Reading Odyssey

Slow Art Ukraine

I received a lovely note from a Ukranian curator talking about a recent piece of performance art he curated at the national museum in the Ukraine.

See his text below and the attached documents.

I was intrigued to read on Flavorpill NYC about the upcoming Slow Art events you have planned around the world. Especially since last Saturday, October 10, I was the curator of a performance which also involved looking at one artwork for a long time. In the performance “8” at the Ukrainian National Art Museum in Kyiv, performer Oleksandr Lebediev spent 8 hours looking at one icon and slowly approaching it from the opposite end of the gallery, traversing about 40 meters without stopping.

His attention was continually moving from observing his own physical movement, the sensations of the museum space around him, and the artwork he was looking at. Meanwhile, visitors circulated through the gallery. They expressed varying degrees of interest in the performer: some observed him from close up, some asked questions, some ignored him completely, while others were drawn by his concentration to stare at the same icon.

I have attached the curator’s text, press release, and a few photos from the event. If you are interested, please feel free to contact me for more information.

Good luck with Slow Art on Saturday.

Best wishes,
Larissa Babij

And here’s the press release and curator’s notes:

Download 8_pressrel_eng

Download 8_visitors_eng

Thanks,

Phil

16. October 2009 by Arrian
Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Art, Performance Art, Slow Art, Ukraine | 1 comment