CONTRIBUTORS
history
| ABOUT ALYTUS BIENNIAL ACTIVITY |
 |
| Written by Redas Diržys |
|
Consider the whole of your life, what you already do, all your doings. Now please exclude everything which is naturally physiologically necessary (or harmful), such as breathing and sleeping (or breaking an arm). For what remains, exclude everything which is for the satisfaction of a social demand, a very large area which includes foremost your job, but also care of children, being polite, voting, your haircut, and much else. From what remains, exclude everything which is an agency, a "means" -- another very large area which overlaps with others to be excluded. From what remains, exclude everything which involves competition. In what remains, concentrate on everything done entirely because you just like it as you do it. (Henry Flynt „Against „Participation“: Total Critique of Culture“)
The project Alytus Biennial is a logic continuation of numerous international experimental art festivals and events held in southern Lithuanian town Alytus since 1993. So far the essential element for the town is an absence of any artistic infrastructure (no galleries, art museums, nor even some exhibition hall in the city hosting 70 000 inhabitants – sic! - and even no any promises from the municipal authorities) the events were held directly in the streets and other urbanist common places. The essential element for any of those activities was political-artistic behavior and problematic.
First events overtaking the streets of Alytus for 24 hours were held in 1993-1996 and beared name “Straight. Section”.
In 1998 the event was intended to held performances directly in the river Nemunas which violently crosses the city. The event was titled “River & Communication”. Unfortunately there happen an accident during the mounting of the piece from the bridge – one of the assistants fell down from the bridge. That was one of the mostly scandalous events during the decade in Lithuania. The access to the strategic constructions and public places was restricted for a period of few years as a result.
As a clearly defined event under the name of Alytus Biennial the event appeared in 2005. The basic idea for it was to continue experimental art tradition directly in the urban spaces of the town. So far it took the title “Beware!Politics!” it really stood somewhere in-between of arts and politics. The biennial also clamed for debienalization of arts and society so to respond to increasing number of various biennials appeared as art-value in itself. The communal approach of the artists community was taken as a highest value of the event to continue the development further.
The biennial of 2007 was given to youth with a task simply to demystify it’s importance an so to trap the sacred name of it. So far they did not succeed to destroy the biennial as the symbol of “serious culture” – next step was Art Strike Biennial.: to cease any artistic activity related to mimicking of Vilnius European Cultural Capital and/or any establishment in Lithuania in 2009. Establishment got pierced and Biennial turned into an activity to not produce arts every second the year.
At the moment the Biennial looks for an opportunity to join the general strike in 2012 accomplishing it with creative experience and psychic liberation of humanity. Also supports whatsoever attempt to destroy any biennial event, any cultural capital celebration and also we aim to support general art strike as well.
Burn, Baby, Burn!
“If the end is the taking of power by the people themselves then the means must be the revolutionary organs of the people – worker councils, community councils, communes etc. If the end is the freeing of man culturally as well socially and economically then the means exist in the destruction of “culture”. If the end is the liberation of natural man then the means must be sexual as well as social. If the end is the “totality” then the means must be “total” – all or nothing.” Ben Morea. Black Mask No. 7, August/September 1967. |