļauj pieskarties tikai kādam vienam darba aspektam, kas mūs interesē. J. T.: Un informācija par darbiem mūsu sarunai jau tāpat ir pietiekoša, tā tu gribi teikt? V. V.: Bet, kas svarīgāk tikai caur šādu interesi arī iespējams neiespējamais, proti, neatminamās piedod man šo Adorno atdarinājumu mākslas mīklas atminējums. Un tagad varam pāriet pie Kristi Kongi darba, kuru izraudzījāmies šā rīta sarunai. J. T.: Tas ir mēģinājums gleznot gaismu, kā viņa pati stāstīja kopīgajā mākslinieku un kritiķu (vai šis vārds tagad būtu jāliek pēdiņās?) tikšanās reizē jūnija vidū. Gaismu pašu uzgleznot, protams, nav iespējams, ja vien negleznojam kāda fizikas traktāta jēgu, kas, šķiet, būtu vēl grūtāk nekā attēlot platoniskās idejas, un arī Kristi darba gadījumā mums ir objekts un gleznas. Mākslas jeb attēla plaknē (tradicionāli pie sienas) ir ģeometriskas formas gleznas dažādos, spilgtos toņos; uz paplātes на блюдечке, kā teikts kādā absurdā Aleksandra Vedenska dzejolī, citiem vārdiem sakot, tur, kur tam jāatrodas, proti, uz grīdas, uz zemes, ir objekts. V. V.: Vedenska dzejolī gan kārtība ir apgriezta, absurda, kā tu sacīji, tāpēc tas arī izmantots kā Maskavas konceptuālisma prakses paradigmas kodolīgs formulējums. Tur vertikālajā, mākslas plaknē ir cilvēks На обоях человек, bet... J. T.: Jā, taču ne par to es šobrīd gribu runāt. Kristi objekts varētu būt kaut kas līdzīgs dimantam, izgatavotam no organiskā stikla tāda vismaz bija mākslinieces ideja jūnijā, bet arī tas šobrīd nav būtiski. Tas būs visnotaļ muzikāls darbs stikla pērlīšu spēles garā objekts jeb tēma un attēli jeb variācijas, bet reizē mākslas plaknē, galerijas telpā tiek ienests tas, kam reprezentējošās mākslas gadījuma būtu jāpaliek ārpus skatītāja redzes lauka, proti, attēlotais objekts. Objekti parasti tiek novietoti uz podesta, šis būs kustīgs objekts uz sliedēm. V. V.: Līdz ar to tādi apzīmējumi un pieņemtie nošķīrumi starp tiem kā abstraktā glezniecība, reprezentējošā māksla, kinētiskā māksla nedarbojas vai to tu gribi teikt? J. T.: Pat vairāk tie kļūst smieklīgi, un jautājums, kas jāatrisina skatītājam, ir šāds: vai šī ironija ir mākslinieces gribēta, vai tikai plašāka mākslas konteksta un viņa zināšanu par to rezultāts? Kombuļu pagasts, gada 7. augustā Jānis Taurens: Seems that by sitting in this vine entangled, old and cool house we are enclosed from the surroundings both in the way of hotness and communication with outside world. Is that the reason why we don t get involved in correspondence, conversations with artists some of which are well-known or is it the unwillingness to follow any instructions (at the end of one curator letter, I think, a phrase further communication with artists themselves appeared, which can be understood as a hidden imperative)? Vasīlijs Voronovs: We are not critics. But this statement at once needs an explanation for it not to be misunderstood. Critic is someone who is assigned a definite role, function, tasks etc. Art critique can also be written by someone who isn t a critic, respectively, someone who ignores this role (it needs to be asked who defines that, for example, the critic s functions?), even though he figuratively speaking can be called a critic. But what then should art critique be like, if it isn t defined by the role of the author? It must be a critical reflection, more precisely, a text with a basis or at least a background of theoretical framework, opinion system, saying in other words a definite experience of reading, speaking and writing. J. T.: We already touched upon this thought in one of the conversations. V. V.: Yes, but now I will answer your question. The amount of time in the morning hours we can allocate to a short conversation about one of the Artishok biennial works (and in this case the transcript of the conversations is also a text necessary to the exhibition) allows to touch upon only one work s aspect we re interested in. J. T.: And information about the works is sufficient enough for our conversation, is that what you want to say? V. V.: But what is more important only through such interest the impossible also is possible, I mean, the answer to the unsolvable pardon me this imitation of Adorno enigma of art. And now we can move to the work by Kristi Kongi, which we chose for this morning s conversation. J. T.: It is an attempt to paint light, as she herself told in the joint meeting artists and critics (should this word now be put in inverted commas?) had in mid June. To paint light itself, of course, is impossible, unless we paint the meaning of some physics treatise, which, I think, would be even more difficult than portraying Platonic ideas, and also in Kristi s work s case we have an object and paintings. In the plane of art or picture (traditionally on a wall) there are paintings in geometric forms in different, bright colours; on a plate на блюдечке, like in one absurd poem by Alexander Vvedensky in other words, there, where it should be, respectively, on the floor, on the ground, there is an object. V. V.: In the poem by Vvedensky the order, however, is subverted, absurd, as you said, that s why it s also used as a pointed definition of the Moscow conceptualism (paradigm of its art practice). There, in the vertical, art plane is a human На обоях человек, but... J. T.: Yes, but that s not what I want to talk about now. Kristi s object could be something similar to a diamond, made from organic glass at least that s what the artist s idea was in June, but also that isn t essential now. It will be a rather musical work in the spirit of glass bead game object or theme and pictures or variations but at the same time in the art plane something that in the case of representative art should stay outside the spectator s field of vision is brought into the gallery space respectively, the portrayed object. The objects are usually placed on a mount, this will be a moving object on rails. V. V.: Thus such labels and accepted partitions between them as abstract painting, representative art, kinetic art doesn t work is that what you want to say? J. T.: Even more they become ridiculous and the question that the spectator needs to answer, is such: is this irony wanted by the artist or simply a result of a wider context of art and his knowledge about it? Kombuļu municipality, August 7, 2014 Jānis Taurens

11 EN In Civilization and its Discontents Sigmund Freud suggests that cultural evolution was a consequence of man's adoption of the upright gait and the related diminution in importance of olfactory stimuli in favour of visual stimuli. Rob's piece was on the floor, a line of cocaine about eight feet long, if I remember correctly. My first thought was, 'Is it real?' The answer was, 'Yes. Have some if you like.' I hesitated, partly because in art, if you're allowed or encouraged to do something, I always opt out. I have never, for example, walked across a Carl Andre simply because you can. But my reluctance also stemmed from the fact that I was aware that to do so, I would have to get down on hands and knees, and prostrate myself in front of the artist and those present. Although I like to get a quick buzz on as much as the next guy always up for a bump this seemed potentially demeaning, as if Rob was actually getting viewers to go down on his art. Suffice it to say that this is only the second time I have ever refused a line. Bob Nickas // Pop Touched Me: The Art of Rob Pruitt. New York: Abrams, p32 From within this giant junkyard where all things are corroding and crumbling, what will capture us, pull us up, flush us out, rescue us from our bloated languidity, will never be these things themselves. It can only and always be found in the faint light of the world to come, in possibility, or probability, indeterminacy, lack, and all the others that only are' in absence. Jiro Takamatsu, Left: Rob Pruitt. Cocaine Buffet Grand Prix. Installation view at Le Consortium, Dijon Right: Jiro Takamatsu. Shadow (Double Shadow of a Woman). 1989/97. Acrylic on canvas x cm Pa kreisi: Robs Pruits. Kokaīna bufetes Lielā balva. Skats no izstādes Le Consortium, Dižona Pa labi: Dzjiro Takamacu. Ēna (Sievietes dubultēna). 1989/97. Audekls, akrils. 181,8 x 227,6 cm Savā darbā Civilizācija un tās neapmierinātība Zigmunds Freids raksta, ka kultūras evolūcija ir sekas cilvēka pārejai uz pārvietošanos stāvus un ar to saistītajam ožas kairinātāju nozīmes kritumam par labu redzes kairinātājiem. Roba darbs bija uz grīdas, kokaīna līnija apmēram astoņu pēdu garumā, ja pareizi atceros. Mana pirmā doma bija: Vai tas ir īsts? Atbilde: Jā. Pamēģini, ja vēlies. Es svārstījos, daļēji tādēļ, ka, ja mākslā kaut ko ļauj vai mudina darīt, es vienmēr atsakos. Piemēram, es nekad neesmu staigājis pa Karla Andrē darbu tikai tādēļ vien, ka to drīkst. Bet šaubas radās arī no atskārsmes, ka, lai to darītu, būtu nepieciešams mesties četrrāpus un izgulties mākslinieka un klātesošo priekšā. Lai gan man patīk dabūt ātru uzrāvienu gluži kā visiem citiem vienmēr gatavs devai tas izskatījās potenciāli pazemojoši, it kā Robs īstenībā vēlētos, lai skatītāji pazelē viņa mākslu. Lieki teikt, šī bija tikai otrā reize, kad esmu atteicies no kokaīna. Bobs Nikass // Pop Touched Me: The Art of Rob Pruitt. New York: Abrams, p32 [Autora tulkojums] Šajā milzu izgāztuvē, kur viss rūsē un drūp, tas, kas mūs satvers, vilks augšup, attīrīs, izglābs no mūsu uzpūstās apātijas - nekad nebūs paši šie priekšmeti. To vienīgi un vienmēr var atrast blāvajā gaidāmās pasaules gaismā, iespējamībā, varbūtībā, nenoteiktībā, trūkumā un visā citā, kas atrodas klātneesamībā. Dzjiro Takamacu, [Autora tulkojums] LV Valts Miķelsons