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| Russia's remote observatory hosts art show | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| After art shows in Moscow have been doused in urine, covered in red paint and picketed by conservative activists, one curator has set up a new exhibition in a remote observatory 900 miles from the Russian capital. | After art shows in Moscow have been doused in urine, covered in red paint and picketed by conservative activists, one curator has set up a new exhibition in a remote observatory 900 miles from the Russian capital. |
| The show, featuring work from seven Russian and three Austrian artists, is “a classic contemporary art experience,” explains curator Simon Mraz. So contemporary that a cleaner almost threw away one of the paintings after mistaking it for rubbish. | The show, featuring work from seven Russian and three Austrian artists, is “a classic contemporary art experience,” explains curator Simon Mraz. So contemporary that a cleaner almost threw away one of the paintings after mistaking it for rubbish. |
| The 10 artists visited the 1960s observatory in Nizhny Arkhyz, perched in the mountains of the Karachay-Cherkess republic this summer to learn about astronomy. | The 10 artists visited the 1960s observatory in Nizhny Arkhyz, perched in the mountains of the Karachay-Cherkess republic this summer to learn about astronomy. |
| The observatory founded in 1966 as the space race was hotting up between the Soviet Union and the US and its six-metre diameter telescope was the largest in the world until 1993 when the US built a bigger one in Hawaii. | The observatory founded in 1966 as the space race was hotting up between the Soviet Union and the US and its six-metre diameter telescope was the largest in the world until 1993 when the US built a bigger one in Hawaii. |
| As part of the show Irina Korina, a Moscow based-artist, created three installations in the nearby village, whose name translates as “Science Village” to show that for the local residents science is religion. | As part of the show Irina Korina, a Moscow based-artist, created three installations in the nearby village, whose name translates as “Science Village” to show that for the local residents science is religion. |
| The rest of the exhibit, which opened last week, is a broad mix of art rarely shown in the remote region. From Eva Engelbert’s space emblems, created in honour of Galina Balashova the only female architect in the Soviet space programme. | The rest of the exhibit, which opened last week, is a broad mix of art rarely shown in the remote region. From Eva Engelbert’s space emblems, created in honour of Galina Balashova the only female architect in the Soviet space programme. |
| To a neon installation above the observatory reading “they are brighter than us”created by provocative graffiti artist Timofei Radya from Yekaterinburg and only visible to night time visitors. | To a neon installation above the observatory reading “they are brighter than us”created by provocative graffiti artist Timofei Radya from Yekaterinburg and only visible to night time visitors. |
| “When they first proposed [the exhibit] we were wary,” said Yury Balega who ran the observatory for more than 20 years, but it turns out “artists and astronomers have a lot in common”. | “When they first proposed [the exhibit] we were wary,” said Yury Balega who ran the observatory for more than 20 years, but it turns out “artists and astronomers have a lot in common”. |
| But some were left questioning whether the artists truly understood the complicated work of the observatory and what it had managed to achieve. | But some were left questioning whether the artists truly understood the complicated work of the observatory and what it had managed to achieve. |
| Yevgeny Chentsov, who has worked at the observatory since 1968, described the art as “naive and childlike,” which he meant as a compliment adding that astronomers have a similar approach to their work. | Yevgeny Chentsov, who has worked at the observatory since 1968, described the art as “naive and childlike,” which he meant as a compliment adding that astronomers have a similar approach to their work. |
| And it was Austrian artist Michail Michailov’s drawing of dust – which was meant to represent the particles the astronomers look at through the telescope – that was nearly thrown away after being mistaken for dust. An incident brushed off by Mraz as “the risk of contemporary art.”. | And it was Austrian artist Michail Michailov’s drawing of dust – which was meant to represent the particles the astronomers look at through the telescope – that was nearly thrown away after being mistaken for dust. An incident brushed off by Mraz as “the risk of contemporary art.”. |
| Mraz would not say exactly how much it cost to put on the show, but he did say that hosting something similar in Europe would cost around €100,000. | Mraz would not say exactly how much it cost to put on the show, but he did say that hosting something similar in Europe would cost around €100,000. |
| A sizeable sum for an exhibition was only seen by a very small audience, 800 residents of the village and the handful of press that attended the opening, but Mraz believes that it still had an impact. | A sizeable sum for an exhibition was only seen by a very small audience, 800 residents of the village and the handful of press that attended the opening, but Mraz believes that it still had an impact. |
| Not only can art help people working in different professions understand each other better, but it can help us “understand what our country is about.... [especially] in times when politicians are getting crazy,” he says. | Not only can art help people working in different professions understand each other better, but it can help us “understand what our country is about.... [especially] in times when politicians are getting crazy,” he says. |
| The curator who has also hosted an art exhibition on an icebreaker in Murmansk , north west Russia, says that in a way remote locations are easier than Moscow: at least “nobody was touching it [and] nobody was destroying it.” | The curator who has also hosted an art exhibition on an icebreaker in Murmansk , north west Russia, says that in a way remote locations are easier than Moscow: at least “nobody was touching it [and] nobody was destroying it.” |